Major Consumer Advocasy Groups Oppose Comcast-NBC Universal Merger .

Comcast-NBC Universal Merger snapvoip.blogspot.com
According to speedmatters.org, The Communications Workers of America have joined forces with Free Press and the Consumers Federation of America oppose the idea of anticipated Comcast-NBC Universal Merger.

"With this acquisition, Comcast will have the market power to determine what programs get aired and how much people pay to view programs on every media channel: cable, television, and the Internet, The merged entity would control one out of every five viewing hours in the United States." said CWA senior director George Kohl.

This merger seems to be bad for everyone except the wall street honchos. Some of the main reasons seems to be;

• Comcast is the nation's largest cable company with 24 million viewers and has control of significant regional sports programming;
• With the deal, they would add a major TV network, 27 local TV stations, multiple cable channels, Internet entertainment website Hulu and vast amounts of programming and movies;
• Comcast has a long history of violating workers' rights, firing pro-union workers, stalling contract negotiations and launching aggressive campaigns to decertify local unions; and,
• Comcast has a long history of non-democratic processes, notably its severe limitations on shareholders rights.

Free Press launched a website devoted to fighting the merger - and asks visitors to sign a letter to President Obama and spread the word about the merger via email and social networking websites. So if you believe this to be true, please spread the word.

Free Press advocacy group asks FCC To Open 3G Networks For Applications Like Skype For iPhone.

wireless terms of service
Sighting AT&T's senior executives suggestion that device manufactures (read Apple) not allowing Skype -- a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) application that competes with AT&T, over it's 3G network, Free Press Advocacy Group has requested FCC to look into the practices of Apple and AT&T. Net Neutrality should be applied to every medium of internet connectivity, not what carriers and vendors choose.

The new Skype for iPhone, which has been downloaded more than a million times, works only on Wi-Fi, not the cellular or 3G network.
AT&T spokesperson Jim Cicconi, has stated that, "We absolutely expect our vendors" — Apple, in this case — "not to facilitate the services of our competitors, Skype is a competitor, just like Verizon or Sprint or T-Mobile," "Skype has no obligation to market AT&T services. Why should the reverse be true?"
But it is not skype, but consumers that hand over heafty fees for th services and phones. I think they have rights and that is what the free press advocacy group is questioning about.
The group also suggests that AT&T's recent change to its wireless terms of service to prohibit "customer initiated redirection of television or other video or audio signals via any technology from a fixed location to a mobile device" which AT&T hastily changed again, is a pre-emptive strike against innovative mobile video technologies.
"Wireless broadband networks cannot become a safe haven for discrimination," said Chris Riley, policy counsel of Free Press. "The Internet in your pocket should be just as free and open as the Internet in your home. The FCC must make it crystal clear that a closed Internet will not be tolerated on any platform."
You can find the letter to FCC here: http://www.freepress.net/files/Wireless_IPS_letter.pdf
The Free press press release is here.
Yes Open up AT&T!

Tags: ATT, skype for iPhone, Apple, Free Press