> 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
My point is that McChesney and the other media reformers are always the bearers of bad news. I see this constant harping on the negative as disempowering media activists.
McChesney is stating an obvious fact about broadband service in the United States, which was reported in the tech industry news months ago. Countries like Korea supposedly have excellent broadband and wireless service. The U.S. is purportedly behind, but the weren't our leftist "media monopoly" friends complaining about the digital divide not that long ago? The digital divide is still with us, especially in rural areas, but most Americans have pretty good access to the Internet these days. I just don't see why McChesney is so worried about how the U.S. lags beind other countries on broadband. That seems like an issue for the corporations to worry about.
The industry efforts to kill off community wi-fi are another issue, which is probably more important because it actually puts open access activists up against the profit-hungry telecoms.
I'd like to see the Chicken Little "media monopoly" pundits spend a little more time talking about the exciting stuff people are doing on the Internet to reclaim media. Most of us know about blogs, which continue to multiply at almost exponential numbers. All of this DIY publishing is taking eyeballs away from the "media monopoly" and the corporations are scared shitless. Another new technology that is undermining the media monopoly is social networking, including sites such as MySpace. I've discovered that there is quite a bit of activist organizing happening on MySpace, including a new effort this week on MySpace to protest Murdoch's ownership of the service. Then there is the role Myspace plays in helping little known bands and muscial artists promote their music, their concerts, and hook up with fans.
I know that thanks to Myspace I've gotten to know a few more bands and have been prompted to go to more shows. Services like Myspace will only continue the undermining of the music industry.
It's all good to analyze the media monopoly and bitch about the right wing, but you can't change the situation without doing media and thinking big. Take the case of Huffingpost.com, for example, the liberal-left news and opinion portal which launched last year. It's actually doing very well and has even turned into a better alternative to Drudge Report.
Better broadband would be great, but I really think that our comrades are ambitious enough when it comes to taking on the media monopoly.
Chuck