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<div class="gmail_quote">On Wed, Mar 17, 2010 at 6:22 PM, E.Wayne Johnson <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:ewj@pigs.ag">ewj@pigs.ag</a>></span> wrote:</div>
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<div><font size="2" face="Arial">Writing to the FCC about communications in the US is like</font></div>
<div><font size="2" face="Arial">writing to the Fox about safety in the Chickenhouse.</font></div></div></blockquote>
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<div>That's why I rarely write or call politicians, Wayne, though I do often sign the online petitions. But here I thought the stats were interesting. Obviously other countries perceive things a bit differently than we do here in the "free market" US of A.</div>
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<div><font size="2" face="Arial">Part of the mission of the FCC is to ensure that the entrenched oligopoly</font></div>
<div><font size="2" face="Arial">remains in charge of communications and that the investments of the</font></div>
<div><font size="2" face="Arial">oligopoly are well protected from new entrants and too rapid changes</font></div>
<div><font size="2" face="Arial">in technology.</font></div></div></blockquote>
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<div>If I knew what an oligopoly was, I'd probably agree with you.</div>
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<div style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </div>
<div style="FONT: 10pt arial; BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4"><b>From:</b> <a title="jbw292002@gmail.com" href="mailto:jbw292002@gmail.com" target="_blank">John W.</a> </div>
<div style="FONT: 10pt arial"><b>To:</b> <a title="peace-discuss@lists.chambana.net" href="mailto:peace-discuss@lists.chambana.net" target="_blank">Peace-discuss List</a> </div>
<div style="FONT: 10pt arial"><b>Sent:</b> Thursday, March 18, 2010 3:59 AM</div>
<div style="FONT: 10pt arial"><b>Subject:</b> [Peace-discuss] Fwd: The Great Internet Rip-Off</div>
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<div>I don't often forward things from organizations, but this seemed worth sharing to me. Were you aware that average U.S. broadband speeds are 20 times slower than speeds available to users in Japan, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Korea and Hong Kong?</div>
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<div>John </div>
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<div><br>---------- Forwarded message ----------<br>From: <b class="gmail_sendername">Timothy Karr, FreePress.net</b> <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:info@freepress.net" target="_blank">info@freepress.net</a>></span><br>
Date: Wed, Mar 17, 2010 at 1:09 PM<br>Subject: The Great Internet Rip-Off<br>To: <a href="mailto:jbw292002@gmail.com" target="_blank">jbw292002@gmail.com</a><br><br><br></div>
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<p align="center"><a href="http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=IB70vAMFyaAf40Iun2e2aQ.." target="_blank">Tell the FCC to Stop the Internet Rip-Off</a></p></td></tr>
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<p style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 10px">Dear John, </p>
<p>The FCC just released its National Broadband Plan. Based on the gushing media response, you'd think that America's Internet was sailing smoothly into the future. </p>
<p>Think again. </p>
<p>There are some good things in the plan, but it punts on the thorniest problems that Internet users face in America: astronomical prices, slow speeds and no real choices among providers. </p>
<p align="center"><a href="http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=DMfTYIIBR67PJfEKsb8yBg.." target="_blank"><strong>Stop the Great Internet Rip-Off</strong></a></p>
<p>The FCC plan is a promising start, but it's short on action. And Comcast and Time Warner Cable are thumbing their noses at it — having just announced plans to jack up their Internet prices even higher.</p>
<p>That's why we're asking you to sign on to <a href="http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=2KtVzfWUFoKv4bdp6Wds6g.." target="_blank">this letter</a> telling FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski that we need real choices, lower prices, faster speeds and an open Internet in America. Nothing less. </p>
<p>The only way to keep down prices, and get the Internet we need, is for the FCC to follow through on our demands. We're facing:</p>
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<li><strong>High Prices:</strong> Cable and phone companies jack up Internet prices simply because they can. People have too few options for world-class Internet connections, resulting in costs that are among the highest in the developed world.
<li><strong>S</strong><strong>low Speeds:</strong> Average U.S. broadband speeds are 20 times slower than speeds available to users in Japan, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Korea and Hong Kong.
<li><strong>Few Choices:</strong> Five percent of American households have no wireline providers; 13 percent of households have just one; and 78 percent have just two. In other words, <em>96 percent of the country has two or fewer choices for wired broadband. </em></li>
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<p>The National Broadband Plan is our best chance to fix America's Internet problem. But prices will not go down, and speeds will not increase without concrete action from the FCC. </p>
<p align="center"><a href="http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=pznRI8htVF8JfDtk9Z2rUQ.." target="_blank"><strong>Tell the FCC: Stop the Great Internet Rip-Off</strong></a></p>
<p>It's time we took a stand against the narrow corporate interests that have held America's Internet captive for too long. </p>
<p><a href="http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=2eBmEgld9VKMZMIvOaUzXA.." target="_blank">Sign on to the letter</a> and forward this e-mail to your friends and colleagues. </p>
<p>Thanks,<br><br>Timothy Karr<br>Campaign Director<br><a href="http://www.savetheinternet.com/" target="_blank">www.SaveTheInternet.com</a><br><a href="http://www.freepress.net/" target="_blank">www.FreePress.net</a></p>
<p>P.S. America's Internet can’t fall behind any further. Please forward this e-mail to your friends and <a href="http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=wTA9EwAl0pqxUsdc-6yj2Q.." target="_blank">share the letter on Facebook</a> and <a href="http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=8FB65epqTBfRy5NhXg12wg.." target="_blank">post it on Twitter</a>.</p>
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<p><em><span style="FONT-SIZE: 80%">If you haven't already, you can also <a href="http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=iBuppipfBPN2JQr7TBJgFQ.." target="_blank"><em><span style="FONT-SIZE: 80%">join our E-Activist list</span></em></a>.</span></em></p>
<p><em><span style="FONT-SIZE: 80%">You (</span> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 80%"><a href="mailto:jbw292002@gmail.com" target="_blank">jbw292002@gmail.com</a></span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 80%">) are receiving this e-mail as an opt-in subscriber to Free Press' E-Activist Network. You can </span><a href="http://free.convio.net/site/CO?i=BpO1ctOpgvUAKosZF4EklxB01mr2RkbZ&cid=1521" target="_blank"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 80%"><em>unsubscribe</em></span></a><span style="FONT-SIZE: 80%"> or </span><a href="http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=8Lb426RwUj8osjiYxeG5Fw.." target="_blank"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 80%"><em>manage your account</em></span></a><span style="FONT-SIZE: 80%"> at any time.</span></em></p>
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