How to Make It in Music Today
How to Make It in Music Today
by Sue Basko
“Making it” in
music today does not mean the same thing it did in past generations. Back then, signing a record label deal
was a sign of “making it.” In the
meantime, musicians have figured out that most traditional record label
contracts constrict their creativity and pay them a pittance for making money
for a corporation. Today there are
new types of record labels that may present a more balanced, if less
immediately lucrative and flashy, situation.
Today, “making it” in music means having the skills and
connections to pursue music as a career, whether or not significant money is
made. The keys to making it today
are the same at any level of financial remuneration. And here is the list.
How to Make It in Music Today:
1. Start
young. If you can start playing
music and / or singing by age 3, that is great. Age 17 to 30 is the prime time for developing professional
music careers, so you need your basic foundation laid before then. However, do not try to be a child
star. Instead, spend your early
years building a solid foundation of skills.
2. Own a
musical instrument. Get a piano or
keyboard, a guitar, a cello, a flute, a harmonica. Ask for these things as gifts. Save up your own money and buy them. If you want to help someone else become
a musician, give them a musical instrument.
3. Get
lessons. Most great songwriters
play piano. They learn to play
piano by taking lessons in childhood. It is great to have a person teach you, if you can afford this. If not, pursue anyway. Your lessons can also be self-taught. There are lessons online and there
are also lessons on youtube for free.
There are video lessons and book lessons you can buy or check out of a
library.
4. Practice
every day. You will only come skilled if you train. Most good musicians
practice 3 to 8 hours per day.
5. Sing. Even
if singing is not your main strength, sing. If you think of yourself as a singer, get lessons and
practice every day.
6. Write
songs.
7. Listen to
many kinds of music. This is
so easy now with the internet.
Make a point of expanding your listening experience, even if the music
is not immediately enjoyable to
you. Develop an expansive, rather
than a limiting, mindset. Listen to
music from many genres, from many regions and cultural groups, from many time
eras.
8. Learn to
play or sing music outside your comfort zone. Jump into other genres, other languages, try out a new
instrument.
9. Get a computer and develop skills you will need for music
production and business. Learn to
record, mix, and create music on a computer. Learn how to make videos and put them up online. Learn how to make digital photos, web
pages, email lists, etc. The more
computer skills you have, the more you can place your music online and promote
yourself as a musician.
10. Become
proficient at home recording, mixing, and mastering on a computer. Learn how to use loops, create and lay
music beds. Look into the great
products for creating drum and string tracks.
11. Learn the
basics of music law and business.
Read books and websites on these topics.
12. Get a good
music lawyer early on. This is
crucial. If you are
co-songwriting, get a contract written that reflects your agreement. If you start or join a band, get a band
contract. Before you sign a
contract or agree to anything, have a music lawyer read it. Do not rely on a manager, parent, or
friend to do this for you. Get a
music lawyer. The effects of
signing something bad will often harm you for decades to come.
13. Do not fall
for music scams. Music scams take
a musician’s money in promise for a dream. These scams can destroy or halt a burgeoning music
career. Have a music lawyer
look it over before you agree to it.
14. Make use of
performance opportunities. The
only way to learn how to put on a good show before an audience is through
practice.
15. Avoid drugs
and alcohol. Eat right and get
fit. Look and feel your best. Take care of stress and psychological
issues early on. Avoid troublesome
people. The music industry, moreso
than ever before, is a business.
You are expected to be on time and in excellent performance shape with
totally professional behavior.
Music contracts now include cancellation clauses that can be invoked if
a performer starts to have substance abuse, mental, or behavioral issues. If one of these clauses is invoked
against you or at your option, you may also be banned from performing music for
a period of time.
