The IRREGULATORS has formed as an independent consortium of retired and semi-retired telecom experts, policy wonks, forensic auditors, and lawyers who are former senior staffers from the FCC, state advocate and Attorneys General Office experts and lawyers, as well as former x-telco employees or telecom consultants.
Watch the video, now on YouTube: It is Time to Take the FCC to Court: Five Issues Beyond Net Neutrality
John Oliver just helped to bring national attention to Net Neutrality again as this FCC wants to reverse the current laws. But this is only the tip of a deep iceberg.
Sprint and Windstream have just taken the FCC to court over the FCC’s recent decision to deregulate AT&T, Verizon and CenturyLink’s Business Data Services (BDS), (formerly called “special access”). These are just regular copper or fiber optic wires that are used for ATM machines or hot spots, or the wires used by competitors to offer services, including wireless. This will raise rates 20-50% even though the costs of BDS should be in steep decline, among other nasty outcomes, like harming competition or forcing customers onto bad alternatives. And there will be a ripple effect to all service prices, including wireless, as well as to the US economy.
Next, the FCC has decided to erase all of the accounting rules, even though the FCC’s own rules created a massive financial shell game. Low income families, seniors, rural areas and everyone else using the wired networks are paying extra for the corporate jet fleet or the phone companies’ lobbyists and lawyers that are defending the dismantling of Net Neutrality. The FCC hasn’t examined these rules for 16 years and just granted itself yet another extension for 18 months in one proceeding, while in others it is taking apart the rules in pieces. This is being done to cover up this enormous accounting scandal in order to protect AT&T, Verizon and CenturyLink, who have been able to fund their other lines of business and corporate expense accounts by overcharging customers.
The FCC’s plans also include ‘shutting off the copper’ around the US, even working services, even if there are no serious alternatives. Customers can be shut off with little notification, and the FCC’s proposal will preempt state laws that protect customers. The goal is to force-march customers onto more expensive wireless instead of upgrading the networks to fiber optics, or even maintaining the deteriorating infrastructure.
The bottom line is that the FCC is out of control and all votes at this point end up being decided in favor of Chairman Ajit Pai’s wishes. There are only 3 (out of 5) commissioners in place and with 2 Republicans (Pai and O’Rielly) and only 1 Democrat, Commissioner Clyburn, the game has been rigged and the house always wins.
It is Time to Take the FCC to Court.
Watch the video or visit the IRREGULATORS to learn more.