FCC's GOP: New Broadband Rules Would Ruin FCC Credibility

The Hill's Hillicon Valley:

The FCC's two Republican members on Thursday said Chairman Julius Genachowski's broad proposal to regulate broadband "risks the credibility" of the commission at risk of causing "serious ramifications across the globe."

Commissioners Robert McDowell and Meredith Baker spared not a kind word for Genachowski, who announced earlier in the day the FCC would apply some rules that govern phone companies to broadband providers in part to institute net neutrality rules.

Read the whole story: The Hill's Hillicon Valley

Comments

[jsgaetano]

01:01 PM on 05/07/2010

Conservatives will never realize their failed and fraud-based ideology is now being rejected by anyone with more than half a brain.

Over 30 years ago, Conservatives seized control of a nation which was on top of the world in just about every way possible. And in that time, they made sure America started racing to the bottom in every way possible.

Getting advice on almost ANYTHING from a conservatve, but especially on matters of trade and the economy, is like listening to an arsonist complain about how much water the fire department uses.

[protagonia]

11:28 AM on 05/08/2010

Things have finally come around for us.

Thanks God.

[Vetinari]

08:11 PM on 05/06/2010

Of course republicans want corporations to be able to control what information the American people can receive.

Just look at the correlation between corporate controlled TV, its unified message allowing no dissent, and who the watchers vote for...

[dapoes]

07:00 PM on 05/06/2010

Since the Obama administration has f$&d up everything they put their hands on, what could go wrong?

[jsgaetano]

01:00 PM on 05/07/2010

When a conservative drives a car into a ditch, they ALWAYS blame it on the tow truck driver who comes to get their car out.

Because it's obviously the tow truck driver's fault. How could those Libr00lz brainwashed by Obama not see that?

[protagonia]

11:31 AM on 05/08/2010

There is a sense of frustration in all the rt wing posts now, as if they inherently know they are employing an inferior technique to create mislead the readers here. Almost like they know it is over for them but are being paid to stay at their posts just the same.

[iamnumba1]

06:53 PM on 05/06/2010

Good job FCC. That's all I need to say.

[Ozarks]

06:32 PM on 05/06/2010

"risks the credibility" by two republicans is pretty funny given:Grassley and Palin's Death Panels; Michele Bachmann just being Michele Bachmann; McCain on Mirandia and not ever being a maverick; McConnell and Kyl on never saying "Drill baby Drill", apparent Rep Convert Lieberman on revoking citizenship on "associations" given the 14th Amendment ,SC- Brown vs Board of Education (1954) and a raft of other SC decisions on citizenship immunity.

[jsgaetano]

01:02 PM on 05/07/2010

Listening to conservatives talk about risking credibility is hilarious. They are blissfully ignorant of many things, but irony is the biggest one.

[mummblemouth]

06:26 PM on 05/06/2010

From the Party of No (credibility): 'They said that proposal "is disappointing and deeply concerns us," in part because it defies the advice of investors and industry experts who implored the FCC to handle the matter differently.'

Just another blatant example of cons selling out to the highest bidder. Investors and industry experts do not have our freedoms or best interests in mind, and their big money lobbying is nothing more than bribery and ultimately extortion.

[Westof405]

06:03 PM on 05/06/2010

The idea that some here have that net neutrality means censorship is nonsense. Where did you get this idea? From Faux News? Michael Copps, an FCC board member explained this on Bill Moyers show last week. There are two issues - Can the FCC regulate the Internet the same way it regulates phone companies and if so, can it require net neutrality? Right now, the FCC can't regulate the internet because it redefined the Internet under Bush as an "information service" not a communications provider. Copps said all it has to do is change the definition back to what it was before the Bushies reclassified the Internet.

Once they do that, the FCC can insist that ISP cannot discriminate against content providers. That is not censorship, it is the exact opposite. The big ISPs like TimeWarner want to charge certain content providers more than others or cut them off completely. It is just a ploy to make more money, it has nothing to do with creating jobs. Most of the customer service jobs have been outsourced to Asia already anyway. Just try calling Earthlink or most computer companies and hear who you are talking to-not someone in this country.

