Free Republic

The nation's largest telephone and cable companies are crafting an alarming set of strategies that would transform the free, open and nondiscriminatory Internet of today to a privately run and branded service that would charge a fee for virtually everything we do online.

WASHINGTON (Hollywood Reporter) - Lawmakers' pique over the networks' incredible shrinking news hole is prompting legislation that will both shorten the time broadcasters have between license renewals and require full commission review of 5% of all licenses. The legislation was introduced by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., on Tuesday after the release of a report by the Norman Lear Center at the University of Southern California found evening TV newscasts contained little coverage of local political campaigns last year. It also would require broadcasters to post on their Internet sites information detailing their commitment to local public-affairs programming, and it calls...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Spanish-language television broadcaster Univision Communications Inc. on Monday won approval from U.S. communications regulators to acquire radio operator Hispanic Broadcasting Corp., expanding its reach to a growing U.S. Hispanic population. After more than a year-long review, the Federal Communications Commission (news - web sites) said it has voted 3-2 to clear the $3.2 billion deal. More than 35 million Hispanics live in the United States and they spend an estimated $500 billion a year. The FCC (news - web sites) ordered the two companies to divest radio stations in Houston and Albuquerque within six months of the...