Al Franken's Blog, page 52
May 14, 2014
Tomorrow Could Be the Beginning of the End for Net Neutrality. You Should Be Worried.
Sara Cederberg, Digital Director
Did you see Al’s op-ed on Net Neutrality in The Huffington Post? It’s a must-read.
Tomorrow is an important day for the future of the Internet. That’s when the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will cast a crucial vote that could send us down a dangerous and misguided path toward destroying the Internet as we know it. That path could end with an Internet of haves and have-nots, with big corporations deciding who falls into which camp, all based on the amount of money they pay. I’m urging the FCC to take a different course — one that preserves the Internet as an open marketplace where everyone can continue to participate on equal footing, regardless of one’s wealth or power.
Tom Wheeler, the FCC’s chairman, has a proposal that would undermine net neutrality, the principle that all Internet traffic must be treated equally. Net neutrality is embedded in the foundational architecture of the Internet, and it has served us well. Because of net neutrality, an email from my constituent in rural Minnesota gets to me as quickly as an email from my bank. Because of net neutrality, the website for the small neighborhood hardware store loads just as quickly as that of a major retail chain. Because of net neutrality, you were able to access this op-ed, even if your Internet provider doesn’t like what I have to say.
You can read the full op-ed here.
The post Tomorrow Could Be the Beginning of the End for Net Neutrality. You Should Be Worried. appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
May 13, 2014
Al on Comcast, Net Neutrality in CNET and Time
Sara Cederberg, Digital Director
Al talked about Net Neutrality and Comcast’s proposed acquisition of Time Warner Cable with CNET and Time this past weekend—here’s a few excerpts:
CNET, “Al Franken’s crusade to stop Comcast and save media”
Q: You’re pretty much the lone voice on Capitol Hill opposing the Comcast-Time Warner Cable merger right now. Why is this an important issue for you?
Sen. Al Franken: This is about consolidation of media and what it means to allow any entity to have so much power in a space. Comcast is already the biggest Internet and cable TV provider. And they want to buy the second biggest, Time Warner Cable. That means it’s going to be too big a company. They have told Wall Street that this is a benefit of the merger. They want to leverage this strength as the largest provider of these services. And as a result, Minnesotans and other Americans will pay more for cable and Internet.
Time, “Al Franken Says FCC Proposed Rules Are ‘The Opposite of Net Neutrality’”
Q: Are the new net neutrality rules that FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler will propose next week consistent with what President Obama promised in 2007?
I believe [Obama] pledged to appoint FCC commission that would honor net neutrality and keep net neutrality as law. The latest proposed rules by Wheeler—what he’s really talking about is creating a fast lane where people can pay to have their content treated unequally. That’s not net neutrality. That’s pay for play. That’s antithetical to net neutrality.
Join Al in opposing the FCC’s proposal of internet “fast lanes”—add your name to the petition now.
The post Al on Comcast, Net Neutrality in CNET and Time appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
May 9, 2014
Al Nominates Gap CEO Glenn Murphy to the Business Hall of Fame
BECAUSE the Gap Inc. chairman and C.E.O. decided to pay all employees at least $10 an hour, beginning in 2015. (For 2014, the rate has been raised to $9 an hour.) BECAUSE Murphy used to run a Canadian pharmacy chain that paid higher wages than its rivals and eclipsed other Canadian drug chains by getting more productivity from its employees. BECAUSE Murphy decided, since retail in our country has seen tremendous turnover, that paying more would help Gap recruit workers and keep them. BECAUSE it’s a smart business decision.
The post Al Nominates Gap CEO Glenn Murphy to the Business Hall of Fame appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
May 7, 2014
The free speech issue of our time
Sara Cederberg, Digital Director
Al sent a video message to Progressive Change Campaign Committee supporters earlier today about what’s at stake in the fight to protect Net Neutrality. You can watch it below:
The post The free speech issue of our time appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
TechCrunch: Sen. Franken Calls Net Neutrality The “Free Speech Issue Of Our Time”
In a video posted to the website NoSlowLane, Senator Al Franken made the argument for pure net neutrality, calling the principle “the free speech issue of our time.”
