[lbo-talk] let there be wi-fi

[Thomas Wheeler]

From: "Chuck" <chuck at mutualaid.org>
> Ugh! The latest from Robert "bad news" McChesney.
>
> I've concluded recently that the liberal media reform movement is a bunch 
> of do nothing liberal whiners who are more obsessed with Ohio voting 
> machines and 9/11 conspiracy theories than they are in building a 
> mediascape to compete with the right wing. McChesney's role may be to 
> analyze, but the problem with media "reformers" like him is that they can 
> NEVER see anything positive out happening with new media. Their 
> conterparts on the right are celebrating and promoting new media like 
> blogs, but McChesney and his ilk are nothing but a bummer trip.
>
> The media monopoly meme needs some tinkering. There are thousands and 
> thousands of leftists, progressives and anarchists out there doing 
> websites, mailing lists, blogs, podcasts, and much more. Leftist magazines 
> are re-positioning themselves to have stronger presence online in order to 
> attract more readers.
>
> Yes, there are still some incredible imbalances and when it comes to media 
> power, but what's up with the steady stream of bad news coming from 
> McChesney and others?

I just skimmed the article. Did I miss something? McChesney points out the 
US pays a lot more for broadband service that is much slower and of 
significantly poorer quality than just about any other country in the 
developed world. This isn't bad news coming from McChesney; it's stating a 
simple and obvious fact. The article also points out industry efforts to 
kill community wi-fi efforts in towns and cities. Should we just ignore this 
and pretend it isn't so? Don't worry, be happy? - Thomas