Free Republic

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is considering whether to loosen restrictions for obscenity on broadcast television and radio. This rule change would allow brief “non-sexual-nudity” and isolated expletives in prime time, while children are still awake and watching TV. The FCC claims that it will consider the public’s sentiment as its members make a decision and has given Americans the month of April to file their comments. Outgoing FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski previously had to order the Enforcement Bureau only to tackle “egregious cases” because of the “backlog” of reported obscenity cases. In the last 6 months, the FCC’s caseload...

For many months, Republicans have fought the Obama-directed attempt by the FCC to expand it's control over the internet. Many pundits argue that the FCC has no compelling interest in the internet, and that the FCC has a long history of chilling debate in the various media venues it has asserted control over.In November of 2010, the FCC and their accomplices in Congress again tried to let 'the camel's nose in the tent', by allowing the FCC to regulate the internet in the guise of 'Net Neutrality'. This effort was defeated.Obviously, the Democrats will not be allowed to squelch the...

Sen. Jim DeMint, R-SC, says Federal Communications Commission should be renamed the "Fabricating a Crisis Commission," following a vote by the panel's three Democrats to approve proposed rules that amount to a hostile takeover of the Internet by a government agency acting illegally. The proposal - misleadingly described by proponents as an attempt to insure "net neutrality" by guaranteeing equal access to the Internet - was introduced a year ago by Julius Genachowski, President Obama's appointee as FCC chairman. A federal court has ruled that the commission has no authority to regulate the Internet, and a bipartisan group of senators...

The Federal Communications Commission today moved in to regulate the Internet, which is the wonder of the modern age exactly because the FCC hasn’t been able to get its hands around its throat. Don’t just take it from me and others at The Heartland Institute. Some guy named Steve Wozniak wrote in The Atlantic that the little tech company he helped found would have never fundamentally transformed our economy and our lives if the rules the FCC just imposed were in place years ago. I believe this is the end of the Internet as we know it. If the...

Less than an hour after the Federal Communications Commission approved net neutrality rules, Republican lawmakers began staking their claim in the next potential leg of the debate: repeal. The first calls to roll back the FCC's new net neutrality order came Tuesday from the House's most senior Republicans: House GOP Leader John Boehner of Ohio and Whip Eric Cantor of Virginia, as well as the incoming leaders of the chamber's top tech and telecom committees. The members each threatened to limit the agency's funds or restrict its jurisdiction in the aftermath of the FCC’s vote, with Boehner proclaiming the "new...

Candidate Barack Obama told America that he believed in an open and "neutral" Internet -- one where the owners of the wires didn't get to pick and choose which applications would run on the network. Soon after Julius Genachowski was appointed as President Barack Obama's choice to head the Federal Communications Commission, he outlined a clear and ambitious plan to turn that commitment into a reality. But now Verizon and Google have struck a deal for a legislative template that would allow Verizon to be the gatekeeper for services running over its Internet Protocol pipe, and Google to be the...

Free Speech: President Obama, while addressing college graduates, condemns our access to new media as a subversion of democracy. Is the iPad a threat to democracy or exactly what Thomas Jefferson had in mind? At Hampton University in Virginia on Sunday, the president lamented that in an age of text messaging, the Internet and the iPad, information and its unfettered exchange had become a diversion that was putting a strain on democracy. We are not making this up. The "24/7 media environment," he told the students, "bombards us with all kinds of comments and exposes us to all kinds of...

If our government does end up in control of the Internet, they could potentially restrict it as a medium of dissent, blocking the ability to communicate, educate, and organize. Glenn Beck and I exposed how radical White House Internet czar Susan Crawford was in 2009 and she resigned. Unfortunately, in 2010 her former colleagues appear undaunted in their efforts to take over the Internet. Despite the fact that the Federal Communications Commission’s claims to have jurisdiction in this area were revealed to be extremely flimsy just last week, the FCC is moving ahead with proposed "Open Internet" rules, which would...

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski appeared to have visited executive branch offices 47 times between January 20 and August 31, according the the White House visitors log released today. By comparison, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner made only five appearances. Genachowski has had plenty to discuss with White House officials. Future disclosures will likely show a good number of more recent visits to talk about telecom issues--namely, his net neutrality proposals that reportedly caught some top technology and economic officials off-guard. The visitors log includes visits to the Executive Office Buidling, the Office of Management and Budget, and other White House-affliated offices.

Just how far is the Obama administration willing to go to reward big donors? In the wake of yesterday’s explosive report regarding “scores of top Democratic donors” being rewarded with “VIP access to the White House, private briefings with administration advisers and invitations to important speeches and town-hall meetings,” it’s a question that’s on the minds of many politically-engaged Americans, and one likely to grab yet more attention, thanks to this article in today’s USA Today. It notes that: “More than 40% of President Obama’s top-level fundraisers have secured posts in his administration, from key executive branch jobs to diplomatic...