16. Be
you. Try to have any contracts
written so you have creative control over your music, songwriting, and
appearance. One of the silliest
things I ever saw was when one of my favorite rappers, who makes amazing music
and truly clever lyrics that are of the sort that absolutely cannot be played
on the radio, signed a deal with a major record label. Then, the record label people acted
surprised that he was writing songs that cannot be played on the radio, when
that is the only kind of songs he writes. What were they thinking? He should have gotten a deal with a record label that was
not trying to change his music, a label that does not rely on radio airplay to
promote music.
17. Don’t try
to be someone else. If you want to
sound like some already famous artist, start a cover band. That is totally legit and good cover
bands get lots of bookings.
18. Avoid making music your second choice. If you want to go into music, do not
instead go to law school or engineering school as a practical choice and
develop a career in that field, telling yourself that you will pursue music
later or in addition to this other career. This almost never happens. (Yes, you will most likely have to do other things besides music to make money, but launching a major career in a different field means you spend your time and energy on that other career.)
19. Don’t quit.
You may have interruptions, but don’t quit. The surest way to quit is by selling your musical
instruments. Only sell the
instruments if you are upgrading.
20. Develop an online presence. However, only put good things online. Make sure all the videos you put up
have good audio. Make sure all
photos convey the right image you are trying to portray. Avoid profanity or violent images or
words. These mark you as
unprofessional and rule you out for most bookings and other opportunities.
21. Develop a
strong sense of gratitude. Thank
people for their help. Be
courteous.
22. Love what you are doing. If you love what you are doing, you will attract the right
people and opportunities.
Musician/ Child Molester: Help Catch Him!
Musician/ Child Molester: Help Catch Him!
By Sue Basko
Update: The man was identified and arrested within 24 hours of the plea being put on the internet. Thank you to everyone who posted, linked, and looked. You can read about that HERE.
The man in the photos is a child molester/ rapist and producer of child pornography. He is being sought by the U.S. government. Recently-created videos have been found that show this man having sex with a young girl about age 7-9 years old. The sex in the videos is very graphic, really bad stuff. The pics are stills taken from the sex videos.
The man in the photos is a child molester/ rapist and producer of child pornography. He is being sought by the U.S. government. Recently-created videos have been found that show this man having sex with a young girl about age 7-9 years old. The sex in the videos is very graphic, really bad stuff. The pics are stills taken from the sex videos.
The man is believed to be in the U.S., between ages 45- 55, and has a beer gut. If you notice in the photo below, he has a guitar, Korg amp, mixing board, drum stool, etc. He seems to be a rock musician. He has a large wristwatch and he eats pretzels.
If you know who he is:
Call the ICE Tip Line, which is staffed 24-hours a day:
1-866-347-2423 from the U.S. & Canada
1-802-872-6199 from anywhere in the world
OR
OR
All tips will remain anonymous. Individuals should not attempt to apprehend the suspect person.
Streamer Journalist Code of Ethics
Streamer Journalist Code of Ethics
This is a Code of Ethics for journalists who work as live streamers at events such as protests. It originated in the Occupy movement. It was written by @Cross_X-Bones, a highly experienced streamer journalist from Occupy Los Angeles. He got input from @PMBeers, who has covered a tremendous number of Occupy events, including overnight camping occupations on the streets of Los Angeles. Also contributing was @Rebelutionary_Z of Chicago, who has streamed protests in Chicago and nationwide, including 2012 NATO in Chicago. The document itself can be found below and also at https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nwX_bLxV1hZU93YGtwx-6ijU1B7Ojq36ZVwZHBuPvn4/edit
As you read the Code of Ethics, please notice the care and detail that have gone into it. Live streamers are a crucial element of today's Freedom of Assembly. The live streamers provide a witnessing element so those not present can participate. They also give a protective element in providing evidence of what really happened. Live streamer footage has been used in numerous court cases nationwide as evidence for the defendants. Live streamers are truly independent media makers.
