Knorr: Free and open Internet being threatened?

Dateline: 10/23/2009

Article Title: Sunflower COO calls on Congress to rein in media conglomerates

Writer: Mike Robuck

Selected Excerpt:

“Sunflower Broadband COO Patrick Knorr testified before a recent House subcommittee that media conglomerates are taking advantage of consumers who are served by small, independent cable operators. In his written testimony, Knorr, who was the immediate past chairman of the American Cable Association, asked Congress to put a halt to programmers’ current contracting practices.

“We hope you will take advantage of this unique moment in time to consider how to improve the rules that govern our marketplace that are nearly two decades old and pre-date the emergence of the Internet,” Knorr wrote. “Consumers deserve better services than can be provided under today’s regulatory regime. We are also concerned about the future of a free and open Internet that is being threatened by the emerging business model that compels consolidated and dominant content providers to leverage their video content in anti-consumer ways.”

Knorr appeared before the House Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet, a panel that has jurisdiction over cable operators, broadcasters, satellite TV companies, vertically integrated cable programmers, phone companies and the Federal Communications Commission.

In his remarks, Knorr described a marketplace that he said was being distorted by outdated laws and regulations that unfairly supply media conglomerates with powerful leverage to take full advantage of consumers served by Sunflower Broadband and nearly 1,000 other small- and mid-size cable operators represented by the ACA.”

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Which web site was this from? : Communications, Engineering & Design Magazine

Who are they? (as explained on their web site.)

“CED, the premier monthly magazine of broadband communications. Editorial focus is on the technological developments that are shaping existing broadband networks and the communications networks of the 21st century. CED’s target audience is corporate and system management and engineering/technical management at cable TV, telecommunications and wireless operations, as well as data professionals and interactive- multimedia providers and developers.”