"The key to the internet's success has been its openness. But the FCC needs your help. That is why we have created openinternet.gov [beta]. I hope you'll take advantage of this opportunity to share your ideas on (net neutrality)." FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski on Monday outlined his plan for requiring Internet service providers to keep their networks open to legal content and external devices. Some are enthused. The large telecommunications companies who could profit, are not.
posted by cashman on Sep 21, 2009 - 28 comments

It doesn't seem as if the digital transition has been the resounding success we were told it would be. The FCC has admitted that they're confounded by some of the problems that have arisen across the country. With frustrated tv viewers mobbing the FCC hotlines (and major metropolises like Chicago, Dallas-Ft. Worth, New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore amongst the largest numbers reporting ongoing problems), some have yet to experience the mind-blowing crystal clear pictures and sound promised in those ubiquitous DTV commercials. [more inside]
posted by Mael Oui on Jun 15, 2009 - 111 comments

The FCC investigated a pirate radio station in Boulder, Colorado earlier this month and left a copy of their official inspection policy asserting that they have the authority to perform warrantless searches of private property if there is any FCC-licensed equipment on the property, including cordless phones, cell phones, wireless routers, intercom systems, and baby monitors. [more inside]
posted by notashroom on May 21, 2009 - 36 comments

The current FCC case [PDF] before the U.S. Supreme Court presents a fascinating dilemma for the judges: how do you respectfully discuss the legality of profane words in the nation's highest court? And for reporters: how do you report on the specifics of the case? It seems decisions vary across publications: NYT, Washington Post (reg req), LA Times, Wall Street Journal, Slate, The Atlantic, Bloomberg, AP, McClatchy. As for the judges themselves, they opted to allow only substitute terms. PDF transcript with word count at bottom. Background.
posted by Tehanu on Nov 6, 2008 - 26 comments

The results of the vote are in. Today, the FCC voted 5-0 to approve the Google-sponsored initiative to free up vacant TV airwaves. The "Free The Airwaves" victory means broadcast spectrum that becomes available as analog TV transmissions are switched off can be made available to create nationwide wireless internet access services, or "Wi-Fi on steroids". [more inside]
posted by lodev on Nov 4, 2008 - 22 comments

FCC paves way for free use of vacant airwaves -- white space -- available in February as TV spectrum is cleared up by digital conversion. Apparently another vote for change will take place November 4. The FCC btw also recently backed a free (ad-supported) nationwide wireless broadband plan in another hunk of spectrum to be auctioned off in 2009.
posted by kliuless on Oct 18, 2008 - 19 comments

It seems that previous MeFi post heralding The Year of Net Neutrality may have been frighteningly accurate. Between the recent CRTC and the FCC filings on Bell's illegal throttling practices in Canada, and FCC ruling against Comcast to "Stop Blocking Internet Traffic" in the USA, it seems the issue is finally sparking action, and we may be seeing much more to come. For those interested, there is an open-source documentary called Human Lobotomy which discusses the way this issue weighs on freedom of press and freedom of speech, and also an activist blog, Save the Internet which promises to stay abreast of the issue.
posted by tybeet on Aug 8, 2008 - 5 comments

This little news story might be slightly damaging to John McCain's campaign. You know how the press lets stuff like this slide. uno dos tres cuatro cinco sex?
posted by chuckdarwin on Feb 21, 2008 - 250 comments

The talk show host, Miss Oprah Winfrey is illegally invading my privacy to promote show ideas on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Further, each time I gather evidence of proof, she pays people with her talk show earnings money to bribe them to destroy evidence. Many more complaints to the FCC about selected tv shows here.
posted by oxford blue on Jan 31, 2008 - 76 comments

FCC to investigate Comcast's traffic-management practices. The AP and the EFF both have confirmed that they do interfere with some certain file sharing technologies. Previously.
posted by Mr_Zero on Jan 8, 2008 - 27 comments