Live streamer footage provided much evidence for the U.S. leg of the OSCE ODIHR Report on Monitoring of Freedom of Peaceful Assembly in Selected OSCE Participating States May 2011- June 2012. This is a study with which I assisted. In the U.S., the study covered the 2012 NATO Protest in Chicago, the 2012 G8 Protest near Camp David in Maryland, Occupy Wall Street New York City, Occupy Los Angeles, Occupy Oakland, and Occupy Chicago. In each location, ample video footage was provided by live streamers, making this perhaps the first study of human rights in protest that was backed up by audio and video live on-site documentation.
The importance of live streamers to human rights in public assembly cannot be overstated. Live streamers are crucial to our democracy and freedoms. These people have voluntarily undertaken this important role in our society. They do so at their own expense and with the help of donations from viewers. Below are the Guidelines they have set out for themselves. You will see they expect a lot of themselves and their fellow live streamers.
Streamer Journalist
Code of Ethics
Preamble
The act of streaming may be used for journalism, documentation of controversial events or for entertainment purposes. Streaming can provide personal protection when involved in situations that may have legal implications. Those engaged in one or more of these activities may be a considered a Streamer or a Citizen Journalist. Due to the many categories of streaming, as well as differing journalistic styles, which may include advocacy journalism and gonzo journalism, the technique is sometimes treated with contempt by law enforcement as well as the traditional journalistic community.
One who is claiming to be a Streamer Journalist needs to operate under the established journalistic framework despite possibly using streaming for other purposes. It would behoove a Streamer Journalist to adhere to a code of ethics to that will establish a recognized credibility.
The rise of Streamer Journalism represent a need for public information in a journalistic landscape that is either unable or refuses to report on relevant events in an unedited way. Complete coverage of under-reported news is needed in order for a free, open, transparent and fair society to exist. Streamer Journalists therefore must hold themselves to the highest journalistic standards when streaming or reporting on events and should do so with the principles of Vigilance, Honesty, Fairness, Courage, Compassion, Respect, Integrity, Accountability and Humility.
This document represents a Code of Ethics that adherents can uniformly adopt to insure journalistic credibility as well as a framework under which one can make ethical decisions.
Principle of Vigilance
Vigilance keeps the Streamer's news reporting relevant.
Streamers should:
- Be clear about what is verifiable information, and what is speculation. Information moves quickly, but so do rumors.
- State sources of information so that they may be independently verified.
- Give the public open access to governmental and authority conduct.
- Persist in holding those with power accountable for their actions.
- Seek truth no matter where it lies, but do so with respect, and compassion.
Principle of Honesty
Honesty helps the Streamer build credibility.
Streamers should:
- Represent biases truthfully to give proper context.
- Avoid highlighting, editing, or recording footage in a way that removes proper context, or distorts events.
- Make a clear distinction between advocacy, opinion, and news. This clarifies the context with which such comments should be understood. Do not misrepresent which is being given.
- Properly attribute all broadcasted or mirrored footage. Only use this footage based on the licensing terms of originator.
- Keep all journalistic promises.
- Visibly show when streaming video or audio in all but the most extreme circumstances. If hiding streaming, make sure that the reason for doing so is made clear.
- Cover a diverse set of opinions during an event even if those opinions are not popular.
Principle of Fairness
Fairness allows a Streamer to protect credibility by acknowledging bias.
Streamers should:
- Recognize differences in values and keep from judging other's values.
- Give equal opportunity to unofficial sources of information to be heard.
- Avoid loaded language and belittling commentary, and let facts stand for themselves.
- Avoid stereotypes, especially in regards to race, gender, age, religion, ethnicity, geography, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, economic or social status, and political or ideological beliefs.
Principle of Courage
Courage helps keep the Streamer's news noble.
Streamers should:
- Report honestly in the face of coercion.
- Balance a need for personal protection with the need to report on events which may be physically, emotionally, or mentally threatening.
- Stand up for journalistic principles and ethics.
- Protect sources from intimidation.
