Group items tagged

Google's Public Policy Blog - their views on government, policy and politics

I first came across this group of activists after August 2010 hot topic on Mobile Net Neutrality

"A federal appeals court on Tuesday dealt a sharp blow to the efforts of the Federal Communications Commission to set the rules of the road for the Internet, ruling that the agency lacks the authority to require broadband providers to give equal treatment to all Internet traffic flowing over their networks. "

The article is about a case regarding a violation to the Copyright Act. Whitney Harper, a high school cheerleader, participated in infringing activity on LimeWire between the ages 14-16, claiming that she thought she was simply internet radio streaming. With this "innocent infringer's" defense, she is requesting a $200 fine per song to the Recording Industry of America as opposed to the Copyright Act's minimum $750 per song fine. This would result in a total payment of $7,400 rather than $27,750. The final decision has not yet been made, and the justices of the Supreme Court have the option of taking the case and issuing a ruling, or declining to hear it. The author takes a very neutral viewpoint on the issue, expressing the opinions on both sides of the case. He presents the information in a very factual rather than biased way, and concludes the article in a non-opinionated manner. David Kravets is a technologist, political scientist, humorist, and reporter.

NPR. Date Broadcasted: Febubary 3, 2011. Genre: Pop culture A show like Gossip Girl is generally considered a girls' show while South Park is considered a boys' show. However, there are some shows that can go either way. Nickelodeon's iCarly does just that. The show is centered around a teenage girl with two best friends and her older brother. One would typically think that a show with the name iCarly, a girls' name, would cater only to girls. However, 45 percent of iCarly viewers are boys. Why? The fact that one of those best friends is a boy and the addition of the older brother evens out the cast gender-wise, making the show more appealing to boys. The comedy in the show also contributes towards that goal. Like Disney's popular show The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, iCarly has a gender-neutral cast with a great sense of humor that make the show entertaining to watch for both girls and boys and that is why it has become such a favorite among kids.

"How Robber Barons hijacked the "Victorian Internet" Ars revisits those wild and crazy days when Jay Gould ruled the telegraph and Associated Press reporters helped fix presidential elections. Is government supervision really the worst thing that can happen to a communications network?"