Sen. Al Franken said many Republicans want to change the internet so that large corporations can increase their profit margins at the expense of small businesses and consumers.
This spring, House Republicans opposed to rules intended to safeguard the free-flowing egalitarian quality of the internet, voted to strip the Federal Communications Commission of the cash it would need to enforce the rules. On Wednesday, a small band of senators, including Minnesota’s Al Franken, sent a letter to Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) and Ranking Member Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) objecting to the House action and asking the committee to strip out the budget amendment that would hold back the FCC funds.
Sen. Al Franken headed to Austin, Texas, on Monday to speak about net neutrality at the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival, one of the largest film, music and interactive gatherings. In his speech, Franken said that net neutrality is important for many of the artists who showcase their talents at SXSW and that maintaining the current structure of the internet will help keep it “weird” — a reference to the festival host city’s informal slogan.
The Federal Communications Commission passed a set of rules Tuesday “to preserve basic Internet values,” but advocates of net neutrality say the new rules do not go far enough. Sen. Al Franken called the measures “simply inadequate,” while Republicans have vowed to push to repeal the new framework.
In an editorial titled “The Most Important Free Speech Issue of Our Time,” Sen. Al Franken lays out the reasons why it is necessary for the government to intervene in the operations of how consumers are delivered internet access:
As a source of innovation, an engine of our economy, and a forum for our political discourse, the Internet can only work if it’s a truly level playing field. Small businesses should have the same ability to reach customers as powerful corporations. A blogger should have the same ability to find an audience as a media conglomerate.
Sen. Al Franken spoke out on net neutrality ahead of a Minnesota visit by officials from the Federal Communications Commission to discuss the same issue. The FCC will hold a hearing at South High School in Minneapolis at…
Rep. Michele Bachmann appeared on Sean Hannity’s show on Monday to defend herself from critiques lodged against her for her claim that President Obama and the Democrats are running a “gangster…
Asked at Saturday’s Netroots Minnesota conference what blogs he follows, Rep. Tim Walz pulled out his iPhone and rattled off a few sites: Talking Points Memo, Bluestem Prairie, MN Publius and others. Then he showed off his…
Gov. Tim Pawlenty got it wrong last week when he talked about Minnesota’s U.S. Senate recount, but the winner of that recount got it right when talking yesterday on another topic: cyborg bugs.
The Xcel Energy Center might be the home of the Republican Nation Convention next week. But the RNC should have the its own sign plastered over the Xcel that says “brought to you by AT&T.” The Texas-based company’s PAC is the Republican party’s biggest donor, shelling out more than $1.3 million for Republican campaigns this year alone, according to campaign finance reports. And more than $168,000 of that has gone directly to the campaign for John McCain, whom AT&T has strongly supported and vice versa.
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