Principle of Compassion
Compassion helps keep the Streamer's news reporting viable.
Streamers should:
- Be compassionate to those who may be negatively affected in the course of covering the news. Be even more sensitive to those who may be emotionally compromised in understanding the events in which they are exposed to, especially children and the mentally ill.
- Be aware of the impact that the presence of a stream may have on those grieving or dealing with tragic events.
- Be understanding when reporting on issues that may cause harm or make others feel uncomfortable.
- Avoid getting information that is not news worthy when it's only function is entertainment at the expense of others. In the course of covering news one may capture personal moments that are unrelated to the event. Under these circumstances editing archived coverage may be permissible.
Principle of Respect
Respect allows a Streamer continued access to communities, organizations, and individuals.
Streamers should:
- Encourage open discourse, even when the views may seem difficult to agree with.
- Respect a source’s wishes to be anonymous, but be aware of the source's possible motives.
- Be respectful by not identifying a victim of a crime unless allowed to do so. Especially if this may cause them unwanted attention or trauma.
- Refrain from identifying or accusing someone, by name, who may be involved in illegal activities, especially prior to formal charges being made. Use aliases or identifying characteristics instead.
- Respect the private individual's rights to privacy over those who are in power or act as public representatives.
- Balance an individual’s right to a fair treatment and the need to inform the public.
- Respect the right to privacy for those who are receiving medical treatment.
Principle of Integrity
Integrity allows a Streamer to operate without destroying credibility.
Streamers should:
- Openly and quickly disclose potential or real conflicts of interest. Avoid all unnecessary conflicts of interest.
- Be transparent and reveal biases when involved in actions, activities, and associations which may cause others to questions journalistic intentions.
- Disclose all gifts, favors, free travel, donations when contributed by individuals or organizations whenever possible as they could hurt credibility by representing a conflict of interest.
- Be honest about any political involvement, public office, community organizations or activism, as these may be conflicts of interest.
- Disclose all unavoidable conflicts of interest honestly and in a timely manner.
- Refuse all gifts, favors, free travel, donations when contributed by individuals or organizations if there is an expectation of special treatment or influence by those entities.
- Be careful when discussing equipment or services being used. This can appear to be advertising. Be clear if sponsored to use equipment or services, or if preferences exist for one over another. Refrain from saying negative things about another product or service.
- Be transparent about paying or giving favors to sources for information.
Principle of Accountability
Accountability assures participants, viewers, and sources that a Streamer holds true to all principles.
Streamers should:
• Provide all raw live footage in an open-source manner.
• Give explanations and invite participation on your stream and through other means about journalistic conduct.
• Encourage and listen to public grievances against the news. Try to improve when possible.
• Admit mistakes in a timely, honest, and open manner.
• Reveal any unethical institutional journalistic practices, but also try to hold to the highest standards in all journalistic actions. Do so with an eye toward restorative justice.
Principle of Humility
Humility provides a Streamer a continued place in the emerging social media news community.
Streamers should:
• Acknowledge the contributions of sources, participants, viewers, and other journalists.
• Balance the need for competition with the need for cooperation.
• Not overstate accomplishments.
• Help others learn about the streaming medium.
Virtual Teahouse
Virtual Teahouse
by Sue Basko
I am a lawyer for independent media, including for independent music artists. A Chinese music company has requested the music of one of my clients, a singer with a lovely voice. I have been working on the deal for some time, changing the contract to meet our needs, etc. The whole process has taken much longer than it needs to, and many of the contacts seem repetitive and superfluous. Finally it dawned on me that we were engaged in the Asian practice of getting to know each other.
I know enough about the Asian cultures to know that one should always agree and then add any disagreement as additional information. Rather than a disagreeing response being "No, but..," it is "Yes, and.." We ask how they would like to do things, we don't tell them. We say please and thank you many times. We keep going until everyone feels comfortable with the deal.
