Resource page: Hot Button Media Issues for 2010
Welcome to GFEM's first funder briefing call of the new year. We will be providing an overview of the key media issues to be addressed in D.C. and beyond in 2010 - from the Future of Journalism and Net Neutrality, to Low Power FM, "Public Media 2.0" and the National Broadband Plan. We will be posting a recording of the call to this page shortly.
Featuring:
* Dr. Mark Cooper, Director of Research, Consumer Federation of America
* Kevin Taglang, Editor of daily communications-related headlines, Benton Foundation
Send your questions and "hot button issues" to be addressed to Jeff Perlstein, GFEM Program Director, at jperlstein@gfem.org.
RESOURCES & RELATED ARTICLES
Network Neutrality/Internet Freedom
Net Neutrality is a core principle of openness upon which the Internet as we know it has been based, maintaining that entities who control online access cannot discriminate against particular content. This "neutrality" is vital to ensuring that everyone can connect and share content freely, visit the websites and say what one wants online, free from discrimination or interference.
Why Nobody's Neutral on Net Neutrality
Broadband/Bridging the Digital Divide/Universal Service Fund
National Broadband Plan - Half of the nation’s households are not connected to broadband, and the United States is falling far behind other developed nations in broadband speed, price and availability. For the first time, in Spring of 2010, the U.S. government will be issuing a pro-active plan for ensuring that everyone is able to access affordable, high-speed Internet service, known as Broadband.
Broadband Stimulus Funding, $7.2B - The economic stimulus bill of 2009 provided for an unprecedented investment by government to expand broadband access to unserved and underserved communities. The second and final round of the funding will roll out in 2010.
Universal Service Fund: Revising the Fund for a Digital Age - This fund was created by the U.S. government in 1997 to ensure communications services to underserved areas. It is generated by fees on all companies who provide long distance phone service - between states and between the U.S. and other countries. Initially intended for phone service, there is a push to update the fund to include buildout of high speed Internet/Broadband.
Philanthropy's Role in Creating a Connected America - A toolkit for funders by the Benton Foundation
Media Ownership
Six Ways the Comcast-NBC Deal Could Affect Consumers
Low Power FM (LPFM) - Strengthening Localism and Community Voices in Media
Low Power FM stations are community-based, nonprofit radio stations that broadcast at the local level, to neighborhoods and small towns throughout the country. Run by colleges, churches, schools, labor unions and other community groups, LPFM stations provide local coverage, information and perspectives that are not available anywhere else.
After 10 years of debate, Congress is poised to approve new legislation this Spring that will greatly expand the number of communities that can apply for an LPFM station.
Prometheus Radio Project is the leading resource for information on these opportunities and developments.
GFEM will be conducting a panel on LPFM for funders attending the Katrina@5 conference in March 2010.
Social Media
Twitter Provides a Conduit for News from Quake-Devastated Haiti
Social Media Aids Efforts to Help Victims of Haiti Earthquake
Social Media Can Open Door to Philanthropy's Future - by Larry Blumenthal, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
GFEM's Funder Delegation to SXSW Interactive Festival
Future of Journalism/New Models
The Big Thaw: Charting a New Course for Journalism
New Forms of Journalism Emerge in New Media Ecosystem
Informing Communities: Sustaining Democracy in a Digital Age - Knight Commission Report
Public Media - Public Broadcasting and Beyond
This broad sector, best known for public radio (NPR) and television (PBS), also includes Low Power FM and community radio stations, public access TV, and small-circulation, independent publications that play a vital role in our media landscape – and in our democracy.
Public Media 2.0 is one way of describing the great innovation taking place to reach broader audiences with this non-commercial media.
Reflecting on Public Media 2.0 in 2009 and Looking Ahead to 2010
What's the Job for the Public Media Corps
