• Big Open Pipes

    S. Derek Turner
    June 4, 2013
    In 1992, consumers were giving Congress an earful about their cable bills. A decade of deregulation meant cable subscribers had to fend for themselves in a monopoly market where cable TV companies abused their pricing power.

  • Broadcast, Broadband and Bundle Bloat

    S. Derek Turner
    May 31, 2013
    What’s on tonight? For many Americans, the answer is “nothing worth watching.” Broadcast networks, once the kings of primetime, are in the midst of a historic ratings decline. And though there are some bright spots on the cable dial, the audiences for some cable channels are also dwindling.

  • The Very Model of the Modern Messy Video Market

    Candace Clement
    May 23, 2013
    While I’ve spent a fair amount of my adult life critiquing the media, I am in fact a pretty big fan of television.

  • Happy, Profitable Middlemen

    S. Derek Turner
    May 22, 2013
    Have you ever sat with your TV remote, aimlessly flipping through hundreds of channels you have no interest in, and wondered, “Why do I have to pay for all this?”

  • Who Owns the Media? Obama's Next FCC Chairman

    Craig Aaron
    May 21, 2013
    When President Obama nominated Tom Wheeler as the next chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, he praised him as the "Bo Jackson of telecom" — because he's been an all-star in two industries.

  • Time for Change: First Woman Takes Helm at the FCC

    Joseph Torres
    May 21, 2013
    It’s important to celebrate whenever social barriers are knocked down — including the one that fell on Monday when Mignon Clyburn became the acting chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission.

  • Combating the Cable Cabal

    S. Derek Turner
    May 14, 2013

    Two decades ago, something unusual happened.

    Consumers were irate about their cable bills, which were increasing at nearly three times the rate of inflation. And Congress actually did something — adopting in overwhelmingly bipartisan fashion the 1992 Cable Act. The law resulted in lower cable bills, saving consumers $3 billion in just over a year’s time.

  • Save the Lifeline Program

    Jessica J. González
    April 25, 2013
    Today Jessica Gonzalez, the National Hispanic Media Coalition’s vice president of policy and legal affairs, testified before Congress about the Federal Communications Commission’s Lifeline program, which uses resources from the Universal Service Fund to ensure that every American can afford basic phone service.

  • Jon Stewart for FCC Chair

    Josh Stearns
    March 29, 2013

    On Thursday night, Jon Stewart "interviewed" Rupert Murdoch about the News Corp. mogul's ambitions to buy the Los Angeles Times — and the legal hurdles that stand in the way of this acquisition.

  • Why the New Boss at the FCC Should Be Nothing Like the Old Boss

    Craig Aaron
    March 27, 2013
    In announcing his departure as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Julius Genachowski said: "The last four years have demonstrated that the country needs an effective FCC."

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