The Prometheus Radio Project focuses on building a large community of low power FM stations and listeners. Co-founder Pete Tridish (interview) and Prometheus won a major victory recently as the FCC Moved to Protect Low-Power FM Stations. Check out a couple short films about Prometheus "barn raisings," or launching small community radio stations in Woodburn, Or, Nashville, TN and (especially fascinating) Arusha, Tanzania.
posted by The Straightener on Dec 3, 2007 - 26 comments

The FCC, again, moves to loosen ownership rules for television and newspapers. A similar proposal in 2003 drew huge public opposition. This time, there is a narrow window for public comment, ending in mid-November. You can contact the FCC or go to the Common Cause page. [more inside]
posted by McLir on Oct 28, 2007 - 32 comments

Too Hot To Hear. Fifty years ago today, a San Francisco Municipal Court judge ruled that Allen Ginsberg's Beat-era poem "Howl" was not obscene. Yet today, a New York public broadcasting station decided not to air the poem, fearing that the Federal Communications Commission will find it indecent and crush the network with crippling fines. More on Allen Ginsberg here. Via.
posted by amyms on Oct 5, 2007 - 69 comments

Okay, it wasn't exactly banned, but the new Dove ad for their anti-aging products-- featuring tastefully nude older women-- was pre-emptively rejected by broadcast networks. Dove's Campaign For Real Beauty shares reactions, lets you meet the cast, and invites you to discuss. Previously on MetaFilter: Dove's short "Evolution" about how image-manipulation distorts beauty standards.
posted by hermitosis on Jul 18, 2007 - 68 comments

(to the tune of “My Country ‘Tis of Thee”) My country used to be/ Sweet land of liberty/ That once was true/ Until the FCC/ Chose what we hear and see/ On radio and on TV/ FCC FU!
Choral and heavy metal versions also available for download.
posted by CCBC on Dec 3, 2006 - 4 comments

When worlds collide: King Mswati III of Swaziland chooses his thirteenth wife at the Umhlanga, a Zulu reed-dancing ceremony [NSFW, tame]. The BBC reports on the story, but then realise US networks they syndicate to might be fined due to FCC regulations on nudity. Richard Porter, editor of BBC World, explains more in his blog.
posted by randomination on Sep 14, 2006 - 20 comments

Ray Whitney, helps team win Stanley Cup, but screams "F**king" on prime-time tv (youtube link). When Bono said it the FCC turned the other cheek but then later reversed their decision and said it was indecent and uttering the F-Word would earn a fine. Now mere days after Bush signed legistlation that would increase the maximum fine to $325,000 per station, the question is, will the FCC fine NBC $30 million for the indecency broadcast throughout the country last night?
posted by tsarfan on Jun 20, 2006 - 61 comments

On live TV, irate Miss. man tells Cheney to "self-copulate" Thus turns the karmic wheel ? Recall: over a year ago VP Cheney said ' "I expressed myself rather forcefully, felt better after I had done it," after he told Vermont Senator Patrick Leahey - on the floor of the US Senate - to "Go f_ck" himself. Today, during Cheney's tour of storm damaged Miss., a resident approached Cheney's press meeting and shouted: "Go f_ck yourself, Mr. Cheney!!  Go f_ck yourself!!!". The exhortation was aired on at least one national cable channel. Here is the video ( ALT ). The LA Times,CNN, and FOX are carrying the story.
posted by troutfishing on Sep 8, 2005 - 127 comments

New FCC head seeks to quietly gut independent DSL carriers. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin has circulated a proposal that would eliminate the requirement of phone companies to lease their phone lines to competitors, effectively cutting the throat of independent DSL carriers such as Covad, and their customers, such as EarthLink, AT&T, Concentric, AOL, and Sprint. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 gave Baby Bells the right to sell long distance service in exchange for opening up their networks to the public. Now the Bush administration are poised to undo this, killing a multibillion dollar industry, and giving monopoly control back to the Baby Bells, who aren't quite so small anymore, thanks to corporate mergers. If you like having all the broadband choices you currently have, you may want to contact the FCC commissioners, toot sweet.
posted by insomnia_lj on Jul 26, 2005 - 38 comments

Hey! Good news! (pdf) The FCC recently issued notices that broadcasters must disclose the source of Video News Releases, or VNR's, which, if you haven't already heard, "... are essentially prepackaged news stories, that may use actors to play reporters and include suggested scripts to introduce the stories."

