The MPAA has allied themselves with cable and phone companies in their multi-million dollar fight against Net Neutrality. And the increasing disappearance of editorial cartoons from newspapers correlates with the rise of media consolidation.

High hopes that the FCC spectrum auction would provide competition in the wireless market were dashed as Verizon and AT&T won their bids for large portions of the airwaves. And the Chauncey Bailey Project continues to honor the work of the slain reporter by uncovering more information about his murder and his Oakland, California community.

Public pressure may have forced Comcast to work with BitTorrent on finding ways to distribute large Internet files, but their collaboration is no substitute for actual policy that would keep the Internet open. And 25 rural Vermont towns have joined in a regional effort to bring high-speed fiber optic Internet access to their homes.

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Do you want a say in what the future of the media looks like?

People from all walks of life and across the political spectrum are joining the movement for media reform. This June 6th – 8th, thousands will gather in Minneapolis for the 2008 National Conference for Media Reform

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Do your newspapers, TV and radio stations cover what’s really happening in your community? Are you getting the full story? Do you want to have access to all Web sites and all kinds of information from independent and non-commercial sources? Shouldn’t you have a say in what the future of the media looks like?

At BroadbandCensus.com, you can find out about broadband providers in your area, see what your broadband speed actually is, and help create a nationwide census on broadband information that big media companies don’t want you to know. And Community Television of Santa Cruz plugs public access TV with an entertaining new promotional video.

One big problem with the outcome of the 700 MHz auction: Giant telecom companies Verizon and AT&T were the big winners while women and minority businesses were squeezed out. And guest commentator Craig Aaron explains why Comcast should be voted America’s worst company.

The New York Times uncovers a Pentagon scheme to sell the occupation of Iraq to the American public. And Net Neutrality takes center stage at both Congress and the FCC.

FCC Chairman Kevin Martin announced the agency will craft a new plan for a national public safety network. And the Senate Commerce Committee passed a legislative veto of the FCC’s new media ownership rules as Rupert Murdoch prepared to bid for a third New York newspaper.

The Media Giraffe Project will be sponsoring a conference in Minneapolis in June to give local online news and community Web entrepreneurs and activists a chance to share advice about legal, organizational and advertising issues. And a House subcommittee held a hearing this week on the Internet Freedom Preservation Act.

As editor-in-chief of a publication for African immigrants, Edwin Okong’o strives for journalistic excellence to build a bridge between cultures and dispel American stereotypes of Africa and African communities. And the FCC was in the news last week for a couple of ill-considered decisions that raised the hackles of public interest and media reform groups.

In an historic bipartisan vote, the Senate overwhelmingly agreed to turn back the FCC’s decision to relax longstanding media ownership rules. And the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Discrimination works within the media across all media platforms to promote fairness and equality for the GLBT community.

With more than 250 presenters and 3500 attendees, the 2008 National Conference for Media Reform in Minneapolis was a chance to learn about the issues shaping our media and to strategize for the future.

With more than 250 presenters and 3500 attendees, the 2008 National Conference for Media Reform in Minneapolis was a chance to learn about the issues shaping our media and to strategize for the future.

The FCC is beginning to take seriously its job to provide better information about broadband access, which will eventually affect Internet users’ ability to upload and download content faster. And Rev. Romal Tune say that “unity” is the key to success for the media reform movement.

The InternetforEveryone.org Initiative was launched this week to raise public awareness about America’s digital divide and renew the call for a fast, open and affordable Internet as a basic right. And Youth Rights Media premiered their latest documentary, No Haven, in New Haven, Connecticut.

Online advertising firm, NebuAd, may have stepped over the line with its ad-targeting scheme that monitors Web browsing and alters computer codes. And Philadelphia has announced a deal with local investors to keep its muni wi-fi project alive after Earthlink bowed out earlier this month.

Forget about collecting trading cards for sports figures. The hot items this year are Media Heroes trading cards. And the news for newspapers has been brutal, as a sagging economy and plummeting advertising sales take their toll on news staff and content.

FCC Chairman Kevin Martin has determined that Comcast violated the agency's principles of open access on the Internet. And the cost of text messaging is rising again, despite the fact there have been no further costs to necessitate a price hike.

In a House hearing about privacy and the Internet, Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) indicated that Congress could take action to strengthen privacy protections. And a study disproves the notion that TV news audiences prefer superficial tabloid coverage to well-written quality journalism.

