Action: Tell the FCC and Congress You Support Net Neutrality

Here is a special action page that pipes your personal comments into the FCC electronic filing system for public comments on net neutrality, and forwards your comments to all your members of Congress at the same time.

We have already seen blatant moves towards making a two-tier toll road out of our wide open democratic internet, as when Comcast started discriminating against particular users recently and Warner Cable began experimenting with metering. Nor have the service providers shied away from censorship, as when the AT&T blocked Pearl Jam's criticism of Bush, and when Verizon censored NARAL's pro-choice text messages. This is a chance to counter the high-priced lobbyists and the avarice of the telcoms and cable companies.

Net Neutrality FCC Comments (anyone can use this link):
<http://www.usalone.com/laesch/pnum786.php>

Facebook Users:
<http://apps.facebook.com/fb_voices/action.php?qnum=pnum786>

Media: Times' Shakeup # 2,143

As reporting goes, this is pretty cheesy (on my part), but what the heck: daily journalism being essential to a viable community life, you need to know that

A source told E&P [Will LAT's Stanton Replace O'Shea? (E&P)] that Russ Stanton is the frontrunner to replace James O'Shea, who was fired over the weekend in a shakeup at the Los Angeles Times. Stanton has been innovation editor at the paper since January 2007, and is in charge of editorial content at latimes.com. Before that he was business editor. Forbes: The honeymoon is over at Tribune, writes Louis Hau. NYT: The ousted editor of the Los Angeles Times on Monday offered a scathing critique of the newspaper industry and specifically his longtime employer, the Tribune Company, arguing that cost cuts, a lack of inve stment and an aversion to serious news was damaging the business. LAT: Tribune Co. chairman Sam Zell on Monday backed Los Angeles Times publisher David D. Hiller's decision to replace the newspaper's editor. LA Observed: O'Shea's remarks to newsroom. E&P: Former Los Angeles Times editor John Carroll said the weekend dismissal of editor Jim O'Shea "affects morale." Chicago Tribune: Hiller said in an interview Monday that he would "love to say we can spend more or spend the same every year, and I don't th ink that's realistic" given the economic realities of the news business.

This comes from MediaBistro's Daily Media News Feed, essential reading for anyone in journalism, tv or public relations in any of the municipalities where such crimes occur.

Equal Access: Meraki to Tackle City-wide Wi-Fi for San Francisco

If municipalities in Europe and Asia can routinely provide wi-fi, sooner or later we will be forced to catch up here. Could it be that this is a service, like water, power, police and fire protection, education, parks, libraries and prisons, that is better suited to organization as a public service than a business?

City-wide Wi-Fi might not be a pipe dream for San Francisco residents after all. After successfully rolling out mesh networks in 6 San Francisco neighborhoods, Meraki Inc. has announced its plans to blanket the entire city with coverage by the end of 2008.

Google and Earthlink hatched a similar plan for a municipal Wi-Fi project last year that ultimately fizzled. However, Meraki believes that by bypassing coverage for the public safety sector, relying on volunteers, and installing dozens of wireless gateways on rooftops it can rapidly roll out coverage.

...be sure to visit Meraki's website.

The rest of the story: Wired