Cable Lobby Tries To Make You Forget That It Represents Cable Companies (arstechnica.com) 33
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: The U.S. cable industry's biggest lobby group has dropped the word "cable" from its name in a rebrand focusing on its members' role as providers of both Internet and TV services. The National Cable and Telecommunications Association (NCTA) will henceforth be called NCTA-The Internet and Television Association. NCTA will be maintained in the name as a nod to the group's past, even though the initials no longer stand for any particular words. "Just as our industry is witnessing an exciting transformation driven by technology and connectivity, NCTA's brand must reflect the vibrancy and diversity of our members," NCTA CEO Michael Powell (a former Federal Communications Commission chairman) said in today's announcement. The group's "mission to drive the industry forward remains the same," he said. This isn't the NCTA's first name change. The group began as the National Community Television Council in 1951 and then became the National Community Television Association in 1952, according to the Museum of Broadcast Communications. Despite dropping the word "cable," the NCTA's name change announcement makes reference to how cable companies are dominating the broadband market. Powell noted that the NCTA "represent[s] an industry that is America's largest and fastest home Internet provider." As it goes forward, the NCTA won't be the only telecom lobby group initialism that no longer stands for anything. The CTIA -- previously known as the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association and then the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association -- is now just "CTIA-The Wireless Association."
No Big Deal (Score:3)
Re:No Big Deal (totally OT) (Score:5, Funny)
And also what really matters is what bathroom the pig goes into in North Carolina.
Cross-dressed pig or not, at least it's more dignified than Pat McCrory.
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BMO
Re: (Score:2)
Better be careful!
The Jim Henson society will serve you with a libel suit!
Ms. Piggy was always a sow, and never underwent gender reassignment surgery! Her upper body strength comes from carrying her heavy purse all day, and certainly not from having high testosterone levels!
Rest assured, the lobby group mentioned in the fine article will petition to have standards and practices reinstated, clarifying this situation, to avoid any further libel against Ms. Piggy.
Re: (Score:2)
There's also the question of whether David Cameron stuck his dick in it or not.
Re: (Score:2)
Nah, that story was overblown... no way in hell would Miss Piggy have said yes to sucking of David Cameron. She has standards... not high standards but higher than Cameron.
market share of cable is a pittance (Score:2)
kind of like the kerosene lobby as the market contracted
changing the name won't change that basic fact
Suck it up, cabletards and teletards (Score:3)
(NCTA) will henceforth be called NCTA-The Internet and Television Association
Just change the acronym to TITA, and get used to us all shortening it to "TIT".
The Internet Television Symposium (Score:1)
TITS
Outlaw Lobbying (Score:4, Insightful)
Lobbyists get face time with politicians and funnel money via campaign financing. Do the citizens of the US get lobbyists to represent their needs on equal face time? No, of course not, therefore it should be illegal. Their only interest is profit and citizens interest is to affordable products and services. Sometimes there is a disconnect due to politicians only hearing one side of an argument. Not to mention conflict of interest such as an former FCC chairman working as a lobbyist (bought and paid for shill). The entire political process can be easily corrupted by either personal or industry driven greed.
Re: (Score:2)
Lobbying, in some form, is as old as government. It's a matter of picking your poison.
If you close the lobbyists down, they'll be replaced something else.
And there really is no point in voters getting their "own lobbyists", because lobbyists are there to allow government leaders to know how voters can be made to vote. And in a way, special interest groups *are* lobbyists for the voters... their voters... who can also be manipulated themselves into doing what the group wants.
Bear in mind that campaign fina
Maybe if we can outlaw bribery (Score:2)
The way politicians work is via quid pro quos. A large donor gives them (specifically a shell organization) money or other enticements, and they provide favorable legislation for the donor. I don't think there were entities large enough to rival countries back in the days of the Constituion, so this threat to the republic is a new one. There was that Oxfam study [theguardian.com] earlier this year which stated 62 people own as much wealth as the poorest half of the world. WalMart has more revenue than Norway's GDP, for exa [businessinsider.com]
Hmmm (Score:3)
A rose by any other name (Score:2)
is still a rose.
s/rose/screwing/g
Heh (Score:2)
This is like the "American Trial Lawyers Association" (ATLA) renaming itself to the "American Association For Justice". And it wasn't really trial lawyers to begin with, but specifically plaintiff lawyers.
Clinton Foundation has a new donor (Score:1)
Once Cable is dropped, will never look back (Score:1)
Now my preference is FTTH, true FTTH, where the Fiber line goes back to my home and I OWN IT along with my HOUSE.
FACTS: