Free Press Action Fund

FREE PRESS ACTION FUND IS A NATIONAL, NONPARTISAN ORGANIZATION WORKING TO REFORM THE MEDIA. FREE PRESS ACTION FUND EDUCATES ITS MEMBERS AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC ON HOW A DIVERSE AND PUBLIC SERVICE-ORIENTED MEDIA SYSTEM CAN STRENGTHEN AMERICAN DEMOCRACY.

INTERNET FREEDOM - HIGHLIGHTED THE SEVERE CONSEQUENCES TO 77 MILLION PEOPLE LACKING ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE BROADBAND SERVICES, ESPECIALLY DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC WHERE ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE, SCHOOLING, WORK AND SO MUCH MORE DEPENDS ON A RELIABLE CONNECTION. TESTIFIED BEFORE CONGRESS TO ADVOCATE FOR TREATMENT OF BROADBAND AS AN ESSENTIAL UTILITY. LOBBIED FOR EQUITABLE USE OF BROADBAND RELATED FUNDING CONTAINED IN THE CARES ACT, HEROES ACT AND THE CONSOLIDATED APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2021. WORKED TO SHAPE THE EMERGENCY BROADBAND BENEFIT PROGRAM. CONTINUED EFFORTS TO BRING BACK THE TITLE II OPEN-INTERNET RULES AND PROMOTE BROADBAND COMPETITION. THROUGH EDUCATION, ADVOCACY AND LITIGATION, SUPPORTED VARIOUS STATE EFFORTS TO ENACT OR DEFEND NET NEUTRALITY LEGISLATION. MOBILIZED MORE THAN 200 ORGANIZATIONS FROM ACROSS THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM, INCLUDING LEADING CIVIL-RIGHTS, COMMUNITY-MEDIA, MEDIA-JUSTICE, WORKERS-RIGHTS AND CONSUMER-ADVOCACY GROUPS TO DEMAND PUBLIC INTEREST-ORIENTED SERVICE AND LEADERS AT THE FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION AND THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION.

GOVERNMENT/PLATFORM ACCOUNTABILITY - LOBBIED IN SUPPORT OF THE FOURTH AMENDMENT IS NOT FOR SALE ACT, A BIPARTISAN BILL THAT WOULD CLOSE MAJOR LOOPHOLES IN FEDERAL PRIVACY LAWS AND PREVENT GOVERNMENT AGENCIES FROM BUYING PEOPLE'S PERSONAL INFORMATION FROM DATA BROKERS WITHOUT A WARRANT. MOBILIZED SUPPORT FOR THE FACIAL RECOGNITION AND BIOMETRIC TECHNOLOGY MORATORIUM ACT, WHICH WOULD BAN POLICE USE OF DISCRIMINATORY TECHNOLOGIES. DELIVERED MORE THAN 100,000 PETITION SIGNATURES DEMANDING THAT CONGRESS END THE FBI'S "BLACK IDENTITY EXTREMIST" DESIGNATION AND INVESTIGATE FBI AND POLICE USE OF SURVEILLANCE TECH AGAINST COMMUNITIES OF COLOR. CO-HOSTED A CONGRESSIONAL BRIEFING ON SURVEILLANCE WHICH EXPLORED HOW GOVERNMENT AGENCIES HAVE LONG EXPLOITED CRISES LIKE THE JAN. 6 INSURRECTION TO JUSTIFY THE USE OF SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGIES AND POLICING TOOLS THAT DISPROPORTIONATELY HARM BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITIES. CO-HOSTED A ROUNDTABLE TO DISCUSS THE NON-ENGLISH DISINFORMATION CRISIS AND EXPLORE SOLUTIONS WITH MEMBERS OF CONGRESS, PUBLIC-INTEREST LEADERS AND DISINFORMATION EXPERTS. LOBBIED IN SUPPORT OF THE ALGORITHMIC JUSTICE AND ONLINE PLATFORM TRANSPARENCY ACT, A BILL THAT WOULD PREVENT SOCIAL-MEDIA COMPANIES FROM USING ALGORITHMS TO DISCRIMINATE IN HIRING, HOUSING, LENDING AND OTHER AREAS OF OPPORTUNITY. PROVIDED CONGRESSIONAL TESTIMONY ON POSSIBLE REFORMS TO SECTION 230, A LAW THAT SHIELDS WEBSITES FROM LEGAL LIABILITY FOR THE MATERIAL USERS POST AND ALSO ENABLES SITES TO MODERATE CONTENT THAT VIOLATES THEIR COMMUNITY STANDARDS. URGED LAWMAKERS TO REGULATE COMPANIES LIKE FACEBOOK THAT HAVE ALLOWED HATE AND DISINFORMATION TO PROLIFERATE.