From the notice: "... listeners and viewers are entitled to know who seeks to persuade them with the programming offered over broadcast stations and cable systems." The GAO has issued cautionary notices about VNR's before as a response to complaints that several government agencies were walking fine lines with their "news" productions.
posted by odinsdream on Apr 14, 2005 - 10 comments

Sometimes, we type what we really think.
posted by mmahaffie on Mar 17, 2005 - 33 comments

FCC Denies PTC's complaints. (Salon article, get daypass or bugmenot) The FCC succinctly denied (pdf) the 36 count complaint from dismayed Parents Television Council. We've talked about previous decisions here and here - could this be a light at the end of the tunnel?
posted by beezy on Feb 1, 2005 - 18 comments

Athens chief fumes at US lewdness claims because, out of 3.9 billion people (and about 56 million of them in the United States alone), 9 people in the United States complained of nudity in the opening ceremonies. It's one thing to have our very moral, rather infintesimal minority running what we all see, but what happens when that morality clashes cross-country? (The complaints are old news; the Grecian response is not.)
posted by FormlessOne on Jan 19, 2005 - 61 comments

The mice that roar. "According to a new FCC estimate obtained by Mediaweek, nearly all indecency complaints in 2003—99.8 percent—were filed by the Parents Television Council, an activist group." We already know what a few people can do to your television viewing... is this man effectively in charge of the FCC's indecency monitoring?
posted by XQUZYPHYR on Dec 7, 2004 - 15 comments

Apologevents Cuban says "Please make me apologize… The FCC as Marketing Partner" and he hits on the latest network trick.
posted by billsaysthis on Nov 17, 2004 - 7 comments

Fox's 1.2 million dollar indecency fine was caused by three people complaining. Jeff Jarvis does a little investigative journalism that no mainstream outlets bothered to do. All he did was submit a freedom of information act request via this form, and they sent him the 90 complaints they had on record (the original claim was 159 complaints). But it turns out 88 of them were nearly identical. So three people complained in America, and the FCC fined a network over a million dollars for a show that was already cancelled.
posted by mathowie on Nov 15, 2004 - 39 comments

The Chilling Effect. Some ABC affiliates have opted not to broadcast a scheduled airing of Saving Private Ryan, due to concerns over new FCC indecency regulations. They don't want to get fined. The FCC won't say in advance whether the film is indecent ("that would be censorship"). But don't worry, the Parents Televsion Council says the "context" makes it OK. Which is fine, but who utlimately gets to judge the context?
posted by jpoulos on Nov 11, 2004 - 75 comments

Howard Stern faces off against Michael Powell. Earlier today, Howard Stern finally got to confront his nemesis, FCC chair Michael Powell. This occurred, naturally, on the radio, when Howard called in to another talk show. Powell was a guest of KGO's Ronn Owens and Howard called in, asking Powell, "Does it make you nervous to talk to me?" He accuses Powell of getting his position due to nepotism; Stern also asks about Oprah's indecency, and Powell says Stern "personalizes" the debate and says "I don't think we have made any particular crusade of the Howard Stern Show or you." Howard disagrees, saying, "I hope there's no sort of retribution as a result of my phone call which I believe Michael's capable of." After Howard hangs up, Michael admits, sort of, that "Howard has an argument." KGO has audio of the show for Windows Media or RealPlayer (skip ahead to 32:05 to hear Howard's call).
posted by realityblurred on Oct 26, 2004 - 21 comments

