Political and Public Pressure Mounts on F.C.C. Head Over Open Internet Rules

[Old Nick]

Source: New York Times

By EDWARD WYATT 8:57 PM ET 12 NOVEMBER

WASHINGTON — Even before President Obama issued his forceful call this week for “the strongest possible rules” to protect an open Internet, Tom Wheeler, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, was in a tight spot.

His quandary: trying to shape rules for an open Internet, or net neutrality, that would satisfy the millions of people who wrote the agency in support of strong regulation — and also would stand up in court and encourage web investment and innovation.

The challenge only grew after Mr. Obama spoke out, adding a more potent political element to the debate. Since those remarks, say people who met with Mr. Wheeler this week, he has been testy, defensive and a bit angry that he might be seen as a political pawn instead of as the head of an independent agency who is exercising his own judgment.

Mr. Wheeler has not yet decided on how to proceed, F.C.C. officials say. But as he tries to thread the needle of politics and public policy to safeguard the openness of the Internet, he must now also face down angry Republicans in Congress and a technology industry, generally supportive of the president, that is wary of any regulations stifling the expansion of the Internet.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/13/technology/pressure-mounts-on-fcc-head-over-open-internet-rules.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news

---

Who does this guy work for again?

[renegade000]

1. Got to love the framing in the article...

"...regulations stifling the expansion of the Internet."

more like, "...regulations preventing rent-seeking by telecomm companies."

[Cha]

2. Tough Shite he has to face down repubs in Congress.. has he seen ted cruz' fb page?

[Scuba]

3. "Wheeler has not yet decided on how to proceed." Bullshit.

Wheeler will kill net neutrality. That's the job the telecom lobby gave him.

[midnight]

4. This article presumes Mr. Wheeler will proceed with ATT/Verizon plan. FAST/Slow lanes.

"Wheeler’s posts attempt to placate critics, but let’s get one thing straight: He is not backing off his plan to hand the keys to the Internet over to the cable and phone industries. The chairman told the cable industry to “put away the party hats” because he’s not actually going to kill network neutrality. But his proposal is the same plan offered by the largest cable and phone companies, which have tried to kill network neutrality for almost a decade. Since 2006, the phone and cable industries have proposed a world where they won’t “block” any websites, but they will simply create a lane for all websites and then charge anyone who wants better service for a fast lane. They have fought a nondiscrimination rule for at least eight years, using tens of millions of dollars. The tolls for the fast lane may be tied to bandwidth or a company’s revenue. Finally, the cable and phone giants want this world to have no clear rules—just vague principles about what might be “commercially reasonable,” which is an invitation for small companies to sue the giants if they’re unhappy. Since the cable and telephone companies have more FCC lawyers than most companies have employees, they will scare off most potential companies suing and then beat the rest in “FCC court.”

http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2014/05/fcc_chairman_tom_wheeler_s_lame_excuses_for_his_net_neutrality_proposal.html