Citing YouTube in its infancy as precisely the sort of company that benefited from an open Internet that was not tiltable by incumbent powers with a financial advantage, the senator’s argument is simple: the Internet works, and changing it is a darn fool idea.
Is net neutrality in fact the “free speech issue of our time?” In a very material way yes, because it is now the key platform for all speech that might be controversial. So it’s the conduit for nearly all future speech, be that content divisive or not.
The post TechCrunch: Sen. Franken Calls Net Neutrality The “Free Speech Issue Of Our Time” appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
May 6, 2014
“3.5 Million Jobs”
Team Franken
Today, Sen. Al Franken’s re-election campaign released its first ad highlighting the Senator’s work to help get people the training they need to fill the 3.5 million jobs around the country that sit empty because businesses cannot find enough skilled workers.
The 30 second spot, “3.5 Million Jobs,” now running statewide, features Elizabeth Abraham, the owner of Top Tool, a small manufacturing company in Blaine, Minnesota, that is struggling to find qualified people to fill open jobs.
The ad begins with Abraham discussing the problem that she and so many businesses in Minnesota and around the country are facing, “We’ve run this business for over 25 years, but today we’re having a hard time finding skilled workers. Al Franken understands that a lot of businesses have the same problem.”
Abraham explains how Sen. Franken worked hard to understand the needs of Minnesota companies to learn how he could help them. Last year, he introduced the Community College to Career Fund Act. Sen. Franken’s bill would invest in public-private partnerships between manufacturers and Community and Technical Colleges so they could train workers to fill the well-paying high-skilled jobs that are available across Minnesota.
“What impressed me the most is that Al Franken listened to what we had to say. I’ve never seen anyone work so hard to help small businesses like ours succeed,” concludes Abraham.
Ready to work hard for Al so he can keep working hard for us? Join Team Franken today.
The post “3.5 Million Jobs” appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
May 5, 2014
Say no to “fast lanes”
Al Franken
When it comes to your daily commute, a “fast lane” is a good thing.
But when it comes to the Internet, allowing big telecom companies to set up “fast lanes” for content providers willing to pay for special access is nothing short of a disaster.
This could be one of the greatest threats net neutrality has ever faced. And I need your help to stop it. If the FCC goes through with these new rules permitting “fast lanes,” it could get harder for you to find your favorite content online, or it could even make it more expensive, as the costs content providers incur to get into these “fast lanes” are passed along to consumers.
The FCC has previously said that net neutrality means big telecom companies don’t get to decide what kind of content wins online. And now they’re breaking faith with that commitment, threatening to disrupt net neutrality and change the Internet forever.
We can’t let that happen. The last thing we should be doing is handing more power to big corporations like Comcast. It’s time for us to step up and save the Internet.
The post Say no to “fast lanes” appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
Photos from the field: 5/3-5/4
Sara Cederberg, Digital Director
Team Franken had a blast at the Cinco de Mayo celebrations on St. Paul’s West Side and the May Day Parade in Powderhorn—check out the photos, then sign up to join the fun.
The post Photos from the field: 5/3-5/4 appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
May 4, 2014
ABC: A tale of two Al Frankens
Long before Al Franken took to the political stage as a U.S. senator, he was making the country laugh at politicians’ expense as a comedian for “Saturday Night Live.” But when this funny guy decided to make a serious run for the Senate six years ago, the jokes more or less stopped.
“I’m still funny,” the Minnesota Democrat told “The Fine Print,” as he toured rural Minnesota. “I’m funny with my colleagues. My colleagues will all tell you I’m funny.”
The post ABC: A tale of two Al Frankens appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
May 2, 2014
Minnesota Daily: Franken introduces Net Price Calculator bill
Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn. and Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa have introduced legislation to aid students and families in estimating college costs, before they apply to the school.
The bipartisan bill aims to improve the “effectiveness of and access to” the Net Price Calculator tool, which provides a cost estimate to students that takes into account financial aid and individual institution costs, according to the press release.
The Net Price Calculator Improvement Act of 2014 would work with the Department of Education to develop a uniform, “universal calculator” that would provide students with information that would allow them to compare a variety of universities, according to the press release.
The post Minnesota Daily: Franken introduces Net Price Calculator bill appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
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