WASHINGTON -- The Federal Communications Commission announced sweeping changes to the way it collects data on female and minority broadcast ownership in the United States. Free Press research had exposed that the FCC's last data collection process in 2007 missed more than half of all the radio stations owned by women and minorities and more than two-thirds of the television stations.

WASHINGTON -- The Federal Communications Commission launched its "national broadband plan" to bring high-speed Internet to all Americans. The FCC must develop this comprehensive strategy for Congress by Feb. 17, 2010, as part of the $7.2 billion broadband stimulus portion of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act.

WASHINGTON -- With the Federal Communications Commission set to begin work on a national broadband strategy this week, Free Press has released Wired Less: Disconnected in Urban America, a multimedia report that calls attention to the urban digital divide.

WASHINGTON -- In a letter to the Federal Communications Commission, Free Press called on the agency to confirm that wireless networks must adhere to the Internet Policy Statement, which protects consumers' right to access any online content and services on any device of their choosing.

WASHINGTON -- In a roundtable discussion on broadband stimulus at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, Free Press Research Director S. Derek Turner outlined the five criteria policymakers should use to score potential broadband deployment projects: adoption and affordability, speed, civics, job creation and efficiency.

WASHINGTON -- The uncertainty surrounding Net Neutrality has given rise to a technology known as Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) that offers Internet service providers unprecedented control over Internet content, according to a new paper released today by Free Press.

WASHINGTON -- In testimony before the House Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet, Free Press Research Director S. Derek Turner urged lawmakers to make universal, affordable broadband a priority in any plans to reform the Universal Service Fund (USF).

WASHINGTON -- The three federal agencies charged with overseeing $7.2 billion in broadband stimulus funds -- the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the Department of Agriculture and the Federal Communications Commission -- held their first joint public meeting on the grants funded by the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act.

WASHINGTON -- Today, former Rep. Chip Pickering (R-Miss.) will join Free Press and the Open Internet Coalition on a national conference call to outline ways to implement model broadband stimulus programs that promote the public interest and guide future technology policy.

WASHINGTON -- InternetforEveryone.org -- the broad-based initiative to connect every American to fast, open and affordable Internet -- has released Five Days on the Digital Dirt Road, a unique, multimedia report on the digital divide in rural America.

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama announced today the nomination of Julius Genachowski as chair of the Federal Communications Commission.

WASHINGTON -- The Senate voted to ban the reinstatement of the Fairness Doctrine, a long-defunct broadcasting regulation that was taken off the books in 1987, by adopting two amendments to the D.C. House Voting Rights Act.

WASHINGTON -- Free Press released Putting the Angels in the Details: A Roadmap for Broadband Stimulus Success, a set of specific recommendations for the three federal agencies charged with overseeing $7.2 billion in broadband stimulus funds.

WASHINGTON -- On March 7, hundreds of North Carolinians from all walks of life will debate the future of the Internet at a town hall meeting sponsored by InternetforEveryone.org -- a broad-based initiative to connect every American to a fast, open and affordable Internet.

WASHINGTON -- Free Press released The Fairness Doctrine Distraction, a policy brief that explains why Congress should ignore any attempts to revive the legislative debate over the long-defunct broadcasting regulation.