---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: rupert THURNER <rupert.thurner@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, May 29, 2014 at 8:55 PM
Subject: Re: [Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] [PRESS RELEASE] Airtel Offers Nigerians Free Access to Wikipedia
To: Wikimedia Mailing List <wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org>, communications@wikimedia.org


another sad day, wikimedia foundation as the vicarious servant of the
telecom industry on its way destroying net neutrality. and another day
where wikimedia foundation helps driving an illegal practice according
european and brazilian laws :(

for the ones in the US, read and file here comments for / against net
neutrality:
http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/comment_search/execute?proceeding=14-28
https://www.fcc.gov/comments

just picked two arbitrary of the 47'000 comments alone in the last 30 days:

colin farell:
There is nothing quite like trampling on the common citizen to advanced the
interests of large corporations. Killing net neutrality is a horrible idea, that
hurts consumer interest. I would like to see the FCC act in the
interest of people
not massive corporations.

timothy ford:
Your website URL is FCC.gov. Do you know why it ends in "Dot" "GOV"?
It is because
your organization is part of the government of the United States of
America. This
governing body is made up of our peers that we have voted into office
to serve the
better good of the public. Your current actions do not reflect what is
good for the
public, our freedoms, and our rights. Your actions endanger the very
nature of the
internet. Freedom of speech in the purest kind. Where no voice can be silenced.
Where a single voice can grow into a thousand screams for justice and overthrow
cruel governments as we have seen in the Arab Spring. You are being
brought to your
knees by greedy Corporations whose sole purpose is to enrich
themselves. You have
let yourselves bend to their will. And by doing so ignore your primary
objective.
SERVE THE PEOPLE. You have failed for the last time. You failed to
investigate the
claims of illegal wiretapping by the NSA (and by doing so failed to protect our
freedoms). You have failed us again by letting greed supersede what is right and
just. I hereby call for the complete deconstruction of the FCC. You
are incapable of
doing, or listening, to the will of the people who not only pay for
your checks, but
you are under oath to protect. Therefore you serve no purpose. Let me
remind you of
your original charter which you have clearly forgotten.
"regulating interstate and foreign commerce in communication by wire
and radio so as
to make available, so far as possible, to all the people of the United States a
rapid, efficient, nationwide, and worldwide wire and radio communication service
with adequate facilities at reasonable charges"

rupert


On Thu, May 29, 2014 at 9:21 PM, Tilman Bayer <tbayer@wikimedia.org> wrote:
> (This press release is also available online here:
> https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Press_releases/Airtel_Offers_Nigerians_Free_Access_to_Wikipedia
>    - *Customers to Access Multilingual Content Free of Data Charges*
>    - *Restates Commitment to Educational Development, Youth Empowerment*
>
> *Lagos, Nigeria, Thursday, May 29th, 2014*: Leading telecommunications
> services provider, Airtel Nigeria, has announced a strategic partnership
> with the Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit that operates Wikipedia, to
> offer their consumers across the country access to Wikipedia through their
> mobile phones free of data charges.
>
> The initiative, which is first of its kind in Nigeria, is dubbed Wikipedia
> Zero, and it is aimed at reaching and empowering billions of people around
> the world whose access to the Internet is primarily through a mobile
> device. Airtel Nigeria subscribers can access Wikipedia free of data
> charges at m.wikipedia.org.
>
> With the new partnership, Airtel will help deliver knowledge and
> information of Wikipedia to 21 million of new users in the West African
> region. Speaking on the new partnership, Chief Commercial Officer, Airtel
> Nigeria, Maurice Newa, said the initiative is in line with the company’s
> corporate vision of becoming Nigeria’s number one Internet Company, saying
> the new service will help connect Nigerians with relevant knowledge and
> information that will empower them to succeed in their personal and
> professional endeavors.
>
> “We are excited with our partnership with the Wikimedia Foundation and we
> will continue to provide innovative solutions that will uplift Nigerians in
> line with our brand promise of becoming the most loved brand in the daily
> lives of Nigerians,” he said. “At Airtel, we are passionate and committed
> to creating solid educational and youth empowerment platforms that will
> enrich and transform the lives of telecoms consumers across the country.”
>
> “We commend Airtel Nigeria for taking a leadership role in empowering their
> society through information access, and we’re thrilled to partner with
> them,” said Carolynne Schloeder, Head of Mobile Partnerships at the
> Wikimedia Foundation. “Expanding Wikipedia Zero to the people of Nigeria is
> a big step forward for free knowledge in Africa.”
>
>
> About Bharti Airtel
>
> Bharti Airtel Limited is a leading global telecommunications company with
> operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa. Headquartered in New
> Delhi, India, the company ranks amongst the top 4 mobile service providers
> globally in terms of subscribers. In India, the company's product offerings
> include 2G, 3G and 4G wireless services, mobile commerce, fixed line
> services, high speed DSL broadband, IPTV, DTH, enterprise services
> including national & international long distance services to carriers. In
> the rest of the geographies, it offers 2G, 3G wireless services and mobile
> commerce. Bharti Airtel had over 297 million customers across its
> operations at the end of April 2014. To know more please visit,
> www.airtel.com
>
>
> About the Wikimedia Foundation
>
> http://wikimediafoundation.org
> http://wikipediazero.org
> http://blog.wikimedia.org
>
> The Wikimedia Foundation is the non-profit organization that operates
> Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. According to comScore Media Metrix,
> Wikipedia and the other projects operated by the Wikimedia Foundation
> receive 500 million unique visitors per month, making them the fifth-most
> popular web property world-wide (comScore, August 2013). Available in 287
> languages, Wikipedia contains more than 29 million articles contributed by
> a global volunteer community of roughly 80,000 people. Based in San
> Francisco, California, the Wikimedia Foundation is an audited, 501(c)(3)
> charity that is funded primarily through donations and grants.
>
> Wikimedia Foundation Press Contact:
>
> Communications, Wikimedia Foundation
> +1 415-839-6885 ext 6633 jwalsh@wikimedia.org
>
>
> (To be unsubscribed from this press release distribution list, please reply with 'UNSUBSCRIBE' in the subject line)
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