As a practice, I write contracts that are fair and beneficial for all parties. The Chinese record company rep takes my contract back for approval. "Yes, this is fine," I am told. I am grateful they can read English, because I know only 5 words in Chinese.
I have an idea of creating a Virtual Teahouse, where we could meet virtually. There, we can virtually honor each in a virtual tea ceremony. We can virtually bow to each other. We can let each other know we are honorable and that we respect each other. We can share our insights and good ideas. The atmosphere of the teahouse is at once calm, serene, dignified, and yet bustling with life.
The tea ceremony is not so much about chitchat, as a business lunch in the U.S. might be. It is more about being present and letting the ancient traditions of trust, respect, and honor seep into the relationship. The tea, beautiful green leaves, steeps in hot water in a clay pot, then is poured into little cups. As each person sips, the group is united in sharing this same liquid, as it becomes part of their bodies.
I look at the other artists who have signed with the Chinese music company. Adele. Other hit singers of today. Perhaps their record labels have sent representatives to China. Perhaps they have gone to a real teahouse. My client cannot afford to send me to China, though I would love to go. A virtual teahouse seems like a good alternative.
I love to build websites. Perhaps I will build a Virtual Teahouse as an online place to meet and honor each other.
Legal Checklist for Apps, Websites, and SaaS
Legal Checklist for Apps, Websites, and SaaS
by Sue Basko
If you are developing an app, starting a website, or planning to run a software as a service site, your project has special legal needs. Legal work should be included in your budget. You should have a lawyer working with you from the earliest phases of your project and on through the life of the business.
One of the first major things to consider is coming up with a name that can be trademarked. This is crucial. Facebook would not be what it is without the trademarked name Facebook, and all its other trademarks, including the like icon and that particular shade of blue and the word face when used to denote a social website. Twitter started out as Twittr and had to wait to acquire the Twitter name from a previous owner.
You should work closely with a trademark lawyer to help you pick a name that can be trademarked. When I do this kind of work, I search databases and the internet. I combine what I find with my knowledge of trademark law to assess whether a proposed name is likely to be able to be registered as a trademark for the goods or services it is to denote. To be registerable as a trademark, a name has to meet many requirements, including not creating confusion with other trademarks.
A registered trademark is a key component of a successful business. Most successful businesses start off with one registered trademark and move on to acquire many more. For example, Guitar Center is registered as a trademark for stores, but also has many more trademarks and categories for the website and various services.
Don’t come up with the name first and simply hope you will be able to register trademark on it. You can waste huge amounts of money on legal filings, products, packaging, advertising, etc., that you then must pay to do over again. Instead, work with a lawyer from the get-go in choosing a name.
Apps, SaaS and websites need a catchy, easy-to-spell, and unmistakable name. Preferably, you will be able to get a matching domain name, facebook page, twitter account and registered trademark. This is no small accomplishment.
Once the name has been chosen, have it registered by a trademark lawyer. The process takes about one year, but dibs on the name refer back to the date of filing. Don’t try to register trademark on your own or using one of those do-it-yourself websites. There are many phases of the trademark process and making the application is just the beginning. The Trademark Office database is overwhelmingly stuffed with dead trademark registrations that failed because the do-it-yourselfer did not know how to handle the challenges from the examiner that inevitably come 6 – 8 months into the process. Just have a lawyer do it.
The next consideration is getting a patent or copyright on your app, or web service. You also need a lawyer to do this. If yours cannot be patented, you need to consider if you are violating someone else’s patent and if so, whether you need to get licensing from them.
Next, you will have your app or site and you will need design. That can be copyrighted. Any elements such as music or pictures must be licensed from the copyright owners, or must be created specially for you under a work for hire contract. You must have a lawyer draft that for you.
Next to consider is how you will collect money, taxes, and possibly import or export fees. If you cannot afford yet to build your own store, you will probably be selling off a pre-built store such as one by paypal, or selling on an existing site, such as Itunes. To sell off Itunes, you become a content provider. That’s something else where you can use legal help.
