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You are here: MacNN Forums > News > Tech News > FCC chairman rejects President's call for Title II ISP regulation

FCC chairman rejects President's call for Title II ISP regulation
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NewsPoster
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Nov 12, 2014, 08:50 AM
 
Speaking before a series of Silicon Valley company representatives, US Federal Communications Chairman Tom Wheeler has refuted President Obama's call for Title II regulation of cable companies and strict net neutrality. The chairman, when asked about the President's declaration, reminded attendees that the FCC doesn't answer to the President, with the statement that "I am an independent agency."

Chairman Wheeler, speaking to representatives from Etsy, Google, and Yahoo, said that "what you want is what everyone wants: an open Internet that doesn't affect your business. What I've got to figure out is how to split the baby" according to the Washington Post.

Title II regulation of broadband would apply oversight to ISPs similar to that of utilities, such as water and power. While the ISPs and some governmental supporters believe the FCC may not even have this power, if implemented US broadband access would be more tightly monitored for abuses, predatory pricing, and other anti-consumer measures - which have escalated in recent years, with the result of Americans paying more money for less service than is widely seen in most other countries. Additionally, the ISPs would be subject to independent ombudsmen, deciding if the companies were taking advantage of their power over consumers.

President Obama said over the weekend that he believes "the FCC should create a new set of rules protecting net neutrality, and ensuring that neither the cable company nor the phone company will be able to act as a gatekeeper, restricting what you can do or see online. The rules I am asking for are simple, common-sense steps that reflect the Internet you and I use everyday, and that some Internet Service Providers (ISPs) already observe."

Most Republicans and corporate Internet Service Providers decry the possibility of Title II legislation, while smaller ISPs and Democrats are broadly in favor of codifying, at some level, true net neutrality. AT&T, taking the opposite view, writes that "going backwards 80 years to the world of utility regulation would represent a tragic step in the wrong direction. Utility regulation would strangle investment, hobble innovation, and put government regulators in charge of nearly every aspect of Internet-based services," but did not offer any evidence that such regulation would actually harm consumers compared to the status quo.

The White House issued a terse response to Wheeler's remarks, saying only that "ultimately this decision is theirs alone," though in fact it may fall to the courts to decide. The FCC and Chairman Wheeler have declined opportunities to clarify statements made.
( Last edited by NewsPoster; Nov 12, 2014 at 04:28 PM. )
     
prl99
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Nov 12, 2014, 09:34 AM
 
In other words, the FCC's decision goes to the highest bidder and we all know how this will play out. The consumer loses and big business, as usual, wins.
     
prl99
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Nov 12, 2014, 09:47 AM
 
Just some interesting information about the FCC:
The FCC's mission, specified in Section One of the Communications Act of 1934 and amended by the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (amendment to 47 U.S.C. ยง151) is to "make available so far as possible, to all the people of the United States, without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, or sex, rapid, efficient, Nation-wide, and world-wide wire and radio communication services with adequate facilities at reasonable charges." "The FCC is directed by five commissioners appointed by the U.S. president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate for five-year terms, except when filling an unexpired term. The president designates one of the commissioners to serve as chairman. Only three commissioners may be members of the same political party. None of them may have a financial interest in any FCC-related business." Wheeler's term ends in 2018 meaning he was appointed by Obama. Looks like Obama might have made a little mistake. True, the FCC is supposed to be an independent agency but the Supreme Court, filled by presidential nominees, is also supposed to be independent but we know they are definitely slanted one way or the other. I challenge Wheeler's commitment to serving all the people of the US.
     
kerryb
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Nov 12, 2014, 10:41 AM
 
Access to the internet is as important as clean water was to our society 100 years ago. No private enterprise should control it or most of us will suffer from second class status.
     
Grendelmon
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Nov 12, 2014, 11:25 AM
 
Capitalism. Big business always wins. Always.
     
b9bot
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Nov 12, 2014, 12:57 PM
 
Republicans Suck! Alls they care about are there own pockets! You are supposed to be working for the people of this country. You are supposed to help us, not the crappy cable companies who will out price the internet so those who have it now won't be able to afford it in the future. We can't let them win!
The FCC chairman needs to have the balls and listen to the more than 4 million people that have told him NOT to let the cable companies control things. If they do we all LOSE!
     
Mike Wuerthele
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Nov 12, 2014, 02:08 PM
 
While most Republicans are against Title II, this issue is less about D versus R, and more about corporate funding.
     
Charles Martin
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Nov 12, 2014, 03:20 PM
 
prl99: to be fair, there is a very, very long history of presidential nominees not acting as puppets of the administration; indeed, they are not expected to do so, but rather are supposed to try and act in the best interests of the people (which may or may not coincide with the administration's interests all the time). Sadly, these days the only "people" who count are corporations, it seems. I predict ultimately this will be decided by the Supreme Court, the current makeup of which has not established themselves as being very pro-consumer.

I don't pretend to know enough about Title II regulation to say if it would be a panacea to ensure true net neutrality, but apart from that I agree with President Obama's strong call for ensuring that there are no "pay" lanes or "slow" lanes for Internet content. Wheeler seems determined to "mess with" a system that was until recently working perfectly, and which needs only the tiniest of fixes (nullification of the Netflix deals and a bar on any further such deals) to put things back to rights.
Charles Martin
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chimaera
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Nov 12, 2014, 04:19 PM
 
The story title is inaccurate. Wheeler has only said he is independent. He didn't reject (or adopt) Obama's position.

btw, there's no source link for the story - the one link goes to Obama's speech a couple days ago, not Wheeler's response.
     
Mike Wuerthele
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Nov 12, 2014, 04:30 PM
 
Apologies for no source link. I just added one.

The story title is perfectly accurate. Wheeler isn't going to implement Title II the way the president wants and he's made that clear. His remarks to Silicon Valley say so.

Invoking the royal "I"? Do you think that's a sign he's going to hew to the President's will?
     
chimaera
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Nov 12, 2014, 04:43 PM
 
My thought was that he's keeping all options open until a juicy enough offer arrives. But that's unprofessional and certainly not literally true. We may not know if it's tacitly true until we see what job offers he gets after his service is up.
     
SierraDragon
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Nov 13, 2014, 02:02 AM
 
Wheeler will take care of Big Business and a decade from now one way or another will be being well financially taken care of by Big Business (like Oliver North is for instance).
     
   
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