Forum: What Is Your Opinion Of the New Proposed Internet Rules President Obama Wants The FCC To Impose?

Every week on Monday morning , the Council and our invited guests weigh in at the Watcher’s Forum, short takes on a major issue of the day, the culture, or daily living. This week’s question: What Is Your Opinion Of the New Proposed Internet Rules President Obama Wants The FCC To Impose?

The Independent Sentinel : It’s the government getting its tentacles into one more thing.

It gives companies immunity when they share our data. We no longer have privacy protections from the government in the name of security. The government will freely share our information among government agencies.

The government claims the information-sharing system would not put privacy at risk as the information disclosed will principally concern the method of attack on computer data and systems, rather than its content.

Who trusts them?

Why do they need these rules when they can already do it? Is it just a way of bullying companies into doing it more readily? They have been resistant.

According to the Guardian, “it would criminalize the overseas sale of stolen US financial information like credit card and bank account numbers, would expand federal law enforcement authority to deter the sale of spyware used to stalk or commit ID theft, and would give courts the authority to shut down botnets engaged in distributed denial of service attacks and other criminal activity.”

Meanwhile, our government won’t allow illegal immigrants to be charged or held if they steal IDs.

There will be more consumer notifications pushed on companies who become aware of breaches but they already notify consumers. It’s more regulation and more expense that will be passed down to consumers.

The bill is vague and will be misinterpreted.

Laura Rambeau Lee, Right Reason: If we have learned anything with this administration, what they say and what we get are diametrically opposed. The Affordable Care Act has proven unaffordable for many. President Obama wants the FCC to reclassify the internet under Title II of the Telecommunications Act and extend that regulation to mobile broadband service as well. Net neutrality will not lead to a fairer, more open and free internet as the president promises. As Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz stated: “Net neutrality puts the government in charge of determining Internet pricing, terms of service, and what types of products and services can be delivered, leading to fewer choices, fewer opportunities, and higher prices for consumers.” I believe that about sums it up.

The internet has been working very well in a free market system. If we want to keep an affordable, free, and open internet, we must keep government out of it.

The Glittering Eye : I’m not sure how to answer the question. Perhaps the best way would be for me to state what I’m in favor of. First, a brief preface.

The Internet grew from developments by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency for a computer network that could survive nuclear war. The Internet has succeeded because a) it was in the public domain, b) ICANN (the ultimate registrar of domain names) has been seen as apolitical and fair, c) it has largely been free of regulation and taxes, and d) the cost of entry was relatively low. Later that development was augmented by the European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN) and the University of Illinois’s computer science department.

Previous attempts at large scale computer networks whether public (in France) or private (by many companies) had failed. There is no reason to believe that any proprietary network would have succeeded.

I am unsympathetic to the complaints of the mega-service providers. In large part they enjoy the position of power they hold because of their government-granted monopolies. They have expended very little capital on research and development in their Internet service enterprises and have enjoyed substantial revenues with things as they are. That other companies, e.g. Google, Netflix, are making profits out of the Internet as it is is merely sour grapes on the part of the ISPs. If they demand more money from their investments on network infrastructure, minor relative to the revenues they’ve derived from them, they should meter bandwidth at the customer level and leave providers alone.

Consequently, I believe in network neutrality, that the Internet should be largely free of sales taxes, that it should remain predominantly uncensored, and that Time-Warner, Comcast, Verizon, AT&T, and so on should be regulated by the FCC. In particular I think that any business that has gained its present position as the result of government-granted monopoly should be kept out of the content business. I’m not sure where that puts me relative to the Obama Administration but that’s what I think.

JoshuaPundit: What government can regulate, it can control. And what it can control, it can tax. Ultimately, screwing yet more tax revenues out of the American people is a lot of what this is all about,and the fact that this president wants the FCC to impose these new proposed rules without congressional oversight while it has a  majority of his appointees who took their seats while he had a congressional majority tells me all I need to know.

The other major part of what this is about is censorship and control of content. This president is also not only hyper-partisan but a long time appeaser of Islamists, and he has already said that he is going to ‘fight the media ‘  and the nation’s journalism community when it is planning to publish anti-jihadi articles,using the lame excuse that he is suddenly concerned about the welfare of the same troops overseas whose lives he has endangered with ridiculous Rules of Engagement and his illegal wars. Rest assured that very selective censorship in a great many areas will be the order of the day if he gets his way.

Ask Marion: On Thursday 01.15.15 the White House said legislation was not necessary to settle the “net neutrality” rules issue because the Federal Communications Commission had the authority to write them. And President Obama’s rallying cry this past week has been… ‘Everyone deserves free Internet’. Beware of politicians bearing free gifts!!!

Quick Background:

What actually is at immediate stake here is what rules should govern how Internet service providers (ISPs) manage web traffic on their networks to ensure they treat all Internet content fairly. At the heart of the latest phase in the debate over the rules is what legal authority should guide those regulations.

Obama is urging the FCC to regulate ISPs more strictly under a section of communications law known as Title II, treating them more like public utilities. The broadband companies adamantly oppose this plan, saying the added regulatory burden would reduce investment and stifle innovation in their industry.

The Republican chairmen of the Senate and House commerce committees, John Thune and Fred Upton, have been working to strike a legislative deal with Democrats that would adopt some of the same net neutrality principles but without resorting to Title II.

Late on Wednesday, Thune released a list of the net neutrality principles he would pursue, which closely echoed Obama’s, such as bans on blocking or throttling of websites.

While some Republicans have also sought a delay in the FCC’s vote to establish new net neutrality rules, planned for February 26th, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler has indicated no interest in a change or delay.

“Chairman Wheeler believes it is important to move forward as quickly as possible to protect consumers, innovation and competition online,” FCC spokeswoman Kim Hart said in a statement.

Evoking net-neutrality and expanding the scope and power the FCC has been on the Obama administrations’ radar since day one and now that they are in their final two years, the administration has entered their complete lawless phase. So controlling communication is high on their agenda. It is all about control and these changes are just the tip of the iceberg. Censorship; monitoring newsrooms; and taking control of every aspect of communication… newspapers, radio, TV, Internet, news outlets, textbooks, movies, even art, plus the services that support them have been on Obama’s list since 2009, when both minority groups and Democrats questioned net neutrality.

The Republicans in Congress are in favor of a net neutrality law as long as the federal government doesn’t handle it, so are trying to drum up support for a bill that would counter the FCC’s upcoming new rules. But after the Obama administration’s comments getting Democrats on board could be difficult.

The proposed bill attempts to offer a compromise between hard-line opponents of net neutrality and the larger changes preferred by President Obama and many progressive activists. It would modify the Communications Act of 1934, adding the basic elements of the FCC’s “open internet” plan. That includes the following major points:

The proposed bill attempts to offer a compromise between hard-line opponents of net neutrality and the larger changes preferred by President Obama and many progressive activists. It would modify the Communications Act of 1934, adding the basic elements of the FCC’s “open internet” plan. That includes the following major points:

No blocking of lawful services on a network
No prohibiting the use of non-harmful devices
No traffic throttling — except for “reasonable network management,” it would be illegal to slow or degrade any site or service
No paid prioritization
Transparency requirements for ISPs

Much of the language for this bill was lifted directly from the FCC’s 2010 Open Internet Order, which was thrown out in court last year?!? It includes less-than-ideal exceptions for network management and “specialized services” like VoIP, but it settles a major point of contention in Wheeler’s proposal by banning paid prioritization, which would have allowed ISPs to offer faster service for companies that paid more. In some ways, it’s exactly what net neutrality supporters have been asking for, although the advocacy group Public Knowledge has expressed concerns about how strong its protections would be in practice.

