Daily Matinee Special Edition- Save The Internet!

More Information at savetheinternet.com

MAY 15TH, 2014-You may have noticed something different on my blog about classic/contemporary film, television, music, technology, and more.

The usual banner is not there, in opposition of the Federal Communications Commission's plan to give control of the internet to gigantic (corrupt) conglomerates like Comcast and Verizon.  If these telecommunications conglomerates get their way- it could harm Net Neutrality, and only leave the power of the world wide web to giant, corrupt corporations.

In this writer's viewpoint, the Federal Communications Commission should not give control of the internet to giant, bloated telecommunications companies (Comcast, Verizon, etc.).  The Internet should be open and free to everyone-not to greedy corporations and their lobbyists on Capitol Hill.

We all know that Comcast owns NBCUniversal, which includes the National Broadcasting Company (along with their various cable networks) and Universal Studios (unfortunately for this blog's home base, Comcast is the only cable provider in the area).   In my perspective, companies like Comcast are about as bad as Standard Oil (pre-breakup).

FCC's recent plan for the Internet:
Echoes of Edison's "Film Trust"?  
Photo from The Library of Congress.

In relation to At The Matinee- Comcast could be viewed as the twenty-first century's version of Thomas Edison's "film trust".  In an attempt to hinder independent producers and exhibitors, Edison- along with Eastman Kodak Company and several motion picture firms (including Vitagraph and American Mutoscope) formed the Motion Picture Patents Company.

The MPPC trust wanted royalties from independent filmmakers and distributors- which angered many film pioneers, including Carl Laemmle.  Laemmle formed the Independent Motion Picture Company (IMP) in 1909, and successfully fought off Edison's monopolistic hold on the film industry.   Laemmle's IMP would merge with other fledgling film companies to form Universal Studios in 1912.

Ironically, the studio that Laemmle founded is now in the hands of Comcast, who acquired NBCUniversal from General Electric in March 2013 (GE acquired Universal Studios from Vivendi in 2004, and merged Universal with its NBC division).

Aside from that (and as I've stated before)- the internet should be open and free to everyone, not controlled by gigantic corporate conglomerates such as Comcast and Verizon.

Learn more about this issue (via Free Press) at Save The Internet.

UPDATE: Unfortunately, the FCC is giving the bloated telecommunications companies (AT&T, Comcast, Verizon, etc.) control of the Internet, according to a recent report on Free Press.  There shouldn't be "fast lanes" for a certain few on the world wide web, the Internet should be open and free to everyone.   

At The Matinee will be on the lookout for further developments on this important issue.

#NetNeutrality