- Sep 12, 2009
- 6,840
- 3,592
...Assert "Constitutional Right" To Conceal Their Corporate Funding Before the FCC
A Black Agenda Radio Commentary by BAR managing editor Bruce A. Dixon
When NAN, the Urban League, LULAC, Rainbow PUSH & the NAACP claim a "constitutional right" to
hide the extent of their dependence on broadcaster & telecom funding, whose rights are they
protecting? Those of wealthy corporate donors or those of their supposed constituents?
All of them, from the NAACP and Rainbow-PUSH to LULAC and the Minority Media &
Telecommunications Partnership have in recent years backed state and federal legislation that keeps
cities and towns from regulating cable networks or laying their own cable. They've all endorsed laws
that bar cities and towns from spinning up their own broadband services which might compete with
those of their donors or provide services to poor communities, to schools, libraries and small
businesses in their communities that their donors do not. Every one of them opposes network
neutrality and backs the digital redlining of black, brown and poor communities. Every one of these
so-called civil rights organizations in recent years has backed the privatization or outright giveaway to
their wealthy donors vast amounts of the electromagnetic spectrum which could and should have been
set aside for community broadcasters and the public good. And of course, these corrupt “civil rights
organizations” have unreservedly backed each and every proposed broadcaster and telecom merger,
from AT&T's failed attempt to buy T-Mobile to the Comcast-NBC deal and they're lining up right
now to back Comcast's current attempt to buy Time Warner cable as well.
Read more: http://www.blackagendareport.com/co...izations-assert-constitutional-right-conceal-
A Black Agenda Radio Commentary by BAR managing editor Bruce A. Dixon
When NAN, the Urban League, LULAC, Rainbow PUSH & the NAACP claim a "constitutional right" to
hide the extent of their dependence on broadcaster & telecom funding, whose rights are they
protecting? Those of wealthy corporate donors or those of their supposed constituents?
All of them, from the NAACP and Rainbow-PUSH to LULAC and the Minority Media &
Telecommunications Partnership have in recent years backed state and federal legislation that keeps
cities and towns from regulating cable networks or laying their own cable. They've all endorsed laws
that bar cities and towns from spinning up their own broadband services which might compete with
those of their donors or provide services to poor communities, to schools, libraries and small
businesses in their communities that their donors do not. Every one of them opposes network
neutrality and backs the digital redlining of black, brown and poor communities. Every one of these
so-called civil rights organizations in recent years has backed the privatization or outright giveaway to
their wealthy donors vast amounts of the electromagnetic spectrum which could and should have been
set aside for community broadcasters and the public good. And of course, these corrupt “civil rights
organizations” have unreservedly backed each and every proposed broadcaster and telecom merger,
from AT&T's failed attempt to buy T-Mobile to the Comcast-NBC deal and they're lining up right
now to back Comcast's current attempt to buy Time Warner cable as well.
Read more: http://www.blackagendareport.com/co...izations-assert-constitutional-right-conceal-
