FCC Commissioners Support Open Internet

[NorthCarolina]

FCC Commissioners Copps, Clyburn Strongly Support Open Internet

By: David Dayen

Two FCC Commissioners and one US Senator slammed the Google-Verizon joint policy agreement and strongly endorsed the principle of net neutrality last night at a hearing before hundreds of citizens in Minneapolis, giving the Chairman of the federal agency Julius Genachowski all of the support he would need to regulate broadband Internet, if he so chose.

Democratic Commissioners Michael Copps and Mignon Clyburn both endorsed the reclassification of broadband as a communications service, under Title II of the Telecommunications Act. Copps said simply, “It’s calling an apple an apple.” If Genachowski agreed, he would thus have enough votes to pass the change in policy. Genachowski and the FCC released a plan in May to reclassify, but has yet to move on it, taking meetings with industry stakeholders and generally foot-dragging in an effort to reach consensus.

<---snip--->

While the opinions of Copps and Clyburn are nothing new – just yesterday they posted an editorial with similar views in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune – this public display of support for net neutrality makes perfectly clear that two votes exist on the FCC for strong regulatory authority over broadband in all its forms. Only three votes would be needed for passage, so really, it’s all up to Chairman Genachowski.

Link to complete article: http://news.firedoglake.com/2010/08/20/fcc-commissioners-copps-clyburn-strongly-support-open-internet/

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So it appears that Net Neutrality comes down to one vote, Chairman Genachowski, an Obama appointee (and top aide at the FCC under Democratic president Bill Clinton). Who will he side with?

Please kick and rec this post if you support an Open Internet.

[ejpoeta]

1. is it up to the FCC to determine this? how can they make it so we don't have to worry about this

happening in the future? do we need some kind of law or what.

[NorthCarolina]

2. Here's how

If the FCC goes through the administrative process of reversing its earlier decision about cable broadband, and places cable and DSL under Title II authority, there is little doubt that it has jurisdictional power to impose network neutrality requirements. And it may create special rules or exemptions for broadband under Title II to the extent that the existing common carriage model of telephone service is inappropriate for broadband. Indeed, under its Title II jurisdiction, the FCC can require open access requirements, which would be even more valuable for purposes of promoting freedom of speech and innovation.

Link: http://balkin.blogspot.com/2010/04/whats-next-for-network-neutrality.html

[ejpoeta]

3. thank you for that. i don't know anything about this except that it seems businesses

want to take the only thing that we have left that we are all equally able to get out there. i hope that they can do whatever needs to be done to protect this net neutrality so that corporations can't squash us.... again.

[NorthCarolina]

4. No problem, and thanks for expressing your support for

keeping the internet open. Doesn't seem that important for many DU'ers. Puzzling as I looked on this report as a bit of good news. Perhaps more progressives have left DU than I thought.