A crucial point is that the bill adds all of this to Title I of the Communications Act, classifying broadband as an “information service.” Title I services are regulated more lightly than Title II “common carriers” like telephone companies. The last FCC net neutrality framework plan was struck down because it came too close to making rules that only Title II allows:

“In terms of legislation, we don’t believe it’s necessary given that the FCC has the authorities that it needs under Title II,” said a White House official. “However, we always remain open to working with anyone who shares the president’s goal of fully preserving a free and open internet now and into the future.”

Of course in reality, preserving a free and open Internet is the opposite of the this administration’s goal and we all should have learned by know that anything regulated and run by the government makes it and us less free. In fact, in March of 2014 ICANN and the US government announced their intention to relinquish control of the Internet to the UN by 2015, so there is much more to this plan than just a few rule changes! Anything turned over to the United Nations brings us just us one step closer to globalization and the ruling elite’s goal of a New World Order which will definitely make us all less free.

Everyone deserves free Internet. Sounds good until you remember… you can’t have both freedom of speech and big government that controls the media… It is a choice!! And it not only won’t be free, it will more expensive for everyone. We (you) will all be paying for everyone’s Internet service plus the government bureaucracy that will run it.

Pay attention America, if government controls the media… TV, radio, the Internet… your free speech stops and the attempt to take over media and your information will be even easier and more blatant than it already is…

My feeling, like always, is less government involvement is always best!

Well, there you have it!

Make sure to tune in every Monday for the Watcher’s Forum. and every  Tuesday morning, when we reveal the weeks’ nominees for Weasel of the Week!

And remember, every Wednesday, the Council has its weekly contest with the members nominating two posts each, one written by themselves and one written by someone from outside the group for consideration by the whole Council. The votes are cast by the Council, and the results are posted on Friday morning.

It’s a weekly magazine of some of the best stuff written in the blogosphere, and you won’t want to miss it...or any of the other fantabulous Watcher’s Council content.

And don’t forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter..’cause we’re cool like that, y’know?

FCC takes calls to pull Fox's broadcast licenses 'very seriously'

By Brendan Sasso - 05/09/12 05:25 PM ET  -  The Hillicon

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Julius Genachowski testified Wednesday that his agency takes calls to cancel Fox's broadcast licenses "very seriously."

Groups, including Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), have urged the FCC to pull Fox's licenses because of evidence that its parent company News Corp. hacked people's phones in the United Kingdom to get stories.

During a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing on Wednesday, Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) pressed Genachowski on whether he plans to do anything about the allegations.

Genachowski said it wouldn't be appropriate to comment on a specific case, but that the commission is "certainly aware of the serious issues that have been raised in the U.K."

He noted that the law requires that the FCC only grant broadcast licenses to people of "good character."

"If any issues arise, the commission has an obligation, we would take it very seriously, to look at the record, look at the facts and apply the law," Genachowski said.

A British parliamentary committee ruled earlier this month that News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch is "not fit" to run an international media company because of the phone hacking scandal.

News Corp. owns 27 Fox stations in the United States.

Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), chairman of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, wrote to the British committee probing the scandal earlier this month, requesting that it provide any evidence of whether News Corp. violated any U.S. laws.

Technorati Tags: MSM,Mainstream Media,FOX,Fox News,media,communication diversity czar,ABC,NBC,CBS,News Corp. watch the other hand,stand-up America

**If you want some kind of alternative news to the MSM big 3 time to call, fax or write in, in favor of Fox News and perhaps some of the one-sided slanted coverage, especially on NBC and ABC.**

Obama Assembling De Facto Propaganda Ministry

By Steve Peacock – WND

The U.S. State Department is planning to “buy” media broadcasts, as the Obama administration assembles a de facto propaganda machine, according to documents that reveal the president’s plans moving closer to the 2012 election.

According to information WND located via routine database research, State’s Bureau of Public Affairs is soliciting the help of “global news coverage service providers” to create and disseminate department “news.”

The selected contractor will provide “full-time, 24/7 service,” the Statement of Work for the plan said.

“The department seeks a service provider for full, turn-key news-style global television coverage of ad hoc open press events featuring the Secretary of State and other officials across the United States and throughout the world,” according to the SOW, “and to send this content back to the department’s Washington headquarters…”

Upon receiving these privately packaged productions, the department, in turn, “will distribute this video content to media organizations through an array of traditional and new media platforms.”

Indeed, just as the department is awaiting contractor bids on the project, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s representative at the World Press Freedom Day in Tunisia heaped accolades upon UNESCO for hosting the annual event.

Read about how the U.S. mission at the United Nations works with reporters, and find out what the White House does with some of those raising questions.

In a “tweet” from Tunisia, Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs Esther Brimmer said, “I applaud the tireless, continuing work of #UNESCO in promoting the ideals of free and open media.”

Brimmer delivered remarks on behalf of the Obama administration during the opening ceremony, along with presenting a video speech from Clinton.

Referring to the Arab Spring demonstrations across the Middle East and North Africa, Clinton said, according to a prepared statement, “Voice by voice, text by text, Tunisians, Egyptians, Libyans and many others have dared to say what they believe and stand up for their own rights.

“Many others have dared to report on what they see happening, even when their lives were at risk.”

The State Department plan is twofold: to hire a single contractor to provide television news crew services on the one hand, and to provide transmission/streaming services as a corollary service.

“The television news crew category is both one and two-person crews, and includes one and multi-camera productions,” the SOW pointed out. “The transmission category includes both traditional fiber, terrestrial and satellite-based as well as file-based and Internet delivery platforms.”

The use of such government- as well as industry-funded broadcasts, known as “video news releases,” or VNRs, has increasingly come under fire in the past decade.

VNRs “are segments designed to be indistinguishable from independently produced news reports that are distributed and promoted to television newsrooms,” according to Source Watch, a Center for Media and Democracy project that chronicles the intersecting of public relations and public policy.

The General Accountability Office – the investigative arm of the U.S. Congress – in 2005 declared that several federal entities, such as the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services, may have violated the law by disseminating VNRs as fact-based news reports.

Subsequent to the GAO’s findings, the “Stop Government Propaganda Act” was introduced to rein in and punish such activities; it died, however, after being introduced in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Proponents of VNR distribution claim that use of the video products is wholly legitimate. The Public Relations Society of America is that a VNR simply is “the video equivalent of a press release.”

The organization does advocate that industry members abide by certain parameters to ensure the integrity of VNR usage:

1. Organizations that produce VNRs should clearly identify the VNR as such and fully disclose who produced and paid for it at the time the VNR is provided to TV stations.
2. PRSA recommends that organizations that prepare VNRs should not use the word “reporting” if the narrator is not a reporter.
3. Use of VNRs or footage provided by sources other than the station or network should be identified as to source by the media outlet when it is aired.

Despite congressional refusal to crack down on VNRs, the Federal Communications Commission issued a reminder to licensees of their sponsor-identification requirements under the Communications Act or 1934. Rather than holding liable the creators of the reports, the commission has placed the burden of disclosure on who ultimately airs the VNR.

“These rules are grounded in the principle that listeners and viewers are entitled to know who seeks to persuade them with the programming offered over broadcast stations and cable systems,” the FCC said.

When such VNRs are aired, “licensees and operators generally must clearly disclose to members of their audiences the nature, source and sponsorship of the material that they are viewing.”

