Free Press : Public Access Television Is the Original YouTube: "Ever since the 1984 cable franchise act, cable companies have been required to fund local municipalities so they are able to provide training and access to media technology. The reason behind the law was the growth of the cable television industry. As cities and towns began contracting for cable TV service, municipalities were concerned that the cable companies were using public by-ways (such as roads and sidewalks to run cable wires) to make a profit. Many local leaders believed some form of “rent” should be paid for their use. U.S. cable companies were then required to provide a percentage of revenue from the cable TV subscription fees to provide public access to the cable systems."
Broken Spring? : Information Clearing House This is a sequel to my June 2011 article, ‘After the spring’, on the upheavals in the Arab world. It is an article that has been painful to write, because it brings bad tidings and offers a pessimistic analysis of the upheavals, at least in the short term, in a number of Arab countries. The outcomes and potential outcomes of these uprisings have also acquired new, very significant dimensions. These include a complex entanglement with the accelerated preparations for a possible attack on Iran, and a poisonous, sectarian aspect that could have the consequence of ripping Syria and the Middle East apart.
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