MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - Minneapolis will host what's being bill as the nation's first public hearing tonight on the future of the Internet. The town hall event comes in the wake of a high-profile proposal from tech giants Google and Verizon. The companies propose to leave "wired" Internet free and open, but allow corporations to manage the data flow on fast-growing wireless networks.
Often referred to as the "net neutrality" issue, proponents believe the current Internet system works best, which is to allow users equal access to any information without restriction. Under the proposed rules, Internet service providers could provide faster access for their paid content, and put other non-paying content in the "slow lane."
Amalia Deloney, grassroots media policy director for the Center for Media Justice, says with everyday lives so connected to the Internet, there's too much at stake to give that much power to the service providers.
"We need to be able to have an experience online that's really open and unfettered; where we don't have to worry about paying more for a certain premium service. Is content being discriminated against, or a tool being discriminated against, or an application, because a certain Internet service provider isn't profiting from it?"
Deloney says the United States is fast becoming a divided nation of technological "haves" and "have-nots," and those without access to the Internet, or without the education or skills to utilize online tools, have no shot at competing with their more tech-savvy 21st Century counterparts.
"It's important that we close this digital divide in a real way, and that people understand that many of us have very different experiences, and different communities are being left out. It's absolutely crucial that their voices are heard."
Steven Renderos, media justice organizer for the Main Street Project, says more and more people are pushed online because their very livelihoods depend on it.
"The easiest way to access unemployment is by filing online. To apply for jobs here in the Twin Cities, many of the lowest-paying jobs, even those jobs, you have to apply online."
While the issue of access is critical, ensuring an "open internet" needs to happen first, says Renderos.
"The Internet should remain, and always be, an open communications platform, where any idea, and any user cannot be discriminated against. But, it makes no difference if you have access to an Internet that's no longer an open platform."
The town hall-style hearing starts tonight at 6:00 p.m. at South High School in Minneapolis. Featured speakers include Federal Communications Commission (FCC) commissioners Michael Copps and Mignon Clyburn, and Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie. The hearing will be streamed live online at www.theuptake.org.
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Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has emerged from a long court case with another win.
After nine years and multiple delays, prosecutors are going to drop securities fraud charges against the embattled official. As part of the deal, Paxton must perform 100 hours of community service, pay almost $300,000 in restitution and take advanced legal education courses.
Dan Cogdell, attorney for Ken Paxton, said they welcomed the deal.
"It is not a plea bargain, he didn't plead," Cogdell emphasized. "There is no admission of guilt, there will never be an admission of guilt, because he's not guilty."
In 2015, Paxton was accused of persuading investors to buy stock in a tech startup, without disclosing he would be compensated for the deal. He was also accused of steering clients to a friend's investment advising business without registering with the Texas State Securities Board.
The deal is the second recent legal ruling in Paxton's favor. Six months ago, he was acquitted on 16 corruption charges in an impeachment trial in the Texas Senate but he has not been cleared of all accusations against him. Paxton is being sued by four of his former deputies, who say they were fired after making reports to the FBI he was using his office to help a supporter.
Cal Jillson, professor of political science at Southern Methodist University, said the federal investigation will be handled differently.
"They're taking their time turning over all the rocks," Jillson observed. "If they think there has been illegal behavior on the part of the attorney general, that will be a much different process than the political process that we saw in the Texas Senate."
Despite his legal troubles, Paxton has remained a popular politician. He's been reelected two times since he was indicted. Prosecutors in the case said if Paxton does not comply with the terms of the deal, he could still be tried on the original fraud charges.
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The New Hampshire House passed a bill to eliminate any exceptions to the state's voter ID law and requires documented proof of citizenship in order to register.
The bill would eliminate "affidavit voting" for those without ID and give any registered voter the right to challenge a person's voter registration on Election Day.
Rep. Heath Howard, D-Strafford, said challenges would require the lowest burden of legal proof and could prevent eligible voters from casting a ballot.
"It doesn't seem logical to me or fair that somebody could walk into a polling place, sign an affidavit, and take away somebody else's right to vote," Howard stressed.
Howard explained people would have to visit a state superior court to reclaim their eligibility, an often lengthy and costly process. Supporters said the bill simply aims to solidify existing ID law and prevent voter fraud.
Voting-rights advocates said more than 2,000 Granite Staters without identification used affidavits to vote in the 2022 midterm election and strict voter ID laws disproportionately impact Black, Native, elderly and student voters.
Howard noted not everyone has their birth certificate, and passports or naturalization papers can take months to receive. He emphasized several state investigations of voter fraud in 2020 yielded zero criminal proceedings.
"I think that we've experienced enough of this nonsense when it comes to accusations of voter fraud," Howard asserted. "This is just further perpetuation of that's not necessarily grounded in facts."
Howard added the latest attempt to tighten ID requirements could also be in violation of the Help America Vote Act and National Voter Registration Act. A similar law in Kansas was struck down in 2020 by a federal appeals court as unconstitutional.
Support for this reporting was provided by The Carnegie Corporation of New York.
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More than 86,000 Wyoming voters have been purged from voter rolls, thanks to a state law requiring county clerks to remove people who did not vote in the most recent election, according to a new analysis by AARP Wyoming.
Wyoming is one of 20 states to purge inactive voters, a policy affecting more than one in three Americans.
Tom Lacock, associate state director for AARP Wyoming, said it is important for people who sat out the midterm elections to make sure their registration is up-to-date.
"For folks who have not voted during the 2022 election, it's really the right time now to get to their county clerk's office and register for the 2024 presidential election," Lacock emphasized.
The high number of purged Wyoming voters is largely attributed to higher than normal turnout in the 2020 presidential election followed by near record low turnout in the 2022 general election. Lacock noted county clerks typically send postcards to those being purged, encouraging voters to contact their clerk to remain registered.
Secretary of State Chuck Gray has also proposed changes to the state's voting rules, which could make it much harder for people who do not have a valid driver's license to vote, such as nursing home residents or older voters who have stopped driving. Lacock noted the window for early voting is also closing.
"The other big change this year is we're going to see the number of days that voters can participate in early voting dropped from 45 days to just 28 days," Lacock pointed out.
A new state law also changes how Wyoming voters can vote in primary elections. Lacock explained people must now pick which party's primary they want to vote in no later than May 15.
He encouraged all eligible voters to make sure they can participate in the upcoming November election, which will determine the makeup of half the U.S. Senate, the entire House of Representatives...
"... and the presidential election, all hitting in the same year," Lacock stressed. "This is really an opportunity to make sure that candidates understand what is important to you, and to stand up and be counted."
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