Although the FCC continues to enforce these rules, the penalties arguably have been light.

Last year, for instance, it issued a forfeiture order to Fox Television Stations, Inc. when station affiliate KMSP-TV of Minneapolis used – but failed to identify – a General Motors-provided VNR during a news broadcast.

The FCC fined Fox $4,000 for failing to disclose GM sponsorship of the report.

Among other VNR-related enforcement actions, in 2007 it imposed a $4,000 fine on Comcast Corp. for also violating the sponsorship disclosure rules. Comcast’s CN8 news affiliate in that case had aired a VNR produced on behalf of Nelson’s Rescue Sleep.

The FCC soon after separately slapped a $16,000 forfeiture against Comcast for airing two VNRs from General Mills and Allstate, respectively.

The State Department through May 21 is reviewing contractor proposals in response to the new solicitation. It did not disclose the estimated cost of the endeavor, for which it will award a year contract with four one-year options.

If This Were An Actual Test…

Beck Video on site...

On November 9th, at 2 pm EST, the government will seize the airwaves in America for 3 1/2 minutes to officially test the Emergency Alert System. This is the first time ever that this has been done and the implications of such a test are alarming.

From Paul Roberts at CSO:

Remember when the emergency broadcast system sounded on your television on Sept. 11, 2001? One long piercing beep followed by useful information on how to respond to the news that we’d just been attacked by terrorists. Perhaps you don’t remember because it never happened. Neither the Emergency Broadcast System (EBS) nor its successor, the Emergency Alert System (EAS), made a peep on 9/11.

The lack of noise sparked a public debate about the system’s usefulness.

Conceived as a way for the president to communicate directly with the public in the event of a “national emergency,” EBS was retired in the 1990s and replaced with EAS in 1997. The national emergency warning system went digital and was extended to state and local authorities, enabling them to distribute emergency information via broadcast stations.

One wonders, why now? Oh boy, I could give you an earful on that one. My gut says this is a display of control and an implied threat. It shows just how fast and completely Obama could seize full control should he decide it is warranted. Any appropriate emergency (real or fabricated) will do. Only the President has the authority to implement this at the national level and he has assigned that authority to the Director of FEMA. The test will be conducted jointly by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through FEMA, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Weather Service (NWS). Doesn’t that just make you feel all warm and fuzzy? It makes me tingle like the prelude to a monumental disaster.

From the FCC:

At the Federal Communications Commission’s June 9, 2011 Agenda meeting, Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau Chief Jamie Barnett, joined by representatives from FEMA and the National Weather Service, announced that the first nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) would take place at 2:00 PM (Eastern Standard Time) on November 9, 2011. The purpose of the test is to assess the reliability and effectiveness of the EAS as a public alert mechanism. EAS Participants currently participate in state-level monthly tests and local-level weekly tests, but no top-down review of the entire system has ever been undertaken. The Commission, along with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, will use the results of this nationwide test to assess the reliability and effectiveness of the EAS as a public alert mechanism, and will work together with EAS stakeholders to make improvements to the system as appropriate.

So what will this disaster be? Inquiring minds would really love to know. It’s like watching a really bad horror flick and seeing the blonde heroine go down to the basement and wonder out loud, “Billy, is that you?” And we all know what happens to the blonde, don’t we? Well substitute the American public and you are getting closer to the truth. Whether it is a terrorist attack, plague, Occupy Wall Street with hippies run amok or civil unrest in general from a financial meltdown, it’s sure to be a thriller of an event.

Video:  Michael Jackson – Thriller

Look at the various governments around the world who seized the airways in a time of crises. Never turns out well for the people, now does it? So, the test will take over all radio and television. I wonder if any of this applies to the web? It did in other countries. And I wonder if everyone knows this is going to take place. Warnings of the test seem scarce and low key. So, how many people will panic when the test goes live in the middle of a week day – a business day in America? And why 3 1/2 minutes? Just to let the threat sink in good and hard? This whole exercise smacks of unconstitutionality and brute force.

Trick or treat? More like cake or death…

Video:  Eddie izzard-cake or death

Except we aren’t laughing. These morons believe that somehow asserting their authority over all broadcast speech will somehow reassure us that they have everything well in hand, that it is for the good of us all, and that nothing can go wrong (… go wrong … go wrong …). Remember, if this were an actual test…

By: Terresa Monroe-Hamilton – the Noisy Room

"The FCC will set up a special website to inform the public about the test, and Barnett says his office has begun holding meetings with other government agencies and industries that will transmit the warning to resolve any operational issues. “After this first test, a periodic national test will likely be routine and may come at different times just like the weekly and monthly tests do now,” Barnett says.

Radio Journal June 15, 2011  (PDF)

to your personal cellphone
US Launches Cell Phone Emergency Alert System

EAS Handbook Must Be at Duty Stations for Nov. 9 Nationwide Test

WASHINGTON: Broadcasters and cable operators participating in the Nov. 9 nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System are required to have a specific document on hand during the event. The Federal Communications Commission has posted its EAS Handbook for the test, with the following directive:
“A copy of the handbook must be located at normal duty positions or EAS equipment locations where an operator is required to be on duty and must immediately be made available to staff responsible for participating in the test.”
This latest EAS handbook supersedes all previously released versions. It is available in .pdf form here.

The FCC notes that while state and local EAS tests are conducted weekly and monthly, the Nov. 9 test will be the first “end-to-end test of the nationwide system involving all participants in a synchronized, simultaneous exercise.”
It will diverge from the state and local tests in that it will use the Emergency Action Notification, or EAN event code--the same code that would be used in an actual national emergency. The test will last around three minutes--compared to two minutes for the monthly tests--to assure systems don’t lock up after the shorter time period.
The audio portion will state, “This is a Test.” For TV providers, the EAN will automatically generate a text crawl saying, “A primary Entry Point station has issued an Emergency Action Notification,” that does not indicate the event is a test. Therefore, video service providers are encouraged to insert a separate crawl or graphic indicating that the event is a test.

All participants must monitor at least two sources. The system works hierarchically, with primary stations notifying others next in line, which in turn notify other stations in line and so forth. The National Weather Service Radio will not participate.

Participants will be required to fill out three online forms related to the test, the first being due before Nov. 9, and the others, by Dec. 27, 2011. (See “First EAS Test Form Due Before Nov. 9 Test”)

~ Deborah D. McAdams, Television Broadcast

Photo: PPJ Gazette

Related:

The Upcoming EAS Test Brings Up a Very Good Question

Feds to Cut Off All TV and Radio Broadcasts on 11.09.11 – Is There a Connection Here?  You Be the Judge…

November 9th Communications Shutdown: A System Reboot Needed to Activate New Code?

Feds to Cut Off All TV and Radio Broadcasts on 11.09.11 - Is There a Connection Here? You Be the Judge…

DID YOU KNOW THE FEDS WILL TEMPORARILY CUT OFF ALL TV AND RADIO BROADCASTS ON NOV. 9th, 2011 (11.09.11)?

The Blaze: If you have ever wondered about the government’s ability to control the civilian airwaves, you will have your answer on November 9th.

On that day, federal authorities are going to shut off all television and radio communications simultaneously at 2:00PM EST to complete the first ever test of the national Emergency Alert System (EAS).

This isn’t a wild conspiracy theory. The upcoming test is posted on the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau website.

Only the President has the authority to activate EAS at the national level, and he has delegated that authority to the Director of FEMA.  The test will be conducted jointly by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through  FEMA, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Weather Service (NWS).

