(Chicago Tribune) — Although we are amid a digital revolution, digital connectedness is on the wish list of many residents inChicago’s low-income neighborhoods this holiday season. Studies have shown that cost is a major barrier to Internet access, especially in the home. In Chicago, nearly 40 percent of residents do not have the broadband connections […]
(The Root) — Earlier this week, the Federal Communications Commission voted to adopt rules that will affect the way average people receive data and other content over the Internet. The results of the vote — meant as a compromise between the interests of big business and the needs of “the little guy” — are likely […]
(Wall Street Journal) — Consumers for the first time got federally approved rules guaranteeing their right to view what they want on the Internet. The new framework could also result in tiered charges for web access and alter how companies profit from the network. The Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday voted 3-2 to back Chairman […]
(Afro) — Survey findings by the Washington, D.C. –based Public Media Corps reveal that when it comes to accessing the Internet to secure products and services as well as for use in honing skills, Blacks and Latinos in the District tend to be at a disadvantage. As a result, the digital divide widens, leading some […]
(Wall Street Journal) — Big phone and cable companies are outgunning Silicon Valley in last-minute lobbying to shape a pending Federal Communications Commission proposal to prevent Internet providers from interfering with web traffic. The major broadband companies have opposed FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski’s efforts to give the government a stronger hand in regulating how web traffic […]
(The Hill) — ColorOfChange is pushing back on a key endorsement for Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) in his bid to become the top Democrat on the subcommittee overseeing telecom. The activism group panned a decision by the Congressional Black Caucus to endorse Rush this week for the ranking member position on the House Communications subcommittee. A […]
(New American Media) — Within 24 hours of the shooting of Oscar Grant – an unarmed, 22-year-old African American killed by a white BART police officer on New Year’s Day 2009 – Oakland rap artist Mistah F.A.B. recorded a poignant, heartfelt tribute titled, “My Life.” F.A.B. recorded the song to “enlighten people to what’s going […]
(Businessweek) — Consumers don’t want to leave home without their wireless devices, allowing connectivity to be offered in places today that seemed unheard of just a handful of years ago. The trend will only accelerate as carmakers see an “option-tunity” for Wi-Fi in automobiles. Research firm iSuppli predicts integrated Wi-Fi systems in 7.2 million cars by […]
(Wired News) — The founder of an influential, left-leaning web-based organization that advocates on African-American issues is asking House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to oppose the candidacy of Bobby Rush (D-Illinois, pictured at left), who is African-American, to become the ranking member on the House Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet. The reason? “Congressman Rush […]
(New American Media) — The ongoing, often arcane, battle over whether telecommunications companies may slow certain online services and charge fees to speed up others has morphed into a civil rights controversy. Many of the country’s leading civil rights organizations are siding with the phone and cable companies in their bid to prevent federal regulations […]
(The Grio) — The votes are in. The message is clear. Jobs and economic recovery are of primary concern to voters, and those are the issues that should be front and center to elected leaders. The voters in campaigns across the country focused their discussion on how government and business could restore health to the […]
(CNN International) — Despite widespread increases in use of broadband internet, the Web today still doesn’t accurately represent the racial demographics of America. That’s the take-away from a report on U.S. broadband adoption, published Monday by the Department of Commerce. “An African-American household at the same income level and with the same education level as a […]