Murder in the Library of Congress
by Phil Kerpen, Contributing Author: That’s the provocative headline of an article in a British newspaper on the shock firing of Maria Pallante as Register of Copyrights on Friday… the first person to ever be fired in the 119 year history of the position.
And yet there is not one word about this story in any major U.S. paper. It’s strange because this is a huge story.
Pallante was a consummate professional respected across the political spectrum, but when she showed up for work on Friday she found herself locked out of her computer.
Why did the new Librarian of Congress, appointed by President Obama, carry out this unusual surprise termination?
My only theory is that Pallante was fired because she exposed the illegality of the proposed Obama/FCC plan to give Google mandatory access to TV content. The plan would allow Google to track everything you and your family watch on TV and to substitute their own advertisements, capturing the revenue from the content’s rightful owners.
After reviewing the Obama-Google plan to monetize and track the television you watch, Pallante concluded correctly: “only Congress, through the exercise of its power under the Copyright Clause, and not the FCC or any other agency, has the constitutional authority to create exceptions and limitations in copyright law.”
This rebuke was so stinging that the FCC initially planned to invent its OWN copyright office in an attempt to circumvent the law. After American Commitment members like you sounded the alarms about the FCC’s television takeover, the FCC was forced to postpone action on the plan and regroup.
But Google isn’t just any company and they don’t take no for an answer. , with a shocking 250 people moving back and forth between the company and the administration.
Now it looks like Google is flexing its muscles and showing that crossing them is a good way to end a career – and the proposal Maria Pallante opposed is sure to be back soon at the FCC.
In Washington, DC these days, doing the right thing can get you fired. Which is all the more reason citizens like you need to keep demanding better, and why Congress can’t stay on the sidelines. Help Stop the FCC Power Grabs! Petition Congress
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Phil Kerpen is president of American Commitment. Follow him at (@kerpen) and on Facebook. He is a contributing author at the ARRA News Service.
Tags: Phil Kerpen, American Commitment, Murder, Library of Congress, Help stop, FCC Power Grab, . To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. and "Like" Facebook Page - Thanks!
And yet there is not one word about this story in any major U.S. paper. It’s strange because this is a huge story.
Pallante was a consummate professional respected across the political spectrum, but when she showed up for work on Friday she found herself locked out of her computer.
Why did the new Librarian of Congress, appointed by President Obama, carry out this unusual surprise termination?
My only theory is that Pallante was fired because she exposed the illegality of the proposed Obama/FCC plan to give Google mandatory access to TV content. The plan would allow Google to track everything you and your family watch on TV and to substitute their own advertisements, capturing the revenue from the content’s rightful owners.
After reviewing the Obama-Google plan to monetize and track the television you watch, Pallante concluded correctly: “only Congress, through the exercise of its power under the Copyright Clause, and not the FCC or any other agency, has the constitutional authority to create exceptions and limitations in copyright law.”
This rebuke was so stinging that the FCC initially planned to invent its OWN copyright office in an attempt to circumvent the law. After American Commitment members like you sounded the alarms about the FCC’s television takeover, the FCC was forced to postpone action on the plan and regroup.
But Google isn’t just any company and they don’t take no for an answer.
Now it looks like Google is flexing its muscles and showing that crossing them is a good way to end a career – and the proposal Maria Pallante opposed is sure to be back soon at the FCC.
In Washington, DC these days, doing the right thing can get you fired. Which is all the more reason citizens like you need to keep demanding better, and why Congress can’t stay on the sidelines. Help Stop the FCC Power Grabs! Petition Congress
-----------------
Phil Kerpen is president of American Commitment. Follow him at (@kerpen) and on Facebook. He is a contributing author at the ARRA News Service.
Tags: Phil Kerpen, American Commitment, Murder, Library of Congress, Help stop, FCC Power Grab, . To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. and "Like" Facebook Page - Thanks!
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