In essence, the authority to seize control of all television and civilian communication has been asserted by the executive branch and handed to a government agency.

The EAS has been around since 1994. Its precursor, the Emergency Broadcast System (EBS), started back in 1963.  Television and radio broadcasters, satellite radio and satellite television providers,  cable television and wireline video providers are all involved in the system.

So this begs the question: is the first ever national EAS test really a big deal?

Probably not. At least, not yet.

But there are some troubling factors all coming together right now that could conceivably trigger a real usage of the EAS system in the not too distant future.  A European financial collapse could bring down U.S. markets. What is now the “Occupy” movement could lead to widespread civil unrest. And there are ominous signs that radical groups such as Anonymous will attempt something major on November 5th- Guy Fawke’s day.

Now we know in the event of a major crisis, the American people will be told with one voice, at the same time, about an emergency.

All that’s left to determine is who will have control of the EAS when that day comes, and what their message will be.

THE STATE CAN ‘SEIZE CONTROL’ AND ‘THERE IS NOTHING I CAN DO’: GLENN BECK WEIGHS IN ON NOV. 9TH EMERGENCY BROADCAST TEST

The Blaze recently reported that at 2 p.m. EST on Wednesday, November 9th, The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Federal Communications Commission will conduct the first-ever national test of the Emergency Alert System, where radio and televised broadcasts across the country will be disrupted for roughly…three-and-half minutes:

“In essence, the authority to seize control of all television and civilian communication has been asserted by the executive branch and handed to a government agency,” wrote Buck Sexton in our earlier report.

During the upcoming test, an audio message will likely recite, “this is a test” while text at the top of the screen might read that an “Emergency Alert Notification has been issued.”

While emergency broadcast tests are typically used by state and local governments to issue severe weather alerts and other emergency information, there has never been a nationwide activation of the system before. Federal agencies cite the reasons for the national test are to ensure emergency preparedness and to pinpoint flaws in the new EAS system.

Meanwhile, the thought of the nation’s broadcast systems being completely cut off for nearly four minutes — in addition to broadcasters being stripped of control — has left many, including Glenn, feeling unsettled over who, exactly, will have power over our airwaves.

When speaking about the old EBS tests, Glenn said that it “didn’t take control away from the broadcaster.” The new system, however, “seizes control of the broadcast frequency.”

“If the state wants to take control…they can just take it and there is nothing I can do about it” Glenn stated.

Watch Glenn discuss these unsettling developments in the video HERE:

Seems There Are Going to be a lot of Unusual Things Going on Around that Time…  Is There a Connection Here? You Be the Judge…

From the Intel Hub
Massive Tsunami Drill Coincides With Continent Killer Asteroids Close Pass In November

Excerpt:

The following is to take place November 9 – 10, 2011 according to the International Tsunami Information Center — the conspiracy deepens:

9-10 November 2011: In August 2010, the PTWS Steering Committee (SC) met to discuss the progress of the PTWS during the intersessional period, including the next PTWS exercise. Considering the general objectives of PACWAVE08, the SC approved the PACWAVE Summary Report and requested Working Groups 2 and 3 (Tsunami Detection, Warning and Dissemination; Tsunami Awareness and Response) to cooperate in the preparation of an end-to-end communication exercise PACWAVE11 in November 2011. The actual evacuation of local communities (or parts of it) will be left to the decision of local or national authorities. A PTWS Exercises Task Team was formed, chaired by ITIC and New Zealand, to organize the exercise and elaborate on detailed scenarios.PacWave11 will be held on 9-10 November 2011 as a multi-scenario exercise that will allow all PTWS countries to exercise using a destructive local or regional tsunami scenario.  PacWave 11 will also be used to introduce new tsunami advisory products of the PTWC that were proposed by the PTWS Enhanced Tsunami Warning Products Task Team and approved by ICG/PTWS-XXIV. IOC Circular Letter 2390 was issued on 13 May 2011 announcing the exercise and requesting PTWS Countries to nominate a PacWave11 focal point.  IOC Manual and Guides 58 on How to Plan, Conduct, and Evaluate Tsunami Exercises was issued in July 2011.  The PacWave11 Exercise Manual (IOC TS 97) was published in August 2011.  UNESCO will issue a press release on 1 November 2011.

UN (UNESCO) Exercise Pacific Wave 11
There is a Naval Operation happening on Nov 9-10 called Exercise Pacific Wave 11,  to take place on Nov 9-10, 2011.

Exercise Pacific Wave 11
http://itic.ioc-unesco.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1686&Itemid=2333&lang=en
Letter from above site
http://itic.ioc-unesco.org/images/docs/ioc_cl_no.2390.pdf

Flyer for the exercise
http://itic.ioc-unesco.org/images/docs/pacwave11_flyer.pdf
Note this link at the bottom is where  you can download pdf files (also click the documents tab for more documents).

Exercise Pacific Wave 11. A Pacific-wide Tsunami Warning and Communication Exercise, 9–10 November 2011
http://www.ioc-cd.org/index.php?option=com_oe&task=viewEventRecord&eventID=998
This google document allows you to see the entire document, while the pdf file below I could only see the title page.
http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:hwVUW_MiPq4J:unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0021/002114/211498e.pdf+execise+pacific+wave+11&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESjaJrzpgJU5CyMd28bUDXVifyrlHMGS83rSazE0Lt_A7pHnXHVRkcEieQh6tmpstPen73gzvlBb4esUUvoqcMU96qQeUCsE5Q2xM72MVFuJEsGt1-djuMqc79BX9jxi7cA-oTYv&sig=AHIEtbQ6eVIZDGJkCkh_lCZiW-UTqzx4mA&pli=1
Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission

Technical Series
EXERCISE PACIFIC WAVE 11
A Pacific-wide Tsunami Warning and Communication Exercise
9–10 November 2011
http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0021/002114/211498e.pdf (this file will lock up and  you will only see the title page)

This page allows you to download the manual
http://www.ioc-cd.org/index.php?option=com_oe&task=viewDocumentRecord&docID=7707
Scroll down until you see on google doc p 25, & p 26

"Sample Tsunami Energy Forecast Map" and "Sample Coastal Tsunami Threat Map"
This isn't the first time Exercise Pacific Wave has been done. It was done in 2006 on May 16 and 17 using Philippines and Chile tsunami sources. Java is in roughly the same region as the Philippines and experienced several large devastating EQs (and a tsunami) soon after the exercise.

Pacific Wave was done again from October 28-30, 2008, and used a northeast Japan source.

Coincidentally there are other exercises scheduled.
Mega tsunami drill in Crete, Greece right now

The scenario:

An 8R scale earthquake strikes close to the island of Crete. A huge tsunami is generated.
The exercise is based on the July 365 BC tsunami when an undersea earthquake measuring over 8R occurred in the sea west of Crete and caused not only huge geological changes on the island, but terrible disasters, exacerbated by a tsunami that led to erase from the map dozens of cities Crete and caused thousands of dead.

The drill

The Pan-European wide drill called "Poseidon" was organized "on the map" last May and takes place these days 24 and October 25 on location (the schedule was for Chania but I heard that they included Heraklion too -the two biggest cities of Crete) .

On location, there are "watchers" from over 30 countries participating in the European Civil Protection Mechanism.  (I heard on tv that it concerns especially all the countries that are around the Mediterranean Sea).