Next to consider are privacy laws. Also, if your product or service will allow users under age 13, you need to follow a very special set of rules regarding information gathering and use.
The next huge consideration is the Terms Of Service or Terms of Service and Use. The TOSU forms a binding contract between the service and the user. It must be written by a lawyer. Each TOSU will be different, according to the factors involved in that website, app, or SaaS. Most limit future legal costs by mandating binding arbitration as the ultimate dispute resolution and having the users revoke any right to class action suits. The TOSU will also specify ownership and usage of materials on the site and of those placed on the site by the users. The TOSU will also list acceptable and unacceptable behaviors and uses. The TOSU will usually reserve the right to revoke permission to use the site at any time for any or no reason.
Another legal consideration involves registering an agent with the DMCA list. In addition, Help and Remedies should be made available. These will grow with time and usage. There should always be a way for Users to contact the site.
All of these legal needs will grow as the website or app grows in usage. As problems arise, the TOSU will be tweaked by your lawyer to reflect those topics. New trademarks will be acquired, new services may be offered.
There will always be legal issues that arise in any business, and especially in a software-based business. You will always need good lawyers to help you. You should consider this a crucial part of your budgeting and planning, right from the start.
Trademarking Your Band Name/ Creative Business Name:
Do it Now While You Still Can
Trademarking Your Band Name/ Creative Business Name:
Do It Now While You Still Can
by Sue Basko
Why The Beatles is a great band name. Why Death Cab for Cutie is not.
It is much easier and much less expensive to register trademark on your band or singer name or the name of your creative business in a timely way than it is to wait and fight off someone else's use or registration of the same or a similar name. Registering trademark is a complex process that, when it goes smoothly, takes about a year to two years to complete.
Starting the trademark process in a timely way is so important. If you stall and someone else claims the name, the amount of work and the cost involved can be so great that, unless you are wealthy, you are often best off picking a new name. Battles over contested trademarks can go on for ten years.
I STRONGLY recommend that you have an experienced lawyer do your trademark registration for you. I strongly recommend you do not try this yourself. It is complicated.
State Trademarks? Most states have some form of trademark registration. I think these are almost useless because they do not protect the name outside the state. In this age of the internet and multistate businesses, it is most useful to have a federal trademark, which is good in all 50 states. Some federally-registered trademarks are potentially valid in many nations, based on the U.S. participation in the Madrid Protocol, a set of treaties that create worldwide intellectual property through an organization called WIPO, World Intellectual Property Organization. To make a long story really short - I consider state trademark registrations to be a waste of time and money. If you have a trademark worth protecting, have an experienced lawyer register it for you as a U.S. trademark. I do these registrations and I can tell you it is not ground to tread upon unassisted.
Picking a Name: Not all names can be trademarked. A lawyer can help you determine if the name you have chosen is likely to pass muster. One of the basics is that you should choose a name that is unique. Google and see - if you find other bands or other businesses using the same name, choose a different name. Pick a name that is yours only.
Also, pick a name that is not the name of something else. Pick a name that is not the name of a store, a book, a movie, a character, a product, a game, -- and on and on.
The ideal trademark word is not a real word. It is a made-up word that is created specially for your product or service. Examples: Kleenex, Napster, Macbook, Ipod.
Example of a Great Band Name: The Beatles. It does not get any better than this, trademark-wise. "Beatle" is not a word, and yet it conveys the musical notion of "beat" and turns it into a noun. It also is short, easy to remember, and easy to pronounce. It does not sound foolish. Paul McCartney was a Beatle. Ben Gibbard is a Death Cab for Cutie? The Beatles name was a great branding decision from the get-go, and nearly 50 years later, the trademark's power is equally as strong. Bands today could learn from that lesson of long ago. In fact, the words "death cab for cutie" come from a Beatles' movie and so that band will probably never be able to trademark even its own name. Aside from this, of course, no one is ever going to buy their child a Death Cab for Cutie lunchbox or backpack.