FCC wants radio, TV to keep tapes of shows. Presumably this is to make it easier for the FCC's Enforcement Bureau to levy some of those hefty new fines. Now I know the issue of the FCC fines and the FCC in general has already been discussed here, here, here, and possibly here. But it seems like there's a fifth amendment issue here that's new to this debate. Will forcing broadcasters to keep tapes in effect compel them to give evidence against themselves?
posted by Grimgrin on Jul 8, 2004 - 19 comments

Court throws out FCC media ownership rules The appeals court in Philadelphia said the methods the FCC used to craft their new media ownership rules were bunk. Major media outlets aren't devoting much to this setback, but activist groups have reacted by calling for hearings across the country. No one seems to know what's next.
posted by drywall on Jun 28, 2004 - 11 comments

Howard Stern's anti-Bush rhetoric may be more influential than people think. With all the extra media attention that a half a million dollars worth of FCC fines can garner, it looks like Howard's rearing up against George. It's weird to see an article like this after how pro-war and pro-Bush the Stern show was after 9-11. (Free registration required, ctnow.com)
posted by clango on Jun 2, 2004 - 35 comments

"Here's a little song [3.1 MB MP3] I wrote the other day while I was out duck hunting with a judge . . . It's a new song, it's dedicated to the FCC and if they broadcast it, it will cost a quarter of a million dollars." Eric Idle responds to the FCC's crackdown on the F-word. NSFW without headphones. Via Ceejbot.
posted by mcwetboy on May 28, 2004 - 17 comments

Fear of the FCC forces a college radio station to go to an all-recorded format. That's right, no more live DJ's. All shows are to be taped and then reviewed by station management prior to broadcast. Not because the FCC has fined the station, but because they might.
posted by tommasz on May 26, 2004 - 30 comments

Start saving for your childrens future therapy. What they learned this month is dead bodies being burnt and strung up on a bridge is ok to print on the front page of a newspaper, and watch on the news at dinner time; but you better not see any nipple, even for a half a second.
posted by CrazyJub on Apr 3, 2004 - 67 comments

There is no room for a left-wing Rush Limbaugh on the radio. "Do you think Karl Rove might have made a phone call to little General Powell, little Michael and said, 'Let's get this over with. Let's give him the fine and get this done with before Stern gets us all voted out of office,'" the National Enquirer’s Mike Walker asked Stern. "First of all, I know that for a fact," Stern answered. "I can't even tell you how, just like you can't reveal your sources. I have two sources inside the FCC. They know exactly what is going on. They had a meeting two weeks ago, freaking out. I seem to be making enough noise that people are realizing we could hurt George W. Bush in the elections. So they are trying to figure out at what point do they fine me. So, you are absolutely right."
posted by skallas on Mar 25, 2004 - 42 comments

''Complaints should no longer be denied because of a lack of tape, transcript or significant excerpt''. Evidence? We don't need no evidence. Indecent use or not, the FCC will now crack down on all uses of the F-word. I can only assume this will give Stern even more fodder for his new liberal radio show.
posted by FreezBoy on Mar 18, 2004 - 47 comments

Crap - now they FCC Thought Police are going after Pink Floyd. Is nothing sacred?! WNCX, a local Cleveland "Classic rock" station (who just happens to be the same station that airs The Howard Stern Show in the area) is unable to play Pink Floyd's "Money" because of the use of the word "bullshit" within the song. To be honest, until this was brought to my attention, I had completely overlooked that lyric in the song. But thanks to the FCC War Against Indency, I'm now fully aware of it! What other cases of 'indecency' would you have overlooked had the authorities not brought it to your attention?
posted by tgrundke on Mar 13, 2004 - 63 comments

The Howard Stern Show was Howard-free the first hour and a half this morning while they played soundbites and songs about their current battle with the FCC, CC, and GWB. Howard threatens a revolutionizing move to satellite radio. Petitions circulate, some articles written but surprisingly minimal public outcry thus far.
posted by Miyagi on Mar 12, 2004 - 31 comments

Screw Howard Stern. But Save Sandra Tsing Loh!
The radio culture wars have claimed an unlikely victim, and an unlikely victimizer (America's favorite NPR station, KCRW).
posted by wendell on Mar 5, 2004 - 33 comments

