Finally someone in the major press willing to call a spade a spade. marlon ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jeff Broadwick" <[email protected]> To: "'WISPA General List'" <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, March 15, 2010 1:29 PM Subject: [WISPA] From Today's WSJ
> REVIEW & OUTLOOK MARCH 15, 2010 > Broadband Trojan Horse > The FCC has a new plan but doesn't want a vote. > Health care isn't the only policy arena in which the Obama Administration > aims to ram through controversial new rules. The Federal Communications > Commission is set to unveil a "national broadband plan" opposed by > industry > and without any of the five commissioners voting on it. > > Last year, Congress directed the FCC to develop a plan to make high-speed > Internet available to more people. But given that 95% of Americans already > have access to some form of broadband-and 94% can choose from at least > four > wireless carriers-rapid broadband deployment is already occurring without > new government mandates. > > Since 1998, the FCC has classified broadband as an "information service" > subject to less regulation than traditional telecom services. The Supreme > Court's Brand X decision in 2005 validated that classification, and the > upshot has been more investment, innovation and competition among Internet > service providers, all to the benefit of consumers. > > In 2009 alone, broadband providers spent nearly $60 billion on their > networks. Absent any evidence of market failure, the best course for the > FCC > is to report back to Congress that a broadband industrial policy is > unnecessary. Instead, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski is moving to > increase > the reach of his agency and expand government control of the Web. > > Among other things, he wants broadband services reclassified so the FCC > can > more heavily regulate them. The national broadband plan, to be unveiled > tomorrow, will call for using the federal Universal Service Fund to > subsidize broadband deployment. The USF currently subsidizes phone service > in rural areas, and Mr. Genachowski knows that current law prevents it > from > being used to subsidize broadband unless broadband is reclassified as a > telecom service. Congress ought to be wary of letting the FCC expand its > jurisdiction through back doors like this. > > Mr. Genachowski wants more control over broadband providers so that he can > implement "net neutrality" rules that would dictate how AT&T, Verizon and > other Internet service providers manage their networks. To date, Congress > has given the FCC no such authority. Nor has the agency had success in > court. Based on oral arguments last month, the D.C. Circuit Court of > Appeals > is almost certain to rule against the FCC in a case involving Comcast's > network management. > > At the urging of liberal advocacy groups like Free Press and Public > Knowledge, Mr. Genachowski also wants to use the national broadband plan > as > a vehicle for returning to the bad old 1990s era of "open access" > regulations. He recommends forcing major broadband providers like Time > Warner Cable and Qwest to share their high-speed networks with smaller > competitors at federally set rates. We can't think of a better way to > reduce > capital investment and slow the build-out of high-speed networks. > > Mr. Genachowski's proposals are meeting resistance from telecom companies > and fellow commissioners, which is reason enough to put his broadband plan > to an agency vote. Instead, the chairman is urging his colleagues to sign > a > general statement that endorses the goals of the plan and ignores the > details. > > "Instead of risking a split vote among the five regulators on approving > the > plan," reports National Journal, "Genachowski is seeking consensus on a > joint statement, which sources said would provide him with some political > cover for the controversies that are certain to be triggered by some of > the > plan's recommendations." > > The FCC chairman and his staff have spent the better part of a year > preparing a major report while keeping his colleagues largely in the dark. > What happened to the Obama Administration's promise to be open and > transparent? > > Copyright 2009 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved > > Regards, > > Jeff > > > Jeff Broadwick > Sales Manager, ImageStream > 800-813-5123 x106 (US/Can) > +1 574-935-8484 x106 (Int'l) > +1 574-935-8488 (Fax) > > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > WISPA Wants You! Join today! > http://signup.wispa.org/ > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > WISPA Wireless List: [email protected] > > Subscribe/Unsubscribe: > http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless > > Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WISPA Wants You! Join today! http://signup.wispa.org/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WISPA Wireless List: [email protected] Subscribe/Unsubscribe: http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/
