Nice re-write of history, Forbes. Who are you trying to protect? It is NOT Congress which has been the motivating factor behind the FCC's anti-competitive behavior... It has been the administration and the people that this administration have appointed and have hired, combined with a small number of extreme left-wing groups who have been pushing Net Neutrality, etc. It was NEVER Congress that pushed this.
Your effort to see spectrum auctioned is not so much a matter of lobbyists having taken over Congress as it is a matter of Congress finding ways to raise money. A later poster reminded us that not only is Congress unfamiliar with what we do and how we do it - along with why we are needed - the FCC is just as ignorant as well. Despite that fact that WISPA has communicated, the FCC people as a whole just DO NOT GRASP the realities of free market service providers. Until the readers were so sore here that nobody would talk to me, and threatened to expel me, I tried to explain how WISPA needed to take a PRINCIPLED STAND at the time WISPA began to be noticed in DC, that we believed in Free Markets and freedom to do business, without being encumbered (killed) by federal regulation. To this day, WISPA has no published principles which say that it, or you, believe in free markets, open competition, and consumer - oriented stewardship of the nation's RF spectrum-rather than auctioning the assets to the largest bidder. Instead, WISPA has a history of alternatively being for and against various actions - mostly based upon whether or not it was financially a win for the larger voices of WISPA. This lack of principled direction has now come and bitten us in the backside, potentially lethally. The central notion we have to fight is that spectrum should be auctioned (revenue to the feds) to the highest bidder. And someone, in their ignorance, has managed to commit an idea commensurate to your local city government suddenly deciding to create a "license to sell groceries" and has structured it so that it is all tied to one auction, where any deep pockets bidder can remove the ability of all the incumbents to stay in business. Instead of educating Congress, the FCC ,and our allies (if we have any) about how freedom to be in business has been the central mechanism by which a vast swath of America has great internet service, we've quibbled over dollars and rules and tried to slant them for us against others - the very thinking we must now defeat. I have said we all stand on freedom, or fall together, and for this I have been branded as a radical, idiot, moron, right wing extremist, and so on - as such principles are, according to the self proclaimed 'wise men' of the group, outdated and unworkable. Until we need them, of course. Even the tortured and twisted explanation below is still trying to defend the big government crapola, and by now, it better be as clear and obvious to you, as a just hammered thumbnail, that NOTHING ELSE MATTERS IF WE DO NOT HAVE THE FREEDOM TO BE IN BUSINESS. I was at founding of WISPA. I was there within a week or two of the interest list being formed, and I joined and donated money, until previous people of WISPA were found by me to be advocating FCC mandates on us. At which I resigned and will not rejoin until my money is no longer at risk of being used against our basic and fundamental freedoms. YEARS have been sqandered, because WISPA failed to advocate for freedom first, a consistent, principled basis for everything said, advocacy positions, etc. Now, you have to suddenly "get religion", because EVERYONE's freedom is at stake, even our competition's,. Rather than advocate for that, WISPA now has a history just as compromised as AT&T's and every lobbyist's, because it stood for little more than trying to bend the rules to favor US instead of "THEM". Expediently, we've "discovered" that open markets mean open to competition, as well, something not advocated by WISPA before. I said in 2009 that there were people headed for Congress, a sea change coming, and that WISPA needed to get politically allied with the pro freedom crowd. They were called radicals and idiots on this list instead. If you have even ONCE advocated for big government intervention... For money your way, for regulation to favor you instead of them, for a chance to get your hands on the subsidies, or IN ANY WAY supported the notion of government intervention in the markets.... YOU are directly to blame for the mess we're facing. YOU failed to stand for the ONE thing that matters, freedom. I sure hope we win this fight. When I started posting about defending your right to be in business several years ago, it was because I had envisioned this happening, it was written on the wall, in big letters. I told you so. Are you going to get serious, or this just going to be just more arguments of convenience? ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Neofast, Inc, Making internet easy 541-969-8200 509-386-4589 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ -------------------------------------------------- From: "Forbes Mercy" <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, July 15, 2011 6:03 AM To: <[email protected]>; "WISPA General List" <[email protected]> Subject: [WISPA] The Legislative Situation Is Dire > TO WISP's > > I'm not much of an alarmist and I would never claim the sky is falling > unless I had positive proof. Right now WISPA is faced with what I > perceive as the most serious threat to our industry to date. Some of > you may complain that the FCC is an overreaching intruder into our > business. While Federal Government oversight and regulations into our > rapidly growing industry may seem intrusive WISPA has always had their > ear and we feel they listen and include us into much of their decision > making process. There is no doubt they truly want nation-wide service > and recognize the lack of enthusiastic expansion by major players > (legacy carriers) into the rural area which is our strongest argument. > > Starting with Net Neutrality we noticed that Congress was starting to > politicize the work of the FCC. Some of you thought that was a good > thing since you felt the FCC was slow in releasing frequencies. The > micro-management of the FCC on that first issue has rapidly grown to > full fledged taking over of the FCC's mission. Once the legacy > characters found that they could go around the FCC to Congress, where > they already give millions in "donations", they knew they had one big > leg up on small budget organizations like WISPA. They are now flexing > their full lobbying muscle by getting some 'friends' in Congress to > introduce bills that would freeze any future expansion of the WISP > market locking us out of the lower frequencies that we need to penetrate > vegetation and terrain. Much like teaching the Internet to your parents > other legislators look at the new laws with dazed amazement and just say > OK not realizing the ramifications and listening to the lobbyist spin. > > WISPA is not sitting back on this one, last year our board was not > afraid to go far out of budget to get our feet firmly in the door on > issues such as TV White Spaces (TV White Spaces) and the Universal > Service Fund change to Connect America Fund (CAF). It appears all that > work is now under scrutiny by Congress and their answer seems to be one > of 'lets just put all frequencies up for bid, licensed and unlicensed'. > None of us WISP's could afford to bid against the likes of AT&T and > Verizon and it has the potential of locking all small business out of > any future frequencies. > > Yesterday the Legislative, FCC, and Promotions Committee of WISPA got > together and released a letter to all Congressional Members of several > committees relevant to this battle, in addition we paid to have a formal > press release sent to the media objecting to this path that both the > Senate and House seem to be pursuing. We are now interviewing potential > Lobbyists (something we've never needed before) and, other firms that > can help us with this new front we have to fight on. > > Where WISPA will have to go to get the ear of Congress to stop this > insane path is all new to us but we are up to the challange. We have > great legal counsel, members that can attend and testify hearings, > allies in other groups such as New America feel the pain like us on this > issue. We will be making alliances, learning how to do social > networking to reach our members, our members subscribers and, anyone who > will side with us to form grass roots efforts to get the attention of > Congress. At this point we are not asking for a special assessment or > other means to aggressively answer this call, we are within budget so > far but it's hard to say how far this will go. We simply are asking you > to watch closely what we inform membership, prepare to be involved > because unless you are content with the current frequencies and rules we > are under you will directly be affected by this Congressional action. > > If we give in to these irrational rules don't think Congress or the > legacy characters will stop there, if they sell the revenue model > successfully they could go after existing frequencies too. WISPA will > be releasing talking points next week so that you can help us by making > appointments with your Congressperson while they are in district during > the month of August. We really need to educate them that this path is > bad for America and their constituents. If you need constant updates > please join the Legislative Committee as we will be posting most of the > Legislative work in that venue. Thank you for your time and we > appreciate you realizing the huge task we have ahead of us. > > Forbes Mercy > WISPA VP/Legislative Chair > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > 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/
