Wheeler: GOP, Trump Plan to 'Modernize' the FCC is a 'Fraud' In an interview, recently-departed FCC boss Tom Wheeler warns that the new administration's agenda for the agency (gutting net neutrality, neutering the agency's enforcement authority over large ISPs) is a terrible idea that will leave broadband consumers -- especially those that voted for the new President -- significantly worse off. Now out of public office, Wheeler offers his candid takes on a number of different issues, even claiming that current FCC boss Ajit Pai repeatedly refused to even meet with him during his latter tenure at the agency.

The whole interview is worth a read, but here's a few selections of note. On the industry's claim that net neutrality rules hurt broadband investment: quote: The facts speak for themselves. Since the Open Internet rule was put in place, broadband investment is up, fiber connections are up, usage of broadband is up, investment in companies that use broadband is up, and revenues in the broadband providers are up, because people are using it more. On municipal broadband, and the ongoing efforts by ISPs to pass state protectionist laws hamstringing local communities' right to make local infrastructure decisions for themselves: quote: The great thing is all the hubbub about this woke up an awful lot of cities, and there is more activity to build competitive broadband at municipal levels than there ever has been. You know what happens when cities build? What happens is when they decide to build, the cable company decides to go faster and expand their service. I love this thing called competition. ...it’s not really the Chattanoogas where this is a big challenge. It’s the [more rural] areas where the people who voted for Donald Trump do not have access to the internet and are not getting access from the existing companies. They’re the ones who are fed up with the system. I think that one of the messages that people were voting for in this campaign is, “I want power back to me.” The whole thing about draining the swamp is get the power back. If the government closest to the people is saying “Our people would like to have better broadband,” who’s to say no? But perhaps the most important point by Wheeler is his comment about how the new Trump administration's plan to pare back the FCC and leave all broadband enforcement to the an under-funded and already-overwhelmed FTC is just a ploy by giant ISPs that hope consumer broadband protections fall through the cracks: quote: In the Trump administration, people are talking about stripping regulatory power from the FCC, and essentially taking the agency apart (including moving jurisdiction over internet access to the Federal Trade Commission [FTC]). “Modernizing” the FCC is the lingo being used. What’s your thought about that? It’s a fraud . The FTC doesn’t have rule-making authority. They’ve got enforcement authority and their enforcement authority is whether or not something is unfair or deceptive. And the FTC has to worry about everything from computer chips to bleach labeling. Of course, carriers want [telecom issues] to get lost in that morass. This was the strategy all along . So it doesn’t surprise me that the Trump transition team -- who were with the American Enterprise Institute and basically longtime supporters of this concept -- comes in and says, “Oh, we oughta do away with this.” It makes no sense to get rid of an expert agency and to throw these issues to an agency with no rule-making power that has to compete with everything else that’s going on in the economy, and can only deal with unfair or deceptive practices. The GOP, Trump and Pai know that repealing net neutrality will result in backlash that could make SOPA/PIPA look like a fireside snuggle. So to start, the FCC under Pai's leadership simply won't enforce the net neutrality or any other rules AT&T, Comcast, Verizon and Charter don't like. From there, expect a long-awaited GOP Communications Act rewrite that walks back the reclassification of ISPs under Title II, thereby crippling both its net neutrality and privacy protection enforcement ability. Having studied this sector for twenty years, I can assure you this bill will be sold to the public under the pretense of "efficiency," job creation and expanded broadband investment and deployment, but the real goal -- Wheeler makes quite clear -- is to ensure less regulatory oversight than ever over some of the least liked, and least competitive companies in America. On municipal broadband, and the ongoing efforts by ISPs to pass state protectionist laws hamstringing local communities' right to make local infrastructure decisions for themselves:But perhaps the most important point by Wheeler is his comment about how the new Trump administration's plan to pare back the FCC and leave all broadband enforcement to the an under-funded and already-overwhelmed FTC is just a ploy by giant ISPs that hope consumer broadband protections fall through the cracks:The GOP, Trump and Pai know that repealing net neutrality will result in backlash that could make SOPA/PIPA look like a fireside snuggle. So to start, the FCC under Pai's leadership simply won't enforce the net neutrality or any other rules AT&T, Comcast, Verizon and Charter don't like. From there, expect a long-awaited GOP Communications Act rewrite that walks back the reclassification of ISPs under Title II, thereby crippling both its net neutrality and privacy protection enforcement ability. Having studied this sector for twenty years, I can assure you this bill will be sold to the public under the pretense of "efficiency," job creation and expanded broadband investment and deployment, but the real goal -- Wheeler makes quite clear -- is to ensure less regulatory oversight than ever over some of the least liked, and least competitive companies in America.







