Stacy Mitchell
@stacyfmitchell.bsky.social
Working to change public policy, rollback corporate power, rebuild local communities. Co-Executive Director at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. Portland, Maine.
2. Not having high-speed internet is a huge obstacle to carrying out basic tasks, like applying for a job. But it's more than that; as my colleague @sportshotchris.bsky.social points out, this is about equality and freedom. mainemorningstar.com/2025/09/22/r...
Fewer households, businesses will get high-speed internet under revamped federal plan • Maine Morning Star
Tens of thousands of homes and businesses without internet access will not receive it.
mainemorningstar.com
September 24, 2025 at 12:29 PM
2. Not having high-speed internet is a huge obstacle to carrying out basic tasks, like applying for a job. But it's more than that; as my colleague @sportshotchris.bsky.social points out, this is about equality and freedom. mainemorningstar.com/2025/09/22/r...
14. You can find the motion and a supporting memo of law are here:
ilsr.org/articles/ils...
ilsr.org/articles/ils...
August 5, 2025 at 12:51 PM
14. You can find the motion and a supporting memo of law are here:
ilsr.org/articles/ils...
ilsr.org/articles/ils...
13. When the judge told PepsiCo to justify the redactions earlier this year, he noted that there is a “presumption in favor of public access to judicial documents.” We agree and hope our motion succeeds.
August 5, 2025 at 12:51 PM
13. When the judge told PepsiCo to justify the redactions earlier this year, he noted that there is a “presumption in favor of public access to judicial documents.” We agree and hope our motion succeeds.
12. As we note in our motion, the public has a deep interest in seeing the details of the complaint and getting a clear view of the FTC’s allegations and supporting evidence that PepsiCo and Walmart collaborated to dominate groceries.
August 5, 2025 at 12:51 PM
12. As we note in our motion, the public has a deep interest in seeing the details of the complaint and getting a clear view of the FTC’s allegations and supporting evidence that PepsiCo and Walmart collaborated to dominate groceries.
11. That’s because lack of Robinson-Patman enforcement is killing both rural and urban communities. In the 1980s, virtually every small town in North Dakota had a grocery store. Today half of rural ND is a food desert.
Among voters, this is a strongly bipartisan issue.
Among voters, this is a strongly bipartisan issue.
August 5, 2025 at 12:51 PM
11. That’s because lack of Robinson-Patman enforcement is killing both rural and urban communities. In the 1980s, virtually every small town in North Dakota had a grocery store. Today half of rural ND is a food desert.
Among voters, this is a strongly bipartisan issue.
Among voters, this is a strongly bipartisan issue.
10. When Walmart found out about the FTC’s investigation last year, it launched an aggressive lobbying campaign in Congress, trying to get members to pressure the FTC to back off. But Walmart found little support.
August 5, 2025 at 12:51 PM
10. When Walmart found out about the FTC’s investigation last year, it launched an aggressive lobbying campaign in Congress, trying to get members to pressure the FTC to back off. But Walmart found little support.
9. And that’s not the only consequence. The lack of competition means that big players like Pepsi and Walmart can jack up grocery prices without losing customers.
August 5, 2025 at 12:51 PM
9. And that’s not the only consequence. The lack of competition means that big players like Pepsi and Walmart can jack up grocery prices without losing customers.
8. Since enforcement of Robinson-Patman stopped in the 1980s, we’ve lost thousands of local grocers. From the 1930s to the 1980s, independent grocers held more than half the grocery market. Now it’s about 25%. Food deserts have exploded.
ilsr.org/articles/pol...
ilsr.org/articles/pol...
The Policy Shift That Decimated Local Grocery Stores
ilsr.org
August 5, 2025 at 12:51 PM
8. Since enforcement of Robinson-Patman stopped in the 1980s, we’ve lost thousands of local grocers. From the 1930s to the 1980s, independent grocers held more than half the grocery market. Now it’s about 25%. Food deserts have exploded.
ilsr.org/articles/pol...
ilsr.org/articles/pol...
7. Reviving the Robinson-Patman Act is crucial to revitalizing local economies and lowering prices. If competing independent retailers, buying in high volume via their wholesalers, are denied access to the same prices as Walmart & Dollar General, they will continue to disappear.
August 5, 2025 at 12:51 PM
7. Reviving the Robinson-Patman Act is crucial to revitalizing local economies and lowering prices. If competing independent retailers, buying in high volume via their wholesalers, are denied access to the same prices as Walmart & Dollar General, they will continue to disappear.