PRESS FREEDOM - WORKED IN COLLABORATION WITH 25 MEMBERS OF CONGRESS TO URGE THE FCC TO INVESTIGATE HOW ITS POLICY CHOICES AND ACTIONS HAVE HARMED BLACK PEOPLE AND OTHER COMMUNITIES OF COLOR. URGED ENACTMENT OF LEGISLATION IN RESPONSE TO THE LOCAL-NEWS CRISIS AND TO INCREASE PUBLIC SUPPORT OF QUALITY LOCAL JOURNALISM AND BUILD A SUSTAINABLE AND JUST FUTURE. CONTINUED SUPPORT OF THE NEW JERSEY CIVIC INFORMATION CONSORTIUM'S EFFORTS TO INVEST IN PROJECTS TO STRENGTHEN LOCAL NEWS COVERAGE, COMMUNITY INFORMATION, AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT. URGED LAWMAKERS TO DOUBLE FUNDING FOR PUBLIC MEDIA, CREATE CIVIC-INFO FUNDS IN ALL 50 STATES, AND TAX TARGETED ONLINE ADS TO FUND RESPONSIVE LOCAL NEWS. PROMOTED POLICIES THAT WILL BOOST MEDIA OWNERSHIP AMONG WOMEN AND PEOPLE OF COLOR AND CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR LOCAL MEDIA OWNERS WHO ARE COMMITTED TO ACTUALLY SERVING THEIR COMMUNITIES. DEFENDED A FREE PRESS AND URGED PROTECTIONS FOR JOURNALISTS.

FREE PRESS ACTION FUND CONDUCTS EDUCATION, ORGANIZING AND MOBILIZING EFFORTS TO SUPPORT OUR MEMBERS TO ADVOCATE FOR BETTER MEDIA, OPEN TECHNOLOGY AND A HEALTHIER DEMOCRACY. AREAS OF FOCUS INCLUDE NETWORK NEUTRALITY, ONLINE PRIVACY, CORPORATE AND GOVERNMENT SURVEILLANCE, JOURNALISM, PUBLIC MEDIA, MEDIA CONSOLIDATION AND MEDIA DIVERSITY, AND GOVERNMENT TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY. IN 2021 FREE PRESS ACTION CONTINUED TO BUILD A STRONG CITIZEN MOVEMENT FOR BETTER MEDIA IN THE U.S BY PROVIDING EDUCATION, RESOURCES AND NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR MEMBERS. OUR MEMBERS ACTED MORE THAN 450,000 TIMES TO SIGN PETITIONS AND MAKE PHONE CALLS TO THEIR LOCAL, STATE AND FEDERAL ELECTED LEADERS. FREE PRESS ACTION FILED PUBLIC COMMENTS, AND PARTICIPATED IN SEVERAL FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION AND FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION PROCEEDINGS AND PUBLISHED RECOMMENDED POLICIES RELATED TO INTERNET, JOURNALISM, PUBLIC MEDIA AND DISINFORMATION IN THE ERA OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC. WE SECURED FINANCIAL SUPPORT FROM 1,619 UNIQUE DONORS.