Video: ΑΣΚΗΣΗ ΓΙΑ ΤΣΟΥΝΑΜΙ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGBrDbOFUmg&feature=player_embedded

Poseidon is a program funded by the European Union, aimed to prepare the Civil Protection Mechanism in Greece to deal with a devastating earthquake tsunami, through the cooperation of Civil Protection Authorities at local, regional, national and European level. The Civil Protection Authorities of Cyprus and France participate in this project and an evaluation of the exercise will be performed through the European Civil Protection Mechanism.

Check this too (both from the same site):  Successful test of the Tsunami Warning System in North-eastern Atlantic, Mediterranean and connected seas

Paris, 10 August – The communication network of the Tsunami Early Warning and Mitigation System for the North-eastern Atlantic, the Mediterranean and connected seas (NEAMTWS) was tested successfully on 10 August, marking a leap forward for the system which was initiated under the aegis of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) in 2005.

The test involved the Tsunami Warning Focal Points of 31 countries in the region. They received a test message at 10.36 UTC via electronic mail, fax and the Global Telecommunications System (GTS) from the Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute (KOERI, Turkey). Early results show the messages were well received within a few minutes of being sent.

UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokov

a expressed satisfaction over the success of the test. “This past decade alone has shown us the terrible destructive power of earthquakes and tsunami on several occasions,” said the Director-General. “Today’s test represents a significant step towards improving security for the lives of tens of millions of people in the North-eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean, and meeting UNESCO’s ambition of establishing early warning systems globally.”
http://neamtic.ioc-unesco.org/

Also another drill October 12
Malaysia and 19 other nations to join Tsunami alert test
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/10/7/nation/20111007093729&sec=nation

Shelby County Hospital (TN)
http://www.lakelandtn.gov/pdfs/emergency/Volunteer%20Announcement%2011%2009%2011%20Community%20Exercise.pdf

On November 9, 2011 hospital personnel and various first responder agencies from the MidSouth region will participate in a community medical exercise. This exercise will provide practical training experience to prepare for medical response during a large scale event. On Wednesday November 9th, hospital personnel will work with volunteer patients playing the role of injured victims to provide a realistic and practical experience in treatment and response Oddly enough…the UK’s NEAF Nuclear Emergency Exercise has Exercise Nightstar 11 on 9 November 2011.
http://www.hse.gov.uk/nuclear/emergexeprog.htm

Nightstar is an annual ‘live play’ demonstration of emergency arrangements.
Lessons learned from previous Nightstar...

Here is a website that has a simulation:
http://thetruthbehindthescenes.wordpress.com/2011/10/24/what-would-happen-if-asteroid-2005-yu55-hit-earth/

§ 1.7 Earth Impact by an Asteroid: Prospects and Effects
http://www.permanent.com/a-impact.htm

400 meter-wide asteroid to make pass by Earth

Posted on October 25, 2011 by The Extinction Protocol

October 25, 2011 – A 1300-foot-wide (400 meters) asteroid, which is more than one and a half times the length of a soccer pitch, will pass within 0.85 lunar distances of the Earth on November 8/9, 2011. Discovered on December 28, 2005 by Robert McMillan of the Spacewatch Program near Tucson, Arizona, 2005 YU55 is believed to be a very dark, nearly spherical object. According to NASA’s Near Earth Object Program: “Although classified as a potentially hazardous object, 2005 YU55 poses no threat of an Earth collision over at least the next 100 years. However, this will be the closest approach to date by an object this large that we know about in advance and an event of this type will not happen again until 2028 when asteroid (153814) 2001 WN5 will pass to within 0.6 lunar distances.” While neither the European Space Agency (ESA) nor NASA has suggested that YU55 poses a threat to Earth, plans to develop a mission to counteract a potential asteroid collision in the future are already underway. The ESA is planning to fire an ‘impactor’ satellite into a ‘test’ asteroid in 2015 to see if the object’s trajectory can be altered.  The Agency is conducting the test mission in light of the minimal threat posed by the 700-1100-foot-wide 99942 Apophis asteroid, which has a one in 250,000 chance of impacting Earth in 2036. -IWO

See this on the web page > Current trajectory of space object 2005 YU55

** Are the dates of the first-ever national test of the Emergency Alert System, instead of the usual state or local tests, coinciding with all the unusual ‘natural’ occurrences on or around 11.9.11 as well as the on-going global manmade OWS protests coincidental, planned, really a test, if so a test for what or is it the dreaded spark to set off a national emergency, to test ‘their’ ability to ignite a spark for a coming planned event for the future or the actual spark beginning the takeover by a Global NWO??? 

Food for thought… You be the judge!  And if it is more than coincidence are you prepared? **

Related:

Call a Radio Show, Get Recorded by the FBI… And Gov’t to Take Control of Communications Temporarily on 11/9/11

FEMA Communication Takeover Test Scheduled for November 9

Call a radio talk show, get recorded by the FBI ... And Gov’t to Take Control Of Communications Temporarily On 11/9/11

FBI begins recording call-ins

Original Post: October 14, 2011 - 11:35 am Eastern © 2011 

Next time you call a talk radio station, beware: The FBI may be listening.

According to WMAL.com, "The FBI has awarded a $524,927 contract to a Virginia company to record as much radio news and talk programming as it can find on the Internet. … The FBI says it is not playing Big Brother by policing the airwaves, but rather seeking access to what airs as potential evidence."

The agency's reasons for recording all these radio programs don't get any clearer as the news report goes on. No doubt that is intentional.

Rush Limbaugh

"Don't hold out hope for Palin."

That was Rush Limbaugh's advice to a caller who was clinging to hope that the former Alaska governor would finally enter the 2012 Presidential race.

"You've got practical things like filing deadlines coming up, some are within a week now," Rush explained, "so I think it's time to move on. I think it's time to let go and move on" (FREE audio).

Ken Hoffman at the Houston Chronicle complained that, "Limbaugh is now calling first lady Michelle Obama … 'Moo-Chelle Obama.' Even for El Rushbo, that's stupid and insensitive. Limbaugh reportedly earns $38 million a year and lives in a beachfront mansion in Palm Beach, Fla. He can't afford a mirror?"

Michael Savage

This week, Michael Savage labeled Barack Obama a "lifetime Marxist" and renewed concerns about his eligibility to serve as president.

He explained to listeners: Obama is "a man who refuses to show a valid birth certificate, a man who applies for college aid as a foreign student and then denies he's foreign, a man who has a SocialSecurity number from a state he's never even lived in." (FREE audio).

Savage also declared: "The second Bolshevik revolution is beginning in the United States of America, egged on by our first communist president and his cronies. Obama is using the rabble in the gutters to draw attention away from the 'Fast and Furious' Mexican gunrunning scandal, and all the other scandals in this administration":

Video:  Michael Savage Dedicates His Show To Red October

Sean Hannity

The New York Times shadowed Sean Hannity as part of a story about Fox News' 15th anniversary, and were forced to concede: "Despite the inflammatory rhetoric he instigates, Mr. Hannity is good-natured and humble in person, as interested in his children's tennis matches as in Mitt Romney's foreign policy positions. He rarely agrees to interviews, and when he did last week, he said he did not read negative articles about him, or even the friendly Twitter account all about his abundant head of hair."

Newt Gingrich joined Hannity on the air to analyze the most recent GOP candidate's debate, both his own performance and those of the other potential Republican nominees (FREE audio).

Mark Levin

"These debates are starting to bore me," Mark Levin told listeners this week. He complained that there were too many participants, and none of them will dare take on Mitt Romney (FREE audio).