Apple Corps Limited of the United Kingdom owns dozens of trademarks on The Beatles, Beatles, etc. Many Beatles tribute shows, radio shows playing only Beatles music, products, etc., have attempted to register trademarks that use the word "Beatles." Through the application process, they have been stopped. Why? Because Beatles is a registered trademark owned by Apple Corps, and if any other business wants to use the trademark, even a business that is about the music of The Beatles, they cannot do so unless they get permission and license to do so from Apple Corps. And then, they will not be getting a trademark, but a license to use the words from the owner of the trademarks, which is Apple Corps.
Good Trademarks Build Empires: If you have a solid name that can be trademarked and is trademarked, you can build an empire upon this. It can grow into products of all sorts. The list of Beatles products is almost endless. Conversely, if you insist on choosing a band or business name that infringes on someone else's trademark, or that cannot be trademarked for any reason, then you limit your possibilities.
Mark Zuckerberg and his band of Merry Lawyers fought like mad dogs to trademark the words Facebook, Face, FB, and even the color of blue they somehow think is so distinctive. They know the value of trademark. Try calling your website Face-anything and you will get a love note from the Facebook lawyers telling you to cease and desist.
For more info on trademark, please read:
Filing a Complaint with the FCC
Filing a Complaint with the FCC
by Sue Basko
You can easily file an online informal complaint with the FCC at: http://www.fcc.gov/complaints
The complaint topics range from signal jammers, caller ID spoofers, loud commercials, to indecent programming. Below is a listing of the complaint categories available on the online form. To make your complaint on the form page, just click on the category and click Next at the bottom of the page and follow along till completed.
Tower Light Outages or Signal Interference
- Tower Light outages
- Hindrance to a public safety service or device by a communications service or device
- Problems completing 911 calls
- Cell Phone, GPS, and Wi-Fi jammers
- Other jammers
- Narrowbanding
Wireless Telephone
- Telemarketing (including Do-Not-Call)
- Prerecorded messages
- Billing
- Service
- Privacy
- Identity theft
- Disability access
- Number portability
- Unlawful advertising
- 911 calls
- Tower Light outages
- Signal interference to other devices
- Cell phone jammers
- Rural Call Completion
Broadband Service and VOIP
- Unsolicited emails on cellular phone
- Billing
- Service
- Availability
- Number portability
- Unlawful advertising
- Disability access
- 911 calls
Broadcast (TV and Radio), Cable, and Satellite Issues
- Obscene or indecent programs
- Unlawful or illegal advertising
- Disability access
- Emergency alerts
- Unauthorized/unfair/biased/illegal broadcasts
- Cable modem or signal issues
- DTV issues
- CableCARD issues
- Loud Commercials
Wired Telephone
- "Slamming," which occurs when your authorized wireline telephone company for local, local toll or long distance service is switched without your permission.
- Telemarketing (including Do-Not-Call)
- Prerecorded messages
- Billing
- Service
- Privacy
- Identity theft
- Disability access
- Number portability
- Equipment
- Unlawful advertising
- Rural Call Completion
Disability Access to Communications Services and Equipment
- Video Description
- Closed Captioning on Television
- IP Closed Captioning
- Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS)
- Section 255: Telecommunications Services and Equipment Accessibility
- Hearing aid compatibility
- Emergency broadcast information
- Visual Description
Junk Fax
- Unwanted/unsolicited fax to your residential or business fax machine
Telemarketing, Prerecorded Messages, Caller ID Spoofing, and Do-Not-Call
- Do-Not-Call
- Wireless spam
- Calls or messages to residential lines, business lines, wireless devices, emergency lines, patient rooms, and toll-free numbers
- Calls that provide a false or "spoofed" incoming phone number on the caller ID display
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