Media Policy

Restrictive media policies can curtail access to the content we do have through the infrastructure we currently have in place. There are clear roles for funders to play in helping to address media policy issues and GFEM works to keep funders abreast of the constantly shifting media policy environment.

The Media Policy Working Group (MPWG) was created to raise awareness and build knowledge about key issues in media policy within the broader philanthropic community. Our aim is to engage and educate grantmakers across fields about the ever-changing media policy and communications policy landscape, as well as foster collaboration among interested donors in support of targeted activities to help advance the media policy field. MPWG activities include a quarterly teleconference and periodic phone briefings on timely issues in addition to quarterly updates in the GFEM newsletter. MPWG also partners with other funder affinity groups to organize media policy-related sessions at national gatherings. Membership is open to grantmakers working in and outside the U.S. with an interest in learning and sharing grantmaking experiences about media policy in the public interest. If you would like to join the MPWG please contact jperlstein (at) gfem (dot) org.

The 2000s: A History of the FCC’s Internet Policy Deregulation

[Source: Media Access Project, by Kamilla Kovacs, August 30, 2010]
Throughout years of debate on open Internet protections, cable and telecommunications carriers have continually argued that strong net neutrality rules will hurt investment. They maintain that ...

ZeroDivide BTOP Mash-Up Cut-Up Smash-Up

[Source: ZeroDivide, by Tim Wu, August 23, 2010]
A blog post by ZeroDivide's Tim WuZeroDivide received two federal stimulus funding awards totalling more than $2 million. We've been interviewed about these awards from Honolulu to Seattle, ...

FCC's Plan for 'Net Neutrality' Rules Falters

[Source: LA Times, by Editorial, August 7, 2010]
The FCC has halted discussions amid reports spread that Google and Verizon will propose their own, less regulatory framework for Net neutrality.

F.C.C. Chief Opposes Fees for Internet Priority

[Source: The New York Times, by Edward Wyatt, August 5, 2010]
The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission said Thursday that he believed it was “unacceptable” for Internet service providers to offer faster Internet transmission to content providers ...

Lots of Internet Competition -- Just Not at Home

[Source: Washington Post, by John Dunbar, August 3, 2010]
Guest post from John Dunbar of American University’s Investigative Reporting Workshop. John Dunbar and Cecilia Kang are working together on a project for the next several months looking at ...

Public Knowledge Presents Seventh IP3 Awards to Samuelson, Crawford, Geist and Paley

[Source: Public Knowledge, August 3, 2010]
Public Knowledge President Gigi B. Sohn announced that four winners have been chosen for the 2010 IP3 awards. In addition, a special President’s Award will also be presented. The name ...

On Defining the Third Way

[Source: Benton Foundation, by Amina Fazlullah and Alexandra Wood, August 3, 2010]
Regarding Reclassification: A series of blog posts exploring the legal landscape of Communications Act Title I and II reclassification

Institute of Museum and Library Services Seeks Proposals to Implement National Broadband Plan Recommendations Request for Proposals

[Source: Institute of Museum and Library Services, August 3, 2010]
The National Broadband Plan released in March 2010 presented a vision of pervasive and affordable broadband that will provide every American an equal opportunity to engage in the educational, ...

48 Members Of Congress Tell FCC To Back Off Broadband Action

[Source: Broadcasting & Cable, by John Eggerton, July 30, 2010]
Reps. Gene Green (D-Tex.) and Fred Upton (R-Mich.) have introduced a concurrent resolution asking the FCC to hold off on reclassifying broadband or clarifying and expanding network neutrality regs ...

Obama's FCC Disappoints on Media, Internet Policies

[Source: Seattle Times, by Ryan Blethen (Editorial), July 30, 2010]
There was much hope when President Obama was inaugurated that the United States finally had a president who supported and understood media policies that would foster an independent press and ...