October 26, 2022 – Internet advocacy group Public Knowledge on Tuesday announced the launch of Movement for a Better Internet, an organization that will bring together technology policy advocacy groups to promote better policy decisions to create a “better internet.”
The group will share blog posts, social content, leadership posts, and events. The website says it will collect diverse voices through workshops, roundtables and meetings.
Public Knowledge said it is working with the Association for Progressive Communications, Creative Commons, Derechos Digitales, the Internet Archive, the Niskan Center and the Wikimedia Foundation in this effort.
“The Internet is at a crossroads and every member of society has an interest in its future,” Lisa Macpherson, Senior Policy Analyst at Public Knowledge, in a blog post. “As the digital landscape evolves and innovates, the internet offers new opportunities for self-expression and community building. But it’s also riddled with misinformation and manipulation; deceptive privacy practices; and almighty, irresponsible gatekeepers. Over time, our Web3 innovations and metaverse futures will either approach or avoid this same crossroads faced by the current popular Internet.
“By joining the movement, we can ensure an internet shaped by our shared values of public interest—an internet that puts people and communities first. We encourage academics, activists and advocates working in organizations passionate about creating this better internet to join this movement,” Macpherson added.
The legislation would list FCC-licensed companies with authoritarian ties
Brendan CarrFederal Communications Commission Commissioner, Am Tuesday supported the passage of a bill that would require the FCC to publish a list of all companies holding an agency license with ties to authoritarian regimes.
The Foreign Adversary Communications Transparency Act was introduced by the Congresswoman in the House of Representatives Elise StefanikR-NY, Tuesday.
Carr said on Twitter there was a lack of disclosure from companies with ties to the Chinese Communist Party and other authoritarian governments operating in the US tech and telecoms markets. This makes it more difficult to assess potential damage to US national security interests, Carr said.
Carr added that the CCP will use every tool at its disposal to advance its evil goals of policing Americans. He said an example is that it develops and uses technology and telecommunications relationships.
Last week FCC chairman Jessica Rosenworcel backed legislation introduced in both chambers that would allow the agency to require television and radio stations to disclose who is sponsoring foreign programs.
SiFi Networks celebrates groundbreaking for Saratoga Springs
Officials in Saratoga Springs, New York, and representatives from telecom SiFi networks on Tuesday officially broke ground on telecom’s Saratoga Springs FiberCity project, a $32 million project they said every home, Business and every institution in the city to be connected to fiber optics.
The network was built earlier this year, but a spokesman for SiFi Networks told Broadband Breakfast that city and company officials were unable to meet when it first broke ground.
The project is an open access fiber optic network that will be switched on by 2024 and will provide fiber optics to households, companies and institutions.
GigabitNow will be the first provider on the network, offering symmetric plans ranging from 350 megabits per second to up to 10 gigabits per second, with pre-registration available now, a press release said
“It is now estimated that a third of the workforce is working remotely for at least part of the week. FiberCity in Saratoga Springs is a game changer for economic development and will also help the region attract large employers and technology companies.” death of ShimkuPresident and CEO of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce, in the publication.
In February, CEO of SiFi Networks Ben Bawtree-Jobsonsaid SiFi to commit $2 billion to open-access fiber optic networks in 30 cities across the United States, with the goal of connecting every home directly to fiber.
