Taking a HARD look at the Business of Politics

There’s a very interesting post over at Blogher. The question posed was what women bloggers think the top issues are that Presidential Campaigners should be focussing on. There’s a LOT of meat to chew on in the comments, from the cost of healthcare and daycare, Iraq (of course), the Environment and Global Warming, political accountability and transparency, rebuilding the country’s infrastructure, Sustainability and Alternative Energy research and funding, true Education Reform, Media Reform and a few others.

I was somewhat disturbed to see that no one but me brought up the issue of Broadband Policy. This is IMPORTANT, PEOPLE! The policies concerning our broadband future that are set within the next few years will determine whether the US stays a vibrant and active world leader or suffers the fate of the Roman Empire and becomes nothing but a has-been. Yeah, it’s that big a deal.

As usual, Harold over at WetMachine puts it into perspective with his most recent blogpost on Thursday’s Commerce Committee meeting on the upcoming FCC 700MHz Auction. To summarize, the Commerce Committee has not given a voice to the Public Interest (and we, the PUBLIC, are the OWNERS of that spectrum, after all!) in the hearings about the future Auction. Who does have a voice? The usual suspects- Verizon, The Wireless Founders Coalition, and Centennial Wireless, among others.

And forget about Big Media. Since they stand to gain so much if the auction rules aren’t changed, they are for sure not to let the public know about such a vital issue. So what if the US falls further and further behind other countries in Broadband Deployment and Speed! So what if the US future Economic Health depends on that buildout!

The internet is the ONLY way to find out about those issues which Big Media would love to keep us ignorant about. The biggest of those issues being the future existence of the internet as a “Pull” media, with the public determining what sites we wish to view, instead of a “Push” media like cable TV, where corporate interests determine what content we’re ALLOWED to view.

Do y’all think that the Bush Administration’s lies and subterfuge would have been exposed if it wasn’t for all the digging done by citizen journalists? Do y’all think any of us would know about the affect of Earmarks on influence peddling and the Federal Budget if it wasn’t for citizen journalists exposing the pork underbelly? Do y’all think the FDA’s behavior and the subsequent deaths from Prescription Drugs would have come to light so fast without the benefit of the Blogosphere and online sources? Would the Congressional Pages be safe from sexual harassment without the benefit of the Blogosphere? Would Disney and NBC still be selling advertising on Right Wing Hate Radio? Would the Bush Trashing of Oversight in the EPA, the DOI, the DOJ and other federal agencies be as well documented without the digging of citizen journalists? The answer to all these questions is a resounding NO. Instead we’d know more than anyone would care to know about Paris Hilton’s incarceration and whose sperm impregnated Anna Nicole Smith, and nothing much else.

The Neutral Internet, unencumbered by gatekeepers and hopefully made more vibrant in future by the introduction of true competition, is the last bastion of a truly democratic voice. Let’s keep it that way.

Technorati Tags: Broadband Policy, FCC Spectrum Auction, Net Neutrality, Internet, Big Media

BitchSlapped on 06/17/07, 12:11 PM
Big Media, The Telecomm Goliaths BitchSlapped, and
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