Press Releases

WASHINGTON — North Carolina media activist and community media innovator Wally Bowen passed away Tuesday in Asheville, North Carolina. Bowen was the co-founder of the Mountain Area Information Network, a nonprofit Internet service provider, Low Power FM broadcaster and community hub. He was a nationally known advocate for local self-reliance through local ownership of media infrastructure.

WASHINGTON — On Tuesday, wireless carrier T-Mobile announced plans to exempt selected streaming-video services from its customer data caps. The move, which favors video streams from Netflix, HBO Go, Hulu, ESPN and a handful of leading brands, will go into effect beginning Nov. 15, according to T-Mobile.

NEW BRUNSWICK — News Voices: New Jersey is bringing together community members, journalists, media makers, activists and others in New Brunswick on Nov. 11. The three-hour forum is an opportunity to brainstorm about the future of local journalism and its role in our communities.

WASHINGTON — According to news reports Wednesday, cable Internet provider Comcast continues to dramatically expand its practice of imposing broadband-usage caps and overage fees on Comcast users in cities across the nation.

WASHINGTON — The Senate today voted 74-21 to pass the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA), legislation that offers blanket immunity to companies sharing vast quantities of their users’ private data with government authorities.

WASHINGTON — On Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission voted to reduce the exorbitant cost of prison-phone calls charged to incarcerated people and their families.

The National Hispanic Media Coalition applauds the FCC for taking a major step in combating the unjust financial burden placed on incarcerated people and their families.

"It’s long past time to reform the unreasonable rates predatory companies impose upon on a captive consumer base,” said Malkia A. Cyril, executive director at the Center for Media Justice and co-founder of the Media Action Grassroots Network.

WASHINGTON — On Tuesday, Free Press filed a “petition to deny” Charter Communications’ proposed $78.7 billion merger with Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks. The petition, submitted to the Federal Communications Commission, presents a definitive account of how the deal fails both the public interest and the antitrust tests required for regulatory approval.

Washington, D.C. — The National Hispanic Media Coalition today filed an amicus brief on behalf of several other civil rights, racial justice, and public interest groups petitioning the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals to affirm the FCC’s open Internet rules.