News Jump Are The Comcast-Charter X1 Talks Dead In The Water?; AT&T May Offer Phone Plans With Ads For Discounts; + more news Europe's Top Court: Net Neutrality Rules Bar Zero Rating; ViacomCBS To Rebrand CBS All Access As Paramount+; + more news Verizon To Buy Reseller TracFone For $7B; 5G Not The Competitive Threat To Cable Many Thought It Would Be; + more news MS.Wants Records From AT&T On $300M Project; Google Fiber Outages In Austin, Houston, Other Texan Cities; + more news States With The Biggest Decreases In Speed; AT&T Hopes You'll Forget Its Fight Against Accurate Maps; + more news AT&T's CEO Has A Familiar $olution To US Broadband Woes; EarthLink Files Suit Against Charter; + more news 5G Doesn't Live Up To Hype, AT&T's 5G Slower Than Its 4G; Cord-Cutting Now In 37% of Broadband Households; + more news FCC Cited False Broadband Data Despite Warnings; ZTE, Huawei Replacement Cost Is $1.87B, But Only $1B Allocated; + more Cogeco Rejects Altice USA's Atlantic Broadband Bid; AT&T Is Astroturfing The FCC In Support Of Trump Attack; + more news Big CBRS Auction Winners: Verizon, Windstream, Dish, Cablecos; Altice USA makes play for Atlantic Broadband; + more news ---------------------- this week last week most discussed

Most recommended from 117 comments

Skippy25

join:2000-09-13

Hazelwood, MO 54 recommendations Skippy25 Member Already Missed! It has only been a couple weeks and I already miss him.



That tool Pai, needs to just go away.

maartena

Elmo

Premium Member

join:2002-05-10

Orange, CA 35 recommendations maartena Premium Member Trump's FCC plan is simple: - The corporations are always right.

- The consumers are always wrong.



All regulations are to be held to the above guidelines.

IT Guy

Ow, My Balls

Premium Member

join:2004-07-29

Las Cruces, NM Cisco ASA 5505

Cisco Meraki MX64

29 recommendations IT Guy Premium Member Wool Over The Eyes Anyone who believe Trump will be some altruistic savior of the common American is either willfully ignorant or being dishonest. If you can't already see his goal in his policies and appointments, is to make money for himself and his friends at the expense of the poor and middle-class, well I guess we're just screwed. As someone who lives in a border town, I will tell you that no wall is going to stop what little illegal immigration truly exists.

Anon6b9c5

@cox.net 27 recommendations Anon6b9c5 Anon Voting has consequences "is a terrible idea that will leave broadband consumers -- especially those that voted for the new President -- significantly worse off."



And now they get to live with these consequences. POTS gets dumped for wireless and their favorite news sites can now be blocked/degraded. rdmiller

join:2005-09-23

Richmond, VA 21 recommendations rdmiller Member How do residents of PA, OH and WI sleep at night? Everything we think of as normal, is disintegrating.

CylonRed

MVM

join:2000-07-06

Bloom County 20 recommendations CylonRed MVM Hopefully... he keeps up sounding off on these things and wake people the hell up.

Anoncef4b

@sandia.gov 3 recommendations Anoncef4b Anon The Snake Oil Salesman I'm reminded of the scenes of the snake oil salesman coming into town in his wagon with a magical cure for whatever ails. People buy into it hook, line and sinker until the snake oil starts killing people...at which point the snake oil salesman is either hanged or run out of town. That time can't come soon enough...