A whole host of the biggest names in Open Source (the screenshot on the right is just some of them!) have banded together to form an advocacy group they're calling Open Source America.

From their announcement press release:

Open Source for America is a coalition of industry leaders, non-government groups and academic/research institutions organized to serve as a centralized advocate, to encourage broader U.S. Federal Government support of and participation in free and open source software. Membership in Open Source for America is open to any individual or entity signing the campaign's mission pledge.

The group has a list of four freedoms in their founding principles (labeled 0-3, naturally):

• The freedom to run the program, for any purpose (freedom 0).
• The freedom to study how the program works, and adapt it to your needs (freedom 1). Access to the source code is a precondition for this.
• The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor (freedom 2).
• The freedom to improve the program, and release your improvements (and modified versions in general) to the public, so that the whole community benefits (freedom 3). Access to the source code is a precondition for this.

If you'd like to join the OSA, visit their website.

During the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor, brand new Senator Al Franken (D-MN) used his questioning time to show that he will immediately be one of the most important allies we have in the Senate on Network Neutrality. It's worth noting that he used what is essentially his first act as a United States Senator to address this issue, suggesting that Network Neutrality will be front and center on his agenda in the coming months.