[Mike Burger]

06:21 PM on 05/06/2010

Great points.

[freespeech2]

06:51 PM on 05/06/2010

Will the change permit federal taxation of internet phone service (now exempt)?
Will the FCC be obligated to receive and act on complaints on content as they currently do with radio and tv?
Will the FCC be able to license content providers or ISP's and denty licensing as they do for broadcast media?

[jsgaetano]

01:06 PM on 05/07/2010

> Will the change permit federal taxation of internet phone service (now exempt)?

No, because the FCC does not write tax law (or any other laws).

> Will the FCC be obligated to receive and act on complaints
> on content as they currently do with radio and tv?

That's up to Congress, because, once again, the FCC does not write laws.

> Will the FCC be able to license content providers or
> ISP's and denty licensing as they do for broadcast media?

They already do. There's several bandwidths authorized for wireless data traffic.

[SilentSolidarity]

05:50 PM on 05/06/2010

So Republicans oppose net neutrality? Let tell the FCC that the rules of net neutrality don't apply to FOXnews.com and the Drudge Report. That sounds fair to me.

[Dbos]

05:44 PM on 05/06/2010

The repugs do not want net neutrality they want to be able to do everything without regulation ,we've seen what that did.

[protagonia]

04:07 AM on 05/09/2010

A handful of trolls here pushing that canard.

[XLintLuvR]

05:22 PM on 05/06/2010

If the Repubs are complaining that it'll lead to lost jobs then it must be the thing to do because...well, they lie. That and they know nothing about how to create jobs domestically. Put Repubs in charge and they'll deregulate everything and give you tax breaks to send those jobs overseas and say that it's all about the free market. If they're upset about this endeavor, you're doing the right thing.

[GeoNorth]

05:16 PM on 05/06/2010

The serious ramification of the internet that they speak of is that enough information will be spread and read that will uncover these pawns of the industry. There is nothing so ridiculous as the statement, "I believe in free speech, but there are limits."

[NelsonBig]

04:27 PM on 05/06/2010

Umm. The FCC lost all its credibility a looong time ago.

[DougNTexas]

05:36 PM on 05/06/2010

Winner winner chicken dinner.

[freespeech2]

06:55 PM on 05/06/2010

Yup. Look at television in the late thirties and color TV in the forties.

[spytheweb]

04:06 PM on 05/06/2010

"In 2005 during the Bush Administration, the Supreme Court, on a 6-3 vote, allowed the FCC to classify broadband Internet as an “Information Service” to be regulated under Title I of the FCC code rather than the much more restrictive Title II which covers telephony."

This just makes the law go back to the way it was, and not allow these companies to run wild like they want to.

[max hp]

04:04 PM on 05/06/2010

Yet another thing that the previous admin SCREWED UP.

It is not enough to protect 'net neutrality, it is NECESSARY TO GUARANTEE IT.

REVERSE the decisions of the previous admin's FCC decisions for STARTERS

[Mike Burger]

03:45 PM on 05/06/2010

Net Neutrality will protect the our rights to free speech that corporate interests like AT&T and Comcast are actively trying to censor....

[poseA]

05:03 PM on 05/06/2010

I've not heard about AT&T or Comcast censoring content.

Do you really surmise that giving control of the Internet to the FCC will give us a more open web?

Check out China ;)

[GeoNorth]

05:18 PM on 05/06/2010

We ain't China. We still fight everyday for free speech. They can't. This is the fight.

[XLintLuvR]

05:32 PM on 05/06/2010

You hadn't heard about it because this is the first time that you must have heard about the story. The large Communications giants have been trying to find out whether or not the FCC has authority over telling them they can't the way they want to over the internet because they want to start charging people additionally to jump the line. Imagine someone just throwing up a toll on a road and saying "if you pay me, I'll let you ride in this lane as fast as you want." Ultimately less people are going to want to pay for it and you'll get bottle necks on the free lanes. I see it every morning when I hop on 635 on the way to work. There's a toll road that goes from my apt's back gate to my job and I'd only have to pass three lights from the road to my office. I'm unwilling to pay basically $50 in tolls a week just to travel back and forth to work. So I take the overcrowded road that always has traffic both ways each way.