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Editorial staff
Network interference
Submitted by Benton Foundation on July 31, 2008 - 7:16amLast updated: July 31, 2008 - 7:16am
The Federal Communications Commission is poised to slap the corporate wrist of Comcast, the nation's leading cable operator and second-largest broadband provider, for interfering surreptitiously and deceptively with its customers' use of BitTorrent, a popular program for sharing files online.
FCC.politics.gov
Submitted by Benton Foundation on July 30, 2008 - 8:06amLast updated: July 30, 2008 - 8:06am
The Federal Communications Commission is by all accounts planning this week to uphold a complaint against Comcast, the cable company accused of throttling attempts to trade movies and other high-bandwidth files on its network that slow down Internet service for everyone else.
The Censors Lose in Court
Submitted by Benton Foundation on July 28, 2008 - 7:21amLast updated: July 28, 2008 - 7:22am
The $550,000 fine that the Federal Communications Commission imposed on CBS for Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" during the 2004 Super Bowl was a serious setback to freedom of expression. The NYTimes hopes that the Supreme Court, which will soon be taking up a similar case, will take as strong a stand for free speech.
Pulling Prince from YouTube
Submitted by Benton Foundation on July 25, 2008 - 6:59amLast updated: July 25, 2008 - 6:59am
There should be some deterrent against copyright holders attacking fair uses online, deliberately or otherwise. At the very least, they should have to look at potentially infringing uses of their works and consider fair-use law before sending take-down notices.
Time for the Shield
Submitted by Benton Foundation on July 24, 2008 - 7:19amLast updated: July 24, 2008 - 7:20am
A proposal to protect reporters from having to reveal confidential sources passed the House of Representatives by an overwhelming margin last year. A similar measure was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee, 15 to 4. It is time for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) to bring this bill to the floor.
China's Unreality TV
Submitted by Benton Foundation on July 22, 2008 - 7:36amLast updated: July 22, 2008 - 7:36am
China has gone to extraordinary lengths to spruce up its image before next month's Olympics: shuttering factories to reduce air pollution, mopping up algae in sailing waters, harassing critics and threatening journalists.
Strike up the broadband
Submitted by Benton Foundation on July 14, 2008 - 3:45pmNot everyone has equal access to the Internet. Broadband users tend to be wealthier people who live in suburban and urban neighborhoods. Meanwhile, some 17 percent of Internet households still dwell in the slow world of dial-up.
Why is YouTube hoarding data?
Submitted by Benton Foundation on July 10, 2008 - 7:01amLast week, a pretrial ruling in the case caused a furor for reasons that had nothing to do with copyrights. Granting a request from Viacom, District Judge Louis L. ordered YouTube to turn over all the data it had collected about what its users watched. As it turns out, YouTube has kept extensive records of all its users' viewing histories, including the Internet addresses of the computers they were on at the time.
FISA's Fetters
Submitted by Benton Foundation on July 9, 2008 - 7:16amThe measure overhauling the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act reflects a reasonable compromise, worked out over long months of negotiations, between the legitimate needs of intelligence agencies and the legitimate privacy interests of Americans.
Compromising the Constitution
Submitted by Benton Foundation on July 8, 2008 - 6:46amCongress has been far too compliant as President Bush undermined the Bill of Rights and the balance of powers. It now has a chance to undo some of that damage -- if it has the courage and good sense to stand up to the White House and for the Constitution.