Speaking of Romney, Levin slammed New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie for endorsing him. Levin feels neither of these men are "true" conservatives, and he is tired of hearing that "conservatives can't win" (FREE audio).

Laura Ingraham

Two Republican governors offered Ingraham different takes on who could take the White House in 2012.

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour told Laura and her listeners that Herman Cain would "sweep the South" if he is the GOP nominee (FREE audio).

However, former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell told her, "If the election were held today, Mitt Romney would defeat Barack Obama in Pennsylvania – a state the president won by roughly 10 points in 2008."

Rendell warned the party not to select a "wacky" nominee, and stick with somebody "competent." He added, "Sometimes I think the Republican Party has a death wish."

"I actually agree with you on that," Ingraham replied. "In many ways I think the Republicans can screw things up easily."

Glenn Beck

Glenn Beck expanded his business empire this week, announcing the launch of his "1791" clothing line.

Beck explained, "The main thrusts of the 1791 line are to remember where we came from as Americans ... and to restore values and efforts that have made America great."

Beck sided with Hank Williams Jr. this week, after the singer/songwriter got in trouble for making a clumsy analogy that mentioned "Hitler" and "Obama" (but contrary to what's been reported, he didn't compare the two.) Beck played excerpts of Williams' new song"Keep the Change," and condemned ESPN and his former employers at Fox News for throwing Williams under the bus (FREE webcam).

And now, from the left side of the dial ...

Did you ever think you'd live to see a cable news host question the "blackness" of a potential president?

That's what happened when Al Sharpton and Prof. Karen Hunter struggled to make sense of Herman Cain's campaign for the Republican nomination (FREE audio).

Weirder still, the producer of progressive Stephanie Miller's radio show made a bizarre on-air suggestion that Cain was an anti-Semite. It was so outrageous even Miller expressed her embarrassment and tried to change the subject.

While these outbursts are painful to listen to, they reveal the unprincipled desperation of people whose worldview is crumbling before their eyes. That's probably the only redeeming social value these radio programs have.

---

Kathy Shaidle is a blogging pioneer whose FiveFeetOfFury.com is now in its tenth year. Her most recent book – The Tyranny of Nice: How Canada Crushes Freedom in the Name of Human Rights (And Why It Matters to Americans) – features an introduction by Rush Limbaugh guest host Mark Steyn, author of After America 

Source:  WND

And Gov’t (FEMA) to Take Control of Communications Temporarily On 11/9/11… Does that Combination of #’s bother anyone else? And Will We Believe This Will Be Temporary?

FEMA Communication Takeover Test Scheduled for November 9

FEMA, the FCC, and Homeland Security plan to commandeer the airwaves next month. The Emergency Alert System (EAS) will be tested at 1 PM EST on November 9. EAS alerts are transmitted over radio and television broadcast stations, cable television and other media services.

Local and state EAS components are tested weekly and monthly, but this will be the first national test of the system. It is significant that FEMA will conduct the mandatory test.

Video:  Government To Take Control Of Communications Temporarily On 11/9/11

Also:  Government To Take Control Of Communications Temporarily On 11/9/11

The Blaze: House votes to Repeal Net Neutrality!

I am delighted to see them forging ahead w/promises to repeal.  Keep the faith. Posted on the Blaze at 5p.m. ETWASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans adamant that the government keep its hands off the Internet passed a bill Friday to repeal federal rules barring Internet service providers from blocking or interfering with traffic on their networks.

Republicans, in voting to repeal rules on “network neutrality” set down by the Federal Communications Commission, said the FCC lacked the authority to promulgate the rules. They disputed the need to intervene in an already open Internet and warned that the rules would stifle investment in broadband systems.

“The FCC power grab would allow it to regulate any interstate communication service on barely more than a whim and without any additional input from Congress,” said Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., sponsor of the legislation. The Internet, he added, “is open and innovative thanks to the government’s hands-off approach.”

But in what has become a largely partisan battle, the Democrat-controlled Senate is not expected to go along with the House. Sen. John D. Rockefeller, D-W.Va., chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, said he was “disappointed that House leadership wants to undo the integrity of the FCC’s process and unravel their good work.”

Even if it cleared Congress, the White House has threatened to veto a bill it said puts in doubt whether “the democratic spirit of the Internet will remain intact.”

Rep. Henry Waxman of California, top Democrat on the Energy and Commerce Committee, said nullifying the FCC rules would “give big phone and cable companies control over what websites Americans can visit, what applications they can run and what devices they can use.”

The vote to pass the bill, mainly along party lines, was 240-179.

The FCC rules were adopted on a 3-2 vote last December after years of debate over the federal role in ensuring a free and open Internet. The FCC’s three Democrats voted in support and its two Republicans opposed.

While generally seen as a compromise between technology companies fearing provider limitations on their access to the Internet and the big phone and cable companies insisting they need flexibility to manage Internet traffic, the rules drew a quick legal challenge from Verizon Communications Inc., which said the FCC had overstepped its authority.

A year ago a federal appeals court also ruled that the FCC exceeded its authority in sanctioning Comcast Corp. for discriminating against online file-sharing traffic Comcast said was clogging its network.

The rules prohibit phone and cable companies from favoring or discriminating against Internet content and services, including online calling services such as Skype and Web video services such as Netflix that could compete with their core operations. They require broadband providers to let subscribers access all legal online content.

They do give providers flexibility to manage data on their systems to deal with network congestion and unwanted traffic as long as they publicly disclose those practices. They do not specifically ban “paid prioritization,” where a provider might charge more for faster transmission of data, but they outlaw “unreasonable network discrimination.”

Wireless carriers are also barred from blocking access to any websites or competing services, but they are given more leeway to manage data traffic because wireless systems have less network bandwidth.

Even supporters acknowledged that the rules are mainly about preserving the status quo of a system that is generally working well.

But absent the rules, said Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo., “there would be a major shift in power on the Internet to the broadband providers from the content providers.”

He said there was legitimate fear among nonprofit and religious groups that they would be consigned to a lower tier because they could not pay a higher price for premium service. “So your Web page from Nike might load faster than your Web page from the Catholic Church because, if there was tiered access, who would be more likely to pay for the speed of the access?”

He also cited the actions of autocratic states such as China in blocking Internet content in saying the government must make clear that providers cannot discriminate against customers because of political or philosophical differences.

—

The bill is H.J.Res. 37  -  Online:  Congress: http://thomas.loc.gov

Source: 

• Posted by Whackamole on April 8, 2011 at 5:22pm in Elections, Issues, News, & Politics
• Send Message View Discussions

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/house-votes-to-block-net-neutrality/

ALERT: LAST CHANCE TO STOP OBAMA FROM TAKING CONTROL OF THE INTERNET

President Obama has the POWER TO PULL THE PLUG on the Internet here in the United States, just like Hosni Mubarak's administration did in Egypt during the uprising. The FCC's Net Neutrality Act, passed by a vote of 3-2 along party lines on December 21, 2010, gives "kill-switch" authorization to the federal government.
The full implementation of this Act will take place 60 days after the date of the Act, which is FEBRUARY 21, 2011.

THAT MEANS ON MONDAY, FEBRUARY 21ST, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WILL TAKE CONTROL OF THE INTERNET UNLESS WE ACT TO STOP THEM.

If we allow this FCC Act to go unchallenged, the government will be able to REGULATE THE INTERNET and any other interstate communication service they choose, WITHOUT Congressional oversight.

