Tag Archives: telecommunications

Trump intervenes on behalf of a Chinese state-owned telecom days after a $500 million Chinese government investment in a Trump property is announced

By Mark | May 14, 2018

Like a lot of folks, I was puzzled as to why Donald “America First” Trump had begun advocating for the Commerce Department to intervene on behalf of a Chinese telecom company – especially one that stands accused of espionage by members of our intelligence community – demanding that we act fast in order to save […]

Posted in Corporate Crime, Politics, Uncategorized | Also tagged Abraham Denmark, America First, bribes, China, Commerce Department, corruption, cybersecurity, Donald Trump, espionage, Indonesia, Iran, Kevin Wolf, MAGA, Make America Great Again, national security, North Korea, sanctions, self-dealing, ZTE | 73 Comments

Futel’s campaign to bring back the public telephone, and the possibility that an Ypsilanti phone may be coming soon

By Mark | June 14, 2017

Not too long ago, my friend Dug, knowing that I’d just purchased a former Michigan Bell Telephone building in Ypsilanti, put me in touch with a friend of his in Portland by the name of Karl Anderson. Karl, he told me, was looking for places to install “free payphones.” Well, late this last winter, Karl […]

Posted in 209 Pearl, Art and Culture, Uncategorized, Ypsilanti | Also tagged AT&T, C.H.V.N.K. 666, communications, cyberpunk, diplomacy, Dug Song, Duo Security, Futel, gamer zines, homeless encampments, Karl Anderson, Landline Creative Labs, mail art, Michigan Bell Telephone, mutant bicycles, Party Line, payphone, phreaking, play-by-mail, Portland, pubic art, samizdat, social service, telephony, Ypsilanti Transit Station, zines | 24 Comments

The invisible hand of the market to smush together two enormous turds (Comcast and Time Warner), creating an even larger and more profitable mega-turd

By Mark | February 13, 2014

Comcast, the nation’s largest provider of cable and internet service, as well as the world’s largest media company, made clear their intention today to purchase Time Warner Cable, the second-largest cable company in the United States. Assuming the $44 billion deal is allowed to move forward by the Federal Communications Commission and the Justice Department, […]

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged American Airlines, American Customer Satisfaction Index, anti-trust, Brian Roberts, cable, Comcast, competition, consumer rights, duopoly, Federal Communications Commission, France, free market, internet, invisible hand, Justice Department, lobbying, media consolidation, mergers, monopoly, Obama, scumbag meme, the free market will fix everything, Time Warner, Tom Wheeler, turds, US Airways, Verizon | 34 Comments

NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden comes clean on why he turned over classified government documents to the press, just how much the intelligence community knows about us, and what his actions will likely cost him

By Mark | June 9, 2013

Earlier today, the identity of last week’s much-talked-about National Security Agency whistleblower was made public. His name is Edward Snowden, and he’s a former technical assistant for the CIA, who, most recently, worked for the NSA through the defence contractor Booz Allen Hamilton. If you haven’t seen it yet, I’d highly recommend that you watch […]

Posted in Civil Liberties, Uncategorized | Also tagged Booz Allen Hamilton, Bradley Manning, Bush, China, Constitution, Courage, Dianne Feinstein, domestic spying, Edward Snowden, EFF, Electronic Frontier Foundation, espionage, Espionage Act, Facebook, FBI, FISA, Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, Glenn Greenwald, Google, Microsoft, Nathan Hale, national security, National Security Agency, NSA, Obama, PalTalk, Patriot Act, patriotism, PRISM, privacy, Protect America Act, Skype, surveillance, surveillance culture, Surveillance State, threats to Democracy, treason, Verizon, War on Terror, whistle blower, Yahoo, YouTube | 43 Comments

Guilty until proven innocent in the age of ubiquitous electronic surveillance

By Mark | June 6, 2013

Upon taking office, President Obama issued a memorandum on the subject of transparency: “My Administration,” he said, “is committed to creating an unprecedented level of openness in Government. We will work together to ensure the public trust and establish a system of transparency, public participation, and collaboration. Openness will strengthen our democracy and promote efficiency […]