The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is poised to add the Internet to its portfolio of regulated industries. The agency's chairman,Julius Genachowski, announced Wednesday that he circulated draft rules he says will "preserve the freedom and openness of the Internet." No statement could better reflect the gulf between the rhetoric and the reality of Obama administration policies.
With a straight face, Mr. Genachowski suggested that government red tape will increase the "freedom" of online services that have flourished because bureaucratic busybodies have been blocked from tinkering with the Web. Ordinarily, it would be appropriate at this point to supply an example from the proposed regulations illustrating the problem. Mr. Genachowski's draft document has over 550 footnotes and is stamped "non-public, for internal use only" to ensure nobody outside the agency sees it until the rules are approved in a scheduled Dec. 21 vote. So much for "openness."
It's not clear why the FCC thinks it needs to intervene in a situation with obvious market solutions. Companies that impose draconian tolls or block services will lose customers. Existing laws already offer a number of protections against anti-competitive behavior, but it's not clear under what law Mr. Genachowski thinks he can stick his nose into the businesses that comprise the Internet.
The FCC regulates broadcast television and radio because the government granted each station exclusive access to a slice of the airwaves. Likewise when Ma Bell accepted a monopoly deal from Uncle Sam, it came with regulatory strings attached.
No such rationale applies online, especially because bipartisan majorities in Congress have insisted on maintaining a hands-off policy. A federal appeals court confirmed this in April by striking down the FCC's last attempt in this arena. "That was sort of like the quarterback being sacked for a 20-yard loss," FCC Commissioner Robert M. McDowell told The Washington Times. "And now the team is about to run the exact same play. ... In order for the FCC to do this, it needs for Congress to give it explicit statutory authority to do so."
Freedom and openness should continue to be the governing principles of the Internet. That's why Mr. Genachowski's proposal should be rejected and Congress should make it even more clear that the FCC should stop trying to expand its regulatory empire.
© Copyright 2010 The Washington Times, LLC.
The reasons behind the FCC’s move are anything but what they site!! And what makes it worse is that the FCC is going around Congress to further take our freedoms!
Net Neutrality End Run
The FCC tells Congress to get lost
Cognitive dissonance is a psychological term for holding two conflicting ideas simultaneously. And it's one way to describe the recent behavior of Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski.
"Late Tuesday night, the FCC announced plans to adopt net neutrality regulations over the objections of lawmakers and despite a federal court ruling in April that said the FCC lacked authority from Congress to restrict how Internet service providers manage traffic on their networks."
The announcement comes two weeks after Mr. Genachowski told state utility regulators in a speech that "the economy and jobs" would be "the primary focus" of the FCC. ...
Free Internet a Civil Right for Every ‘nappy Headed Child’ – FCC Commissioner Clyburn
Video: FCC Commissioner declares "American media has a bad case of substance abuse right now."
Bernie Goldberg, journalist and author of a A Slobbering Love Affair: The True (And Pathetic) Story of the Torrid Romance Between Barack Obama and the Mainstream Media said in an interview with Bill O’Reilly that the only reason for the FCC’s move on the Internet, talk radio (or any other form of media) is to silence conservative/alternative voices to the Progressive movement. These are the kinds of actions that lead to dictatorships.
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