We have organized a fax campaign on this very important issue. CLICK THIS LINK TO FAX CONGRESS RIGHT NOW and tell them to overturn the FCC's Net Neutrality Act and rein in their power grab!

Help us make sure that hundreds of thousands of faxes are piled up in their offices on Monday morning. Your participation is critical as we work to protect free speech in America and defend against an overreaching bureaucracy.

THIS IS AN URGENT ISSUE - PLEASE SEND YOUR FAXES NOW!
Republicans in the House and Senate have introduced a Resolution of Disapproval, seeking to reverse the FCC's net neutrality rules. The Resolution was introduced in the House by Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR) and Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI); and in the Senate by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-TX), Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) and Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). IT IS FILIBUSTER-PROOF.

Walden, Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, said, "The FCC shouldn't be in the business of picking winners and losers by advantaging web companies over broadband providers."

"There's a broad chorus of congressional voices that agree the FCC overstepped its bounds. That's what we're going to raise with the five commissioners in front of the subcommittee next week, and that's why we'll offer a resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act."

We have organized a fax campaign on this very important issue. CLICK THIS LINK TO FAX CONGRESS RIGHT NOW and tell them to overturn the FCC's Net Neutrality Act and rein in their power grab!
Make sure your faxes are piled up in their offices on Monday morning. Your participation is critical as we work to protect free speech in America and defend against an overreaching bureaucracy.
THIS IS AN URGENT ISSUE - PLEASE SEND YOUR FAXES NOW!

You've seen what is going on in Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries. The "democratic demonstrations" in the streets of Egypt were fueled by use of the Internet and social communication networks like Facebook and Twitter. At the height of the revolution, President Hosni Mubarak's administration pulled the "kill switch" and closed off Egypt's citizens from the information superhighway.

WHAT HAPPENED IN EGYPT CAN HAPPEN HERE.

The new rules will give government bureaucrats power over Internet carriers, which is in direct opposition to our free market system - and the freedom we have always enjoyed on the Internet.
This is yet another in a long line of examples of the Obama administration overstepping their authority and concentrating more power with the government - and against the wishes of the American people.

According to Rasmussen, only 21 percent of the country supports the idea of network neutrality - but the Obama administration continues to push for more and more control over every aspect of our lives in an effort to suppress free speech and dissenting opinion!

We have organized a fax campaign on this very important issue. CLICK THIS LINK TO FAX CONGRESS RIGHT NOW and tell them to overturn the FCC's Net Neutrality Act and rein in their power grab!
Make sure your faxes are piled up in their offices on Monday morning. Your participation is critical as we work to protect free speech in America and defend against an overreaching bureaucracy.
THIS IS AN URGENT ISSUE - PLEASE SEND YOUR FAXES NOW!

The FCC does NOT have the authority from either Congress or the U.S. Constitution to assume control of the Internet!
The White House does not have the authority from either Congress or the U.S. Constitution to use the "kill-switch!"

Three federal judges warned the FCC before they passed the Net Neutrality Act. They believe the Internet has First Amendment protection, exactly the same as printed media - so what is next for Obama? Assuming control of our newspapers and magazines?

President Obama does not like dissenting opinion, and there's a lot of that lately because his big government agenda is not popular. If he can't silence his critics through debate, he will use his radical FCC to do it for him! Just like we saw in Egypt!

As we saw in Egypt, a "kill-switch" can have overwhelmingly disastrous consequences. You, as an individual, would be drastically affected; but think of the millions of businesses that depend upon the Internet for their commerce. The fallout would literally CRIPPLE the already-shaky U.S. economy!

This is a violation of your rights and of the U.S. Constitution!

There is nothing "neutral" about the Net Neutrality Act. The government wins, and you lose.

We have organized a fax campaign on this very important issue. CLICK THIS LINK TO FAX CONGRESS RIGHT NOW and tell them to overturn the FCC's Net Neutrality Act and rein in their power grab!
Make sure your faxes are piled up in their offices on Monday morning. Your participation is critical as we work to protect free speech in America and defend against an overreaching bureaucracy.
THIS IS AN URGENT ISSUE - PLEASE SEND YOUR FAXES NOW!

We have an FCC that is openly hostile to our First Amendment rights.

You may not notice it today, and you may not notice it tomorrow - but unless we get the Net Neutrality Act overturned, you will wake up soon and find that the government has assumed total control over the Internet, and your speech will be restricted.

Free speech is one of America's most precious freedoms, and I ask for your urgent support so we can defend it, before it's too late.

Sincerely,

Tony Adkins, Conservative Action Alerts

COMMITTEE PASSES PLAN FOR INTERNET ‘KILL SWITCH’ IN EGYPT — AH… U.S.

COMMITTEE PASSES PLAN FOR INTERNET ‘KILL SWITCH’ IN EGYPT — U.S.

Pending legislation that would grant the President of the United States the power to pull the plug on the country’s internet access in a declared “emergency” returned to the forefront this week on the same day Egyptians faced a nation-wide blackout designed to curtail widespread government protests. Egypt flipped it’s so-called “kill switch” — will the U.S.?

The bipartisan bill is sponsored by Maine Sen. Susan Collins, the ranking Republican on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.  The bill — called “The Protecting Cyberspace As A National Asset Act of 2010” S.3480 — was approved by a Senate panel this week.

S. 3480 would create a new government agency called the National Center for Cybersecurity and Communications.  The NCCC would have sweeping powers to control the Internet, including the ability to shut down the web for a 30-day period.  Considering that at least 60% of Americans get their daily news fix from the Internet, this is a staggering proposal.

Blaze writer Mike Opelka also notes that groups such as the ACLU see this proposed legislation potentially giving the President a giant kill switch for the Internet.  Before the bill moves to the Senate floor for a vote, the ACLU has formally noted their disapproval.

While Collins insists her bill would not grant the president the same powers as Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak has exercised this week, many are wondering what kinds of implications the measure would have on Americans’ freedom.

Many in the high-tech world join the ACLU in questioning the bill as well.

PC Magazine‘s Dan Costa warned Friday that the United States must learn from Egypt’s “state-sponsored denial of service attack” on its citizens. “The surprising thing isn’t that a corrupt, authoritarian regime would launch this kind of state-sponsored denial off service attack on its own citizens. Nor that it is willing to jeopardize its economy by cutting its businesses off from world markets. No, the thing that surprises me is that the U.S. government has plans for its own Internet Kill Switch,” Costa wrote.

The legislation was first introduced last summer by Sens. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), and the former has promised to bring it to the floor again in 2011. It isn’t called anything as obvious as the Internet Kill Switch, of course. It is called the “Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act.” Who could be against that? Anyone who’s watching the news on TV today, that’s who.

The proposal calls for the Department of Homeland Security to establish and maintain a list of systems or assets that constitute critical cyber-infrastructure. The President would be able to be able to control those systems. He or she would have ability to turn them off. The kicker: none of this would be subject to judicial review. This is just a proposal, mind you, but it certainly warrants concern. Particularly given the heavy-handed example being provided by Egypt.

The bill, co-sponsored by Sen. Joe Liebermann, I-Conn., previously sailed through the Homeland Security Committee just before the 111th Congress ended, and will have to be reconsidered in the new 112th Congress.

Intended to protect the country against “significant” cyber threats, Sen. Collins says the bill “would provide a mechanism for the government to work with the private sector in the event of a true cyber emergency.”

“It would give our nation the best tools available to swiftly respond to a significant threat,” she added.