The FCC has approved the merger of XM and Sirius satellite radio companies. And Hip Hop artist Nas joined protesters outside Fox News in New York, calling for the network to end its pattern of racist attacks against Black Americans.

The FCC voted to punish Comcast for blocking users' access to the Internet. And the People’s Production House arms up-and-coming journalists with the skills they need to create media.

In their coverage of the impending digital TV conversion, the media has been ignoring the fact that the corporate media has a lock on any new channels that will emerge from the changeover. And Massachusetts has a new broadband bill that will bring high-speed broadband to rural areas.

In nearly 50 cities and towns across the country, media reform activists visited their representatives in their home district offices to urge them to veto the FCC’s media ownership rules. And in Davis, Calif., KDRT-LP won its dispute with the FCC to remain on the air after a big commercial station encroached on their frequency.

Journalists covering the Republican National Convention were held at gunpoint during pre-emptive “security” raids, swept up in mass arrests with protesters, detained for several hours to several days, had their equipment confiscated, and were roughed up by police. Now journalists and citizens of St. Paul are demanding all charges be dropped.

A bill moving through Congress would allow the Department of Justice to bring civil suits against alleged copyright infringers at the expense of the taxpayers. And Jon Bartholomew discusses the Common Cause "Media Reform Plan."

Members of the Wireless Innovation Alliance were on Capitol Hill to show their support for open, unlicensed white spaces to bring high-speed broadband to millions of Americans. And Media Access Project and Free Press fight against further media consolidation in South Bend, Indiana.

Wireless microphones are used by theater groups, churches, amateur musicians, karaoke singers across the country use them because they’re convenient and versatile. There’s only one problem: Most of them are illegal. And Congress helps to protect Internet Radio.

New state laws and FCC regulations have been detrimental to PEG access centers and programming across the country. Congress held a hearing to assess the damage. And guest commentator Megan Tady wants our new president to address the digital divide and work to make high-speed broadband accessible to everyone.

The Open Debate Coalition wants to change the format of political debates to make them accountable and open to the people. And privacy policies are important to consumers – but they take too long to read. A new study from Carnegie Mellon breaks it down.

Public interest groups and tech innovators are cheering an FCC report that may clear the way for using empty TV channels to connect millions of people to the Internet. And dozens of small, independent magazines have been forced to shut down their operations.

A new study on media coverage of the presidential campaign shows that the media is biased – for whoever is perceived to be winning the “horse race.” And what are the scariest things about the media?

The FCC voted to open white spaces for public use and unlicensed devices. And the Supreme Court takes on the FCC v. Fox “fleeting expletives” case.

Verizon Wireless’ purchase of rural wireless carrier Alltel has been approved. And public interest groups are concerned about the consequences for consumers. And a new Nielsen study refutes one of the broadcasters’ main arguments for more media consolidation.

A new report documents how conservative talk show radio shock jocks are part of an echo chamber that reaches across the country through local and regional radio hosts. And talk of resurrecting the Fairness Doctrine never fails to rile up the conservative base. But there's no plan to bring it back. There are better roads to a more democratic media.

The government’s ability to use cell phones as tracking devices without the help of cell phone providers is being quietly debated in the court system. And the Grassroots Media Justice Tour barnstormed the South to show why the media are an important component of the fight for social justice.

National Public Radio plans to cut 7 percent of its workforce and cancel two shows that helped fill the gaps in diverse programming. And 2008 was a year of movement building for media reform and provided a number of actions that remind us why grass roots activism is so important.

From the best of Media Minutes: President and CEO of Clergy Strategic Alliances Rev. Romal Tune brought his message of collaboration and unity to the National Conference for Media Reform in Minneapolis. And guest commentator Megan Tady wants our new president to address the digital divide and work to make high-speed broadband accessible to everyone.

Media Minutes looks at five of the top stories of 2008: The FCC proceedings concerning Net Neutrality, the 700 MHz spectrum auction and white spaces; Pentagon propaganda; journalists’ arrests at the RNC; and grassroots media organizing for PEG and LPFM.

Media Minutes spoke with Kembrew McCleod who co-produced, along with Benjamin Franzen, the upcoming documentary Copyright Criminals: This Is a Sampling Sport.