Two Wins You Made Possible from FREE PRESS 7AUG12

FREE PRESS, a nonpartisan (highest rating 4 stars from Charity Navigator) organization dedicated to a free, open, transparent, responsible and responsive press in America.

Did you hear the good news? Free Press activists just scored two major victories! First, we beat Verizon.  In 2011, Free Press filed a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission after reports surfaced that the company had pressured Google to remove “tethering” apps from its Android Market. These apps allow you to use your phone like a mobile hotspot to connect a computer to the Internet. We pointed out that by urging Google to block these apps, Verizon was violating its legal obligation to keep its 4G wireless networks open and neutral. Last week, the FCC agreed with us and fined Verizon Wireless $1.25 million. The freedom to use these tethering apps — without paying any extra fees — returns some control over mobile data to subscribers and saves them money to boot. And we’re not talking about pocket change: Some customers will save as much as $240 a year. The FCC’s decision sends a strong signal that companies like Verizon can’t get away with such behavior. We can cross this particular example of “illegal app blocking” off of our list of grievances with Verizon. But we can’t rest because the company is still suing to try and stop the FCC from enforcing its Net Neutrality protections. Please contribute $10 (or more) today to help us continue to fight back. Second, we beat big broadcasters. In the post-Citizens United era, misleading political attack ads are bombarding our public airwaves. And with the 2012 presidential election looming, Super PACs are throwing millions of dollars at broadcasters. But it’s long been almost impossible for viewers to tell who’s actually behind these ads. For decades, every broadcast TV station has been required to keep a political file that documents who has purchased political ad time and how much they paid for it. But broadcasters haven’t exactly provided easy access: Anyone wanting to see this information had to trudge down to their local stations to see the hard copies. As Free Press and our friends pointed out, this problem had a simple solution: Put the files online! It’s finally happening. The FCC ruled that stations must post these files online, and the first files went up on Aug. 2. This is a great moment, but it’s the first step in a long process. There are more than 2,200 stations around the country, and the FCC’s ruling requires only 200 of them to put their files online right now. The rest won’t post theirs until 2014. To help fill those gaps in time for the November election, Free Press is recruiting volunteers to collect files from stations in key markets all over the country. We’ll be posting these files online and working with activists and journalists to uncover what’s hiding in them. We’ve made it this far on both of these vital campaigns because of the generosity of supporters like you. Your gift of $10 or more today will help us see this work through. Thanks for all you do, Craig Aaron Free Press Action Fund www.freepress.net/ P.S. Companies like Verizon aren’t going away any time soon. Beating them and building a more democratic media system will require both a long-haul effort and a reliable funding base. Make your movement-building gift of $10 or more today. Thank you!

The Free Press Action Fund is a nonpartisan organization building a nationwide movement for media that serve the public interest. The Free Press Action Fund does not support or oppose any candidate for public office. Learn more at www.freepress.net. Join us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.