Daily Archives: March 2, 2012

The lobby group Free Press, a self-styled public interest organization, has worked hard over the years to forge alliances with corporate players and federal bureaucratsdirectly involved in the political intrigues of DC technology and media policy.

Documents made public through past Freedom of Information Act requests and those obtained by The Daily Caller through an undisclosed source reveal a well-funded, ideologically motivated organization with close ties to Google, the White House, and several federal agencies, including the Federal Communications Commission, the Federal Trade Commission and the State Department.

The regulatory policies Free Press advocates, including net neutrality, benefit the organizations corporate allies, in addition to the investment portfolios of philanthropists including the groups most well-known financier, George Soros.

The net neutrality debate was largely one about how to best solve the dilemma of meeting continually increasing consumer demand for the data-intensive services of corporations like Google and Facebook. That growing demand for online bandwidth developed in parallel with the communications technology industrys own problem: the ever-decreasing supply of available electromagnetic spectrum to license to Internet providers like AT&T, Verizon, Comcast and Sprint.

The ideological rhetoric of political players on both sides of the debate, however, seemed to force consumers and bureaucrats to choose between free speech and free markets.

John Fund, the senior editor of the conservative American Spectator, explainedin a2010 Wall Street Journal column that the concept of net neutrality was birthed as part of a well-funded and intentional effort by a network of liberal foundations, and that Free Press co-founder Robert McChesneys ultimate goal as stated in a 2009 interview on the Canadian socialist website SocialistProject was to get rid of the media capitalists in the phone and cable companies and to divest them from control.

The policy coordination between McChesneys group and Google can physically be traced back as early as March 2009. Free Press co-founder and former president Josh Silver had sent out a memo,obtained by TheDC, an invitation to the home of Google General Counsel David Drummond which advertised a reception where attendees would discuss all things related to the Internet policy of the new Obama Administration:

David Drummond is hosting a small reception at his home in San Francisco on March 25th, and I hope you will join us, wrote Silver, who is still a current board member of Free Press, as well as the current CEO of the campaign finance reform organization United Republic. (RELATED: Full coverage of the tech world)

We will discuss how the new Administration will be driving major policy changes that will shape opportunities for, access to markets, and the quality of network infrastructure, wrote Silver. Well touch on universal broadband access, Net Neutrality, privacy, wireless spectrum allocation, and openness standards.

David has graciously invited me and our Policy Director Ben Scott to speak with a small group of individuals who share an interest in theseissues, wrote Silver. Joining us will be Free Press board member Larry Lessig who is Professor at Stanford Law School and Founder and Director of the schools Center for Internet and Society.

Original post:
Documents show ‘Free Press’ interest group leveraged ties to Google, Obama administration

NEW YORK, March 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Amnesty International today announced its line-up of 35 of the world's most talented comedians and musicians who will stand up for free speech and celebrate 50 years of Amnesty International at the upcoming Secret Policeman's Ball, March 4, 2012 at Radio City Music Hall.

Comedians and actors announced today include: Matt Berry, Jimmy Carr, Eddie Izzard, Taran Killam, Rex Lee, Bobby Moynihan, Liam Neeson, Chris O'Dowd, Jay Pharoah, Tim Roth and Burmese comedian Maung Thura Zarganar.

They join previously announced all-star American comedians Fred Armisen, Hannibal Buress, David Cross, Bill Hader, Rashida Jones, Seth Meyers, Bob Odenkirk, Paul Rudd, Andy Samberg, Sarah Silverman, Statler & Waldorf from Disney's The Muppets, Jon Stewart, Jason Sudeikis, Reggie Watts and Kristen Wiig, with British comics Russell Brand, Noel Fielding, Micky Flanagan, John Oliver, Peter Serafinowicz, Jack Whitehall and musical acts Coldplay and Mumford & Sons.

Also joining the cast is internationally celebrated Burmese comedian and director, Maung Thura Zarganar, who uses his talents to speak out about human rights abuses in Burma. In 2008, Zarganar led a movement that collected money and supplies for the victims of Cyclone Nargis. He also publicly criticized the government's response to the disaster. As a result he was given a 35-year prison sentence. On 12 October 2011, Zarganar was released from prison.

"Amnesty International's Secret Policeman's Ball is an opportunity to demonstrate to a new wired audience that the freedoms we enjoy every day - to post, tweet, blog and email - are under threat in every region of the world," said Suzanne Nossel, Amnesty International USA executive director. "New technologies have triggered new forms of repression of basic rights such as freedom of expression and assembly. It may sound far-fetched, but comedy is truly life-threatening in many places in the world, as it was for Zarganar in Burma. The best way to stand with those who are denied freedom of speech is to use our freedom to demand theirs."

All comedians and musicians performing on Sunday are standing up for free speech.

"It's good there is freedom of speech. This means I can say that I find Prince Charles sexually attractive and that the U.S. presidential elections are a meaningless spectacle to distract us from the mercantile skullduggery of the cabals that control our planet and no one can do anything about it. Thanks Amnesty," said Russell Brand.

Amnesty International also announced a limited inventory of production kill tickets will be released to the general public today at http://www.ticketmaster.com for the Ball at New York City's Radio City Music Hall Sunday, March 4, 2012.

In the U.S. EPIX, the Ball's exclusive US broadcast partner, will telecast the event LIVE and commercial free in the United States on Sunday, March 4 at 7PM ET/4PM PT/6PM CT. In addition, EPIX is offering the event free to all U.S. viewers by hosting the first-ever live stream of the charity event on EpixHD.com and across EPIX apps on Xbox and Roku.

Channel 4 will exclusively broadcast the show in the UK on Friday, 9th March at 10pm.

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Cast Announced for Amnesty International's Secret Policeman's Ball; 35 of the World's Most Talented Entertainers Stand ...