April, 13 2016, 04:00pm EDT
Free Press Action Fund Opposes House Bill That Limits Program Designed to Bridge the Digital Divide
WASHINGTON
On Wednesday, the House Communications and Technology Subcommittee held a legislative hearing on the CURB Lifeline Act, a bill sponsored by Rep. Austin Scott (R-Georgia) that would cap spending on Lifeline, the program that helps low-income families afford telecom and broadband communications.
The bill under consideration would limit annual expenditures for Lifeline to $1.5 billion, potentially leaving a large population without the support it needs to get connected.
Free Press Action Fund Policy Director Matt Wood made the following statement:
"Lifeline is aptly named. It's a communications lifeline for those who couldn't otherwise connect to their families, schools, workplaces and communities. The program has been a huge success for participants, but only about a third of eligible recipients get benefits today. This harmful bill would essentially freeze the fund at that low level of participation -- making it impossible for tens of millions of qualified people to participate.
"Lifeline's income subsidy means that people don't have to choose between feeding their kids or giving them Internet access to do their homework. We need it to help reduce prices and make communications services more affordable for everyone and to reverse the recent backslide in home broadband adoption rates for Black and Latino households, elderly populations, rural communities and other marginalized demographic groups.
"The FCC has just initiated a long-awaited modernization for Lifeline, transitioning the program to support broadband in addition to voice services. Capping the fund at roughly its present funding level -- when about two-thirds of eligible people aren't getting the support they deserve -- is short-sighted at best. At worst, it's an intentional slap in the face, and a blatant attempt to cut off entire communities from our modern economy and democracy."
Free Press was created to give people a voice in the crucial decisions that shape our media. We believe that positive social change, racial justice and meaningful engagement in public life require equitable access to technology, diverse and independent ownership of media platforms, and journalism that holds leaders accountable and tells people what's actually happening in their communities.
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Video footage broadcast Wednesday by Al Jazeera shows Israeli soldiers gunning down two Palestinians on the coast of northern Gaza, even as one of them waves what appears to be a piece of white fabric.
The footage shows one of the men walking in the direction of an Israeli military vehicle with both hands raised. Despite the absence of any clear evidence that the man posed a threat, Israeli forces shot him from a short distance away. Another man is seen on the ground not far behind.
Al Jazeera's Tareq Abu Azzoum said the killings took place near where World Central Kitchen recently dropped off food aid.
The video then shows Israeli soldiers burying the bodies with a bulldozer.
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Watch:
مشاهد حصرية للجزيرة لإعدام جنود إسرائيليين مدنيين فلسطينيين أثناء محاولتهم العودة لشمال قطاع غزة#الأخبار #حرب_غزة pic.twitter.com/QER98mv2n6
— قناة الجزيرة (@AJArabic) March 27, 2024
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"The eyes and ears of the world have been assaulted in real-time by this form of genocidal behavior," said Falk. "It is a shocking reality that there has been no adverse reaction from the liberal democracies in the West. It is a shameful moment."
The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, whose board Falk chairs, has documented numerous examples of Israeli soldiers conducting close-range field executions in Gaza since October 7, when Israel launched its latest assault following a Hamas-led attack.
In less than six months, Israeli forces have killed more than 32,500 people in Gaza and sparked one of the worst humanitarian catastrophes in modern history.
The video footage emerged just days after the United Nations Security Council approved a resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire in Gaza. The U.S., Israel's leading arms supplier, abstained from the vote and falsely claimed the measure was "nonbinding."
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And please don\u2019t give me this \u2018don\u2019t speak ill of the dead\u2019 stuff - 1) I\u2019m not speaking ill, I\u2019m stating facts, and 2) public figures are public figures, and their obits reflect their legacies and so we should be honest in our accounts of their legacies. Not offensive but honest— (@)
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Citing Israel's "blatant" human rights violations in Gaza, Ireland's second-highest-ranking official said Wednesday that the country will join the South Africa-led genocide case before the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
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