Wired.com reports:

An aide to the Homeland Security committee described the bill as one that does not mandate the shuttering of the entire internet. Instead, it would authorize the president to demand turning off access to so-called “critical infrastructure” where necessary.

An example, the aide said, would require infrastructure connected to “the system that controls the floodgates to the Hoover dam” to cut its connection to the net if the government detected an imminent cyber attack.

What’s unclear, however, is how the government would have any idea when a cyber attack was imminent or why the operator wouldn’t shutter itself if it detected a looming attack.

About two dozen groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Library Association, Electronic Frontier Foundation and Center for Democracy & Technology, were skeptical enough to file an open letter opposing the idea. They are concerned that the measure, if it became law, might be used to censor the internet.

“It is imperative that cyber-security legislation not erode our rights,” (.pdf) the groups wrote last year to Congress.

On Friday, executives with London-based Vodofone came under scrutiny after admitting they had complied with the Egyptian government’s request to shut down internet and mobile phone access in Egypt.  According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, Vodofone Group CEO Vittorio Cola expressed concern with the state-ordered blackout, but the company determined that the request was “legitimate under Egyptian law,” and therefore complied with the request.

In addition, Al Jazeera reported that protesters on Friday destroyed Vodafone stores in Cairo, among other locations tied to the ruling regime.

In the meantime, Costa insists that such a “kill switch” initiative could be devastating for the United States — not just because of the real impact on individual liberties, but also because of widespread economic ramifications:

The U.S. telecommunication industry is much more complex and far more decentralized [than Egypt's]. To do something similar in the U.S. would require a lot more than four phone calls. There are simply too many connections inside the nation already for them to be silenced. Also, since our economy is more dependent on the Internet obstructing the free flow of information would be disastrous. Still, the push for a U.S. Internet Kill Switch is here, but no one understands the consequences.

The fact is, no one in the U.S. should ever have the right or the ability to take the Internet offline. As an editor of a purely online publication (we made the switch from print a few years ago), it’s very clear to me that freedom of the press relies more than ever on the Internet. No one in the U.S.—or anywhere—should have the right to shut it down.

Source:  the Blaze

STOP Internet Takeover - Rescind FCC Vote

View this Email as a Web Page

STOP Internet Takeover - Rescind The FCC Vote! ALERT: The FCC has voted to take away your internet freedom without approval from Congress. The new law will give Obama and his cronies full control of the world wide web! Tell Congress To Rescind The FCC Vote & Protect Your Internet Rights! The FCC Does Not Have The Authority To Expand Governmental Regulation TELL CONGRESS TO RESCIND THE FCC VOTE! The FCC passed the internet regulating rules on Tuesday. Two days have passed and the American public has yet to receive any additional details about the rules. Even more shocking, FCC activist Chairman Julius Genachowski still hasn’t released an official copy of the rules! Something smells fishy. Many questions remain such as exactly how much will the government control and regulate the internet. Until Genachowski get releases the report those questions will remain unanswered. The internet regulation plan was created under the guise to protect us against foreign crime, espionage and cyber-attacks. In reality, the act will destroy all opinions of dissent and limit criticisms of the ever expanding tentacles of big government. You will now be under the microscope of Obama and big brother. The act was met with seething disapproval from Republican FCC Commissioner Rob McDowell. McDowell said, “Nothing is broken in the Internet access market that needs fixing; the FCC does not have the legal authority to issue these rules; [and] the proposed rules are likely to cause irreparable harm.” Enough is enough! Republicans must make Congress execute their Congressional authority and oversight of the FCC. They need to rescind the FCC vote because the FCC does not have the Congressional or Constitutional authority to expand governmental regulation. China: A Model For New U.S. Internet Regulations China enforces strict internet censorship through 60 laws and countless draconian administrative regulations. These laws gag critical opinions, corruption exposes and speech that protest their government. The communist country employs 50,000 people who act as internet police, scouring the internet for offenders to punish. Comments on blogs and internet forums that question Chinese propaganda are wiped out within minutes by the internet police. I can just imagine Obama appointing a new internet czar and thousands of new anti-free speech government workers to police the internet. The FCC Does Not Have The Authority To Expand Governmental Regulation TELL CONGRESS TO RESCIND THE FCC VOTE! The new regulations will not only destroy free speech, but will also annihilate capitalism. Right now, the internet is the last true laissez-faire form of capitalism in our country. People can buy and sell what they want with little interference from the government. The internet also gives people the freedom to be innovative and set competitive pricing. Unlike our physical economy, the government has kept their sticky fingers from meddling with the internet until now. The new communist-style internet regulations will deter innovation, raise operating costs and ultimately raise consumer prices. Robert McDowell explained, "Congress has not given us the authority to do this. There really are no bounds to what the FCC could do, so long as it's done in the name of promoting the Internet in their view." He also said that potential ranges from price control to content control. We urgently need the help from patriots like you to put a stop to the liberal takeover of our internet. If we don’t stop them dead in their tracks, there will be no end to their freedom pillage. Time is running out. THIS IS NOT A FIGHT WE CAN AFFORD TO LOSE 1. Select Below To Tell Congress To Stop The Communist-Style Internet Takeover! The FCC Does Not Have The Authority To Expand Governmental Regulation TELL CONGRESS TO RESCIND THE FCC VOTE! 2. Send this Alert to EVERYONE you know and every like-minded friend on your personal email list who wants to stop the FCC from destroying the last form of laissez-fair capitalism. We need to get HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of faxes delivered to EACH AND EVERY Senator and Congressman 3. Keep calling your Senators today, toll free numbers include 1-877-851-6437 and 1-866-220-0044, or call 1-202-225-3121 AND REGISTER YOUR OUTRAGE! Demand Congress oppose the FCC's new internet regulations that put a gag on our right to free speech! 4. CALL President Obama, 202-456-1111 and 202-456-1414 expressing your disdain and ABSOLUTE REJECTION of his FCC's takeover of our internet. 5. Print this copy and pass it around where normal working class Americans gather who care about the future of our country. Polling data reveals that Americans do not want the government controlling the internet! DO NOT BE SILENCED - MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD! NOTE: We need TENS OF THOUSANDS of faxes and PHONE CALLS and EMAILS delivered to the HOME OFFICES OF ALL CONGRESSMAN RIGHT AWAY! Your voice can be heard -- we need your urgent help at AmeriPAC. DONATE AND FAX NOW. Get my new book Black & Blue as my gift to you and the country, and say - "I'm As Mad As Hell, And I'm Not Gonna Take This Anymore!" Black & Blue: How Obama And The Democrats Are Beating Up The Constitution The compelling story of how the Obama Administration and progressive Democrats are warping and contradicting the Constitution to make it fit with their radical agenda. The book covers Barack Obama's Chicago and Saul Alinsky days were he learned to "game the system" to bypass the rule of law. The book details how the progressive Democrats use groups like Acorn to gain power to force their socialism on the American people. Defend America, Alan M. Gottlieb Chairman, AmeriPAC If you prefer to send a check, please mail to: American Political Action Committee (AmeriPAC) PO Box 1682 Dept Code 1245-p-cch Bellevue, WA 98009-1682 Paid for by AmeriPAC, a federally-authorized and qualified multicandidate political action committee. Contributions to AmeriPAC will be used in connection with federal elections. Maximum contribution per individual per calendar year is $5,000. Contributions from foreign nationals and corporations are prohibited. Contributions are not deductible for federal income tax purposes.

Forward this Email to a Friend

Communicate if Your Government Shuts Off Your Internet 

Egypt shutdown worst in Internet history: experts