If you get broadband from your cable company we suggest you sit down and make sure you aren’t drinking any coffee before you read further. We don’t want you spewing hot java all over your computer. In a recent filing with the Federal Communications Commission a Washington-based think tank and media issues advocacy group, Free Press, did some serious digging to figure out what it actually costs cable companies to provide broadband services compared to what they charge you for it. You've been warned.

We are rarely at a loss for words here at www.hearusnow.org, but we have to admit we were left speechless by Verizon’s stunning announcement it’s doubling its already ridiculous penalty on customers who want to get a better phone or service from another company. Beginning next week, Verizon will raise its “early termination fee” to $350 per line for its more advanced phones, including its popular Blackberry devices and its just-introduced Droid.