Free Internet In Limbo As FCC Chairman Cancels Vote

[ChromeFoundry]

Source: Information Week

The proposal would have helped established a nationwide license in the 2155-2180 MHz band of which 25% of the band be set aside for free Internet access.

December 15, 2008 12:08 PM


Under pressure seemingly from all sides, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin cancelled a vote that would have allowed free Internet service delivered over the AWS-3 spectrum.

Martin backed down after the White House and Democratic Congressional leaders joined Internet service providers in criticizing Martin's plan to use the spectrum. Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-West Va.) and Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) sent a letter last week urging the FCC to drop the issue.

"We received the letter from Senator Rockefeller and Congressman Waxman today and spoke with other offices," said Robert Kenny, an FCC spokesman, in a statement Friday. "In light of the letter, it does not appear there is consensus to move forward and the agenda meeting has been canceled."

Martin had endorsed the creation of a nationwide license in the 2155-2180 MHz band that called for the winning bidder to earmark 25% of the band for free Internet access. M2Z Networks, a heavily-funded startup, was prepared to filter the network to keep pornography and other inappropriate content off the network.

Internet service providers never blessed the idea of free Internet service and their charge was led by T-Mobile, which maintained the free service could interfere with its AWS spectrum, which it has been deploying in recent months. T-Mobile spent more than $4 billion for the AWS spectrum in an FCC auction and said the M2Z proposal needed additional testing. The FCC had said that initial testing indicated the proposed free swathe of spectrum wouldn't cause interference.





Read more: http://www.informationweek.com/news/telecom/regulation/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=212500353

[mike_c]

1. in America, it's all about making money....

Everything else, including the public good, is secondary.

[CatholicEdHead]

2. Pushed by T-Mobile

So the Germans want free Internet in the US but not any Americans. :crazy:

[TheWraith]

6. No, the fight against it was lead by T-Mobile USA. nt

[No Elephants]

3. Where, oh where, is the citizens' group that fights for free internet access as hard or harder than

a few lobby against free internet acess? How many citizen in the U.S. would like free internet access? How many would not? Why do Congress and the Executive Branch cater to the few? Because we the people have abdicated. Why aren't we ALL on the phone to our Reps and Sens demanding free internet access?

[Robbien]

4. Isn't this a good thing? Didn't they want to section the internet and impose restrictions

and in return a very very small part of the web would be free.

A matter of robbing the net users blind while hiding behind a free useless give away program.

[Azlady]

9. The restrictions would have been.... (fyi - I am MAD about this)!

For the free DSL, no porn, and other nasty things... so that children & schools could access the internet without fear of that crap. It would have been filtered for those not wanting it). Then there would have been tier pricing from there. They had tested to see if T-Mobile customers would have interrupted services, those tests proved they would not. T-Mobile is behind this pressure.

I am so mad, there would have free internet access for those all of us hurting so bad for access right now. For further reading: http://www.m2znetworks.com/

Damn it, damn it.
Azlady

[tabatha]

5. Cox Cable has already implemented two-tiered service.

[kaygore]

8. Which will end up biting them in the butt

Why pay their high fees when you can get DSL for a fraction of the cost and both are about the same speed? The one advantage of cable was its speed vs. DSL. I wonder what lame-brained MBA thought up that idea. Cox used to be the best service and now with their 2-tier approach, they suck for too many of their users.

[Wednesdays]

11. I'm a Cox subscriber

I hadn't heard about that until now. Do you have links with more info? If what you're saying is true, I will probably consider switching.

[kristopher]

7. I want to hear Waxman's reasons.

And see a list of his contributors.

A more informative article: http://techliberation.com/2008/12/14/martin-abandons-unconstitutional-filitering-proposal-what-about-obamas-universal-broadband/

[depakid]

10. Waxman's as corrupt as any Republican on certain issues- and has been so for years

The more things change- the more they stay the same.

[NashVegas]

12. GOOD! The Free Service Would Be the DEATH of Uncensored Internet

Let's see, I can get government-subsidized FREE service, but filtered to keep out porn, or I can pay $15-$50 a month and have the safe internet.

Well guess what? If you think porn is the only thing that's going to be filtered out, that's a scream and a half. This is all about the government taking control of the internet, kids. Wake the hell up.

[babylonsister]

13. FCC cancels meeting at U.S. lawmakers' request (Waxman, Rockefeller)

Different way of looking at it...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=4647008

FCC cancels meeting at U.S. lawmakers' request (Waxman, Rockefeller)

Hmmm, I wonder if there are any ulterior motives here?

http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSTRE4BC0CV20081213

FCC cancels meeting at U.S. lawmakers' request
Sat Dec 13, 2008 12:54pm EST


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Communications Commission said on Saturday it was canceling a December 18 meeting in response to a request by Democratic lawmakers that it pay more attention to a smooth transition to digital television early next year.

Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia and Rep. Henry Waxman of California wrote FCC Chairman Kevin Martin on Friday asking him to hold off on other FCC business to focus on the mandatory switch to digital television signals due in February.

In a statement, FCC spokesman Robert Kenny said that "in light of the letter, it does not appear that there is consensus to move forward and the agenda meeting has been canceled."

Next week's meeting had been scheduled to consider a plan for auctioning a slice of the airwaves for free Internet and proposed rules to handle disputes between cable companies and content providers -- both potentially controversial matters.

Rockefeller and Waxman said it would be "counterproductive" for the FCC to take on such issues when there already were questions about how ready it was to handle the transition to digital television.

Many lawmakers fear that the digital switch, in which about 15 percent of U.S. households will lose their current mode of television, will be troublesome because it requires consumers to buy new converter boxes to ensure they keep television service.

Signals are being converted to digital to free up airwaves for public safety uses, especially in emergencies.

[BrklynLiberal]

14. I guess Rockefeller and Waxman have joined with the repukes in confirming

that they think the American public are idiots...

It is VERY complicated to buy converter boxes!! Every electronic store in the country is selling them, and advertizing them non-stop.

Many lawmakers fear that the digital switch, in which about 15 percent of U.S. households will lose their current mode of television, will be troublesome because it requires consumers to buy new converter boxes to ensure they keep television service.

[babylonsister]

15. Maybe, just maybe they're stalling until the new Congress members

are installed.

[BrklynLiberal]

16. It would be great if the ulterior motive turned out to be for the benefit of the public..