WASHINGTON — FCC Chief of Staff Edward Lazarus called off closed-door negotiations with major ISPs and Internet companies on Thursday, pledging “to seek broad input on this vital issue.” The announcement comes in the wake of news that Verizon and Google are hatching plans to abandon open Internet protections.

WASHINGTON – Reports today indicate that a deal between Verizon and Google on Internet traffic management is forthcoming, and could be announced as early as Monday. According to Bloomberg News, the companies have agreed to abandon Net Neutrality protections on the mobile Internet. It remains unclear what the terms are for wired services.

WASHINGTON -- Today, Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Va.), chairman of the House Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet, sent letters expressing his concerns about the adverse effects of the proposed Comcast-NBC Universal merger on competition and consumers to Assistant Attorney General Christine Varney and Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski.

<strong>Commissioners Copps and Clyburn to Attend Public Hearing Aug. 19</strong>

WASHINGTON – The Federal Communications Commission chairman reportedly is continuing to hold closed-door meetings with a few large phone, cable and Internet content companies to negotiate a “compromise” on the crucial issue of Network Neutrality that could jeopardize the free and open Internet.

WASHINGTON – Free Press today responded to unfounded attacks from the Alliance for Digital Equality, an AT&T-funded group that opposes Net Neutrality. The ADE made claims about Free Press and an independent study conducted and written by the Harmony Institute on messaging the public about issues surrounding the future of the Internet.

WASHINGTON – Today, the Library of Congress announced that cell phone users who unlock their phones for use on a different, compatible network or to access third-party applications are not in violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

WASHINGTON -- Responding to reports that T-Mobile is planning to abandon Net Neutrality for mobile video, Free Press Political Adviser <strong>Joel Kelsey</strong> said:

WASHINGTON -- The Federal Communications Commission filed a brief today with a U.S. appeals court defending the agency’s 2007 decision under former Chairman Kevin Martin to weaken the Newspaper-Broadcast Cross-Ownership (NBCO) Rule.

WASHINGTON – Today, the Federal Communications Commission released the findings of its sixth Section 706 report, determining that broadband services are not being deployed to all Americans in a reasonable and timely manner. The report, mandated by the 1996 Telecommunications Act, requires the FCC to assess the status of broadband deployment.