Telecom & Technology

"An activist reached by Skype ..." is now a common refrain in news coverage about the Arab Spring and opposition movements in general. In countries where reporters cannot report in person, either because it is too dangerous or they are banned by the host government, foreign correspondents are increasingly using Skype and other new technology to contact their sources.

Remember how the Internet community stopped SOPA?

Come on out to Irish Whiskey this Thursday at 8pm for the official launch of the Internet Defense League (IDL), a network of people and organizations committed to defending the open Internet. The goal of IDL is to sound the alarm quickly to millions of users whenever the Internet is in peril.

Below, you will find the full text of the Open Technology Institute's report, "The Cost of Connectivity," which compares the prices of high-speed internet in 22 cities worldwide. To download a PDF of the report and its appendices, click here.

Is it working? Evaluating and assessing broadband policy

A by-invitation experts’ workshop

New America Foundation

September 19-21, 2012

As the presidential campaign heats up, both candidates are talking about class size, school choice, curricula, testing, and even the use of digital tools for learning. Yet, we rarely hear about the state of broadband access in our nation’s schools.

New America Foundation’s Open Technology Institute, Benton Foundation, Center for Media Justice, Chicago Media Action, Free Press, Institute for Local Self-Reliance, Media Alliance, Peoples Production House, Public Knowledge, and The Peoples Channel & Durham Community Media submitted these comments in response to the Public Notice released by the Federal Communications Commission’s Wireline Competition Bureau, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, and Office of General Counsel “regarding the privacy and data-security practices of mobile wireless service providers with respect to customer

Welcome to our weekly series, highlighting the most newsworthy events under the Open Technology Initiative’s three key areas: Privacy and Security, Freedom of Expression, and Telecom Policy. Contact us with story ideas at blog@opentechinstitute.org.

The Public Interest Public Airwaves Coalition (“PIPAC”) strongly opposes the National Association of Broadcasters (“NAB”) petition for stay pending judicial review of the Federal Communications Commission rule requiring that broadcast television stations post the contents of their public inspection files on a website to be maintained by the Commission. NAB has failed to meet any of the criteria necessary for a stay.

One of the most successful tools in the fight against poverty, one that has attracted increasing attention over the past decade, is social protection via cash transfers. In fact, the New America Foundation’s Global Savings and Social Protection Database – which focuses on Latin America, Africa, East and Asia – has identified over 90 cash-transfer programs in 45 countries, with over a half billion beneficiaries. As the Chronic Poverty Research Centre puts it, “social protection is critical in preventing descent into chronic poverty and reducing the depth of poverty...

Welcome to our weekly series, highlighting the most newsworthy events under the Open Technology Initiative’s three key areas: Freedom of Expression, Telecom Policy, and Privacy and Security. Contact us with story ideas at blog@opentechinstitute.org.