November 6, 2007, 6:39pm
Do you think it’s a bad idea for just a few companies to monopolize the broadcast and print news outlets in communities across America? So does Michael Copps, a Democrat on the Federal Communications Commission, and he is fighting a plan by FCC Chairman Kevin Martin to ease the restrictions on U.S. media ownership.
He discussed the issue in an interview with C-SPAN.
Categories: Media, FCC, Antitrust, Television
September 29, 2007, 5:37pm
The Google Internet firm, which owns the YouTube video-sharing site that is the home to much of the content repurposed here at AirCongress, wants to buy the DoubleClick online advertising firm, but the idea has raised both antitrust and privacy concerns. Federal antitrust regulators have been reviewing the proposal, and now Congress is taking a look, too.
The Senate Judiciary Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights Subcommittee addressed the concerns in a Thursday hearing. Google has posted to YouTube the prepared testimony of David Drummond, a Google senior vice president, defending the merger plan.
“Online advertising benefits consumers, promotes free speech and helps small businesses succeed,” Drummond said. “Google’s acquistion of DoubleClick will help advance these goals while protecting consumer privacy and enabling greater innovation and greater competition.”
Categories: Technology, Media, Antitrust
March 14, 2007, 6:28pm
Viacom recently sued Google and its YouTube video-sharing service for $1 billion over alleged copyright violations. When a student at Howard University in Washington, D.C., asked Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards his thoughts on the lawsuit, Edwards used it as an opportunity to voice his support for equal pricing treatment of all high-speed Internet content and strong antitrust laws to prevent media consolidation.
“If democracy’s going to work in this country,” Edwards said, “then we want people to be well-informed and we want a wide variety of diverse voices to be heard. And that’s what’s at issue with these media conglomerates … What we see flourishing at the grassroots could be stomped on if we’re not careful.”
Categories: Technology, Presidency 2008, John Edwards, Media, Antitrust, Intellectual Property
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