The FCC voted unanimously yesterday to move forward with the debate in an effort to formalize net neutrality guidelines. Senator John McCain followed up by introducing a bill that would prohibit the FCC from governing communications. Oddly, the bill also contains text stating that any regulations in effect on the day before the Internet Freedom Act is officially enacted are grandfathered in and exempt from the provisions of the Internet Freedom Act. The implication seems to be that if the FCC can formalize net neutrality rules before McCain can get the Internet Freedom Act signed into law, the net neutrality...

First Amendment: Diversity czar Mark Lloyd's FCC votes Thursday on the issue of net neutrality. Advertised as providing access to all, it will do to the information superhighway what Lloyd proposed for talk radio. Not much was said when $7.2 billion was included in the stimulus bill "to accelerate broadband deployment in unserved and underserved areas and to strategic institutions that are likely to create jobs or provide significant public benefits." The administration has big plans for the Internet — like controlling it. Susan Crawford, the so-called Internet czar, told the Wall Street Journal in April that the broadband billions...

According to Beck, this Thursday, October 22, Obama's FCC will pass the first set of new regs taking control of the internet. Alleged reason is "to protect consumers from false or misleading information." The FCC will not allow any public comment or input. Obama has given them their orders. Obama also to give bail-out to the "progressive" newspapers which are all going bankrupt. Again, "to make sure consumers get the real news." Spokesman for internet watch dog group said that there is nothing to stop Obama in his drive to control all media and thus silence all criticism and opposition.

Some Republican lawmakers moved swiftly Monday to try and block FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski's proposal that the FCC adopt new network neutrality rules. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Tex.) Monday introduced an amendment to an appropriations bill that would prohibit the FCC from spending any funds "to develop and implement new regulatory mandates." The bill was co-sponsored by Senators John Ensign (R-Nev.), Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), David Vitter (R-La.), Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) and John Thune (R-S.D.). “I am deeply concerned by the direction the FCC appears to be heading,” said Hutchison in a statement. “Even during a severe downturn, America has experienced...

Julius Genachowski, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, plans to propose a new so-called net neutrality rule Monday that could prevent telecommunications, cable and wireless companies from blocking Internet applications, according to sources at the agency. Genachowski will discuss the rules Monday during a keynote speech at The Brookings Institute. He isn't expected to drill into many details, but the proposal will specifically be for an additional guideline on how operators like AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast can control what goes on their networks. That additional guideline would prevent the operators from discriminating, or act as gatekeepers, of Web content and...

Van Jones is a gone pecan and the right wing libertarian movement led by the new de fecto head of the conservative party Glenn Beck smells blood . Fresh off the ousting of former special assistant for "green jobs" Van Jones Glenn Beck supporters are calling for the public lynching of FCC Diversity Czar Mark Lloyd . For conservatives to effectively target Mark Lloyd it looks like it will take more than it did to bounce Van Jones out of his position . Lets look into Mark Lloyd's back ground to see if there is enough rope.

By way of "Net Neutrality," the federal government is preparing to do to the Internet what it has done to the auto industry, public schools, the home mortgage industry, the postal service and the financial industry bailout. The Obama administration now seeks to regulate the Internet as well. "Net Neutrality" refers to the dangerous movement to have government dictate Internet providers' business models, and the manner in which they can transmit data. Obama's infamous "stimulus" package includes a $7.2 billion grant to expand broadband services that require carriers accepting government money to adhere to FCC Net Neutrality guidelines that empower...

In yesterday's More czars on conservative hit list, the Politico's Lisa Lerer states "conservatives have accused (Mark) Lloyd, appointed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) as the agency’s Chief Diversity officer in late July, of secretly wanting to reinstate the controversial Fairness Doctrine." This is not at all accurate. We at the Media Research Center broke the news of Lloyd’s FCC gig (created just for him just the way the “green jobs czar” slot was for the recently dispatched conspiracy-addled Truther-Communist Van Jones). And we specifically stated that he had "no need for the mis-named 'Fairness' Doctrine." From that essay:

PDF so I can't cut/paste. Grassley letter to Chairman of FCC about problems with Mark Lloyd. Now's the time to take out another czar. http://grassley.senate.gov/upload/Letter-to-FCC-Chairman.pdf

We stand at a crossroads in our nation's history. Barack Obama and his minions are attempting an unprecedented power grab. If they are allowed to succeed, it will forever change our country, and it will definitely diminish the rights of every American citizen. Obama has appointed no less than 37 czars that answer only to him. Even the House and Senate have no power over them. These czars have very radical backgrounds. John Holdren, the science czar, advocated population control and mandatory abortions. Van Jones, the environmental czar, was profiled byGlenn Beck extensively last week on his popular Fox News...