Janet Jackson's breast has become the most searched-for image in (Lycos) net history, even beating searches for 11 September. Nice to see everyone has their priorities straight.
posted by MintSauce on Feb 5, 2004 - 47 comments

Your tax dollars at work. The Republican congress and the FCC, who evidently have nothing better to do, want to waste time banning the word fuck from all radio and broadcast television.
posted by johnnydark on Jan 14, 2004 - 38 comments

You thought web standards were bad, how about PC, DVD and Recorder standards too? Well, the FCC has officially mandated that vendors making devices such as dvd players, recorders, pc's, must include (by July 1, 2005) copy-protection mechanisms which will prevent sharing of most digitally broadcast content. Broadcasters will have the option of adding a 'flag' to data streams which will prevent users from sharing digital content ala mp3's. Yes, there will be ways around this;yes, old systems will still work (maybe), but in the end, the FCC has just established a new technological standard which will end up in all of our new computers, dvd players, tivos, post 2005. Want to do something about it? Sorry. Too late.
posted by jeremias on Nov 5, 2003 - 29 comments

Broadcast flag blues?! The EFF seems to be fighting a losing war against the FCC's proposed "broadcast flag" initiative (Salon), but they're making a big last-minute push to get more people to spread the news and contact the FCC. Will the broadcast flag initiative become a "gateway regulation", leading us to a future where Hollywood dictates to manufacturers what they can and cannot create? Mass exodus to Tokyo, anyone?!
posted by insomnia_lj on Oct 27, 2003 - 4 comments

This is really, really f------ brilliant. The FCC says the f-word is OK on network TV, as long as it doesn't refer to the sexual act. Naturally, some groups don't like dirty talk. Is this a sea change in the level of discourse, or is the FCC finally acknowledging that it's useless to protect kids from our favorite four-letter word? (Second link is a .pdf file.)
posted by sixpack on Oct 8, 2003 - 104 comments

Big FCC rollback vote this Tuesday. I know a lot of mefites are passionate about this issue and it looks like Senators Byron Dorgan (D–ND) and Trent Lott (R-MS) are doing something about it. More info, free faxes, etc at the ACLU. Read S.J. res 17 here.
posted by skallas on Sep 15, 2003 - 13 comments

Congress to Big Media: Not so fast Debate in Congress is shifting as grassroots organizers put pressure on to override FCC ownership rule changes. Not that Fox is looking to buy MeFi anytime soon, but still, who wants to repeat what happened in Minot?
posted by drywall on Jul 23, 2003 - 6 comments

Senators seek to reverse FCC ruling A bipartisan coalition of Senators intends to overturn the FCC's latest decree ordering greater corporate media consolidation. "I'm convinced, just noodling around, that we can get a majority vote and report that out (of committee) and get some action on the floor of the Senate," Hollings told reporters. Anyone else surprised?
posted by Ignatius J. Reilly on Jun 2, 2003 - 47 comments

As media concentration grows, (and grows) today is the big day the FCC announces their changes in regulations. You can hear it live, via realaudio, at http://www.fcc.gov/realaudio/, starting at 9:30AM EST, 6:30AM west coast time.
posted by mathowie on Jun 2, 2003 - 27 comments

So the FCC might let me be... On June 2, FCC commissioners will vote on proposed changes to U.S. media ownership rules. Proponents of eliminating a ban on "cross ownership" argue that mergers between local newspapers and radio and TV stations in large and medium-sized markets will boost the quality and quantity of local news reportage. The nonprofit Consumers Union calls the ban "critical to the independence and diversity of our nation's media". Let the FCC know where you stand (third item on list).
posted by Bixby23 on May 14, 2003 - 15 comments

powell to ease fcc media ownership caps
is this move, one that is right for your community? and the country? many are saying no. yet the fcc has made public commentary at best difficult, major media outlets have virtually ignored the issue.
posted by specialk420 on May 11, 2003 - 6 comments