BREAKING News! BREAKING News! BREAKING News!

IBS Position:

1. There is no basis in the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) Record to support a $500 minimum for noncommercial webcasters.

2. Smaller, educational, government owned/operated (State Colleges/Public Schools) can afford to pay the pay performance rate (approximately $25), but cannot pay the much larger completely arbitrary CRB minimum rate ($500).

3. As a result, many PUBLIC Education webcast entities are being forced off the Internet. Other PUBLIC Education entities are being prohibited from using the Internet/Webcasting to teach America's Sons and Daughters about digital communications. Students are not allowed to learn/practice vital digital communication/Internet SKILL Sets required by them to survive in the Global World Economy!

4. Copyright Holders (SoundExchange/RIAA) clearly have signed agreements in the CRB Record for rates of approximately $100 per year per entity covering the most listened too (average of over 200 USA listeners on the Internet)($80,000 Federal Tax Dollars covering 798 NPR/CPB Entities). Clearly the vast majority of all NPR, and CPB qualified webcast entities are owned by States (Colleges/Universities)(Public Schools). Very clearly the legal ownership of CPB Qualified and NPR webcasters is IDENTICAL to the legal ownership of IBS - Intercollegiate Broadcasting System, IBS Members (State and Local Government). The ONLY difference between IBS and NPR webcasts are the staffs. IBS webcasts are student webcasts used to train, learn, and practice digital techniques. IBS Webcast have very low listenership levels. NPR webcasts are professionally produced. They are widely listened to and are audience, not training focused.

5. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) received annually for US Taxpayers, by Congressional Authorization/Appropriation over $400,000,000.00 ($400 Million Dollars). CPB pays, using Federal Taxpayer dollars all the SoundExchange copyright royalty fees for all NPR, CPB Qualified, webcasters. State and local taxpayers must pay IBS Member SoundExchange webcast royalty fees. Clearly the the CRB record shows that the CRB Minimum rate discriminates between like legal entities (Government owned webcasters). Federally funded high visibility mass audience (over 200 listeners per minute) are given low preferential rates. The record shows $100 per year for CPB/NPR entities. State and Local Government funded training entities with very low listenership (5 or less listeners per minute), due to the minimum are charged FIVE TIMES as much, even though their pay per performance rate is only 3% of the federal funded NPR webcasts.

6. As a result of the CRB rate discrimination against State and Local Funded PUBLIC Education/Training Student Webcasts, students are being forced off the Internet, stunting their education in a digital world.

7. The US Court of Appeals after review of the CRB Record should remove the minimum rate for noncommercial webcasters, allowing the CRB record rates for noncommercial IBS Member State and Local Government Webcasters to be the CRB Rate for 2006 - 2010.