June, 09 2010, 03:57pm EDT
Free Press: FCC Plan Is Not About Regulating the Internet
Chairman Genachowski Has Support to Take Necessary Steps to Protect Internet Users
WASHINGTON
In a House Appropriations Committee hearing Wednesday, Federal
Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski was questioned
about the agency's authority over broadband, and it was suggested that
the FCC wait for Congress to pass a law outlining its oversight powers.
S. Derek Turner, Free Press research director, made
the following statement:
"The FCC's plan to restore its authority over broadband is not a plan
to 'regulate the Internet.' It is a protection of the status quo and
the first step toward ensuring that the FCC can protect Internet users
and carry out key parts of its agenda, including implementation of the
National Broadband Plan. Congress has always intended the FCC to be the
government agency overseeing communications services, and this plan
simply furthers that goal.
"It is disappointing that one lone congressman, Rep. John Culberson
of Texas, would continue to echo falsehoods, propogated by AT&T and
other opponents of even minimal FCC oversight, about the FCC's plan. It
is clear from this hearing that the Commission has support from the
majority of the Committee, and the assertions that Congress needs to
clarify the FCC's authority are completely wrong. The Communications Act
clearly affirms the FCC's power to determine how best to protect
consumers, and the Supreme Court's ruling in the Brand X case found that
the FCC has the ability to designate broadband transmission as a
telecommunications service.
"Congressional leaders, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Sen.
Jay Rockefeller and Rep. Henry Waxman, support the FCC and have already
instructed Chairman Julius Genachowski to take the necessary steps to
ensure that the agency can carry out its agenda."
Read The
Truth About the Third Way: Separating Fact from Fiction in the FCC
Reclassification Debate for more background on the FCC's proposal
and the myths surrounding its authority.
Free Press was created to give people a voice in the crucial decisions that shape our media. We believe that positive social change, racial justice and meaningful engagement in public life require equitable access to technology, diverse and independent ownership of media platforms, and journalism that holds leaders accountable and tells people what's actually happening in their communities.
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Privacy Defenders Decry 'Spy Draft' in Section 702 Renewal Advanced by Senate
"It's not about who RISAA allows the government to spy on, it's about who RISAA allows the government to force to spy," explained one critic.
Apr 18, 2024
Civil liberties defenders on Thursday decried the U.S. Senate's advancement of the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act, which critics say lawmakers are trying to ram through without protection against warrantless surveillance and with a provision that would effectively make every American a spy whether they like it or not.
Senators voted 67-32 in favor of a cloture motion to begin voting on RISAA, a bill to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which expires on Friday. FISA—a highly controversial law that has been abused hundreds of thousands of times—allows warrantless surveillance of non-U.S. citizens but also often sweeps up Americans' communication data in the process.
In a 273-147 vote last week, House lawmakers passed RISAA, including an amendment critics say dramatically expands the government's unchecked surveillance authority by compelling a wide range of individuals and organizations—including businesses and the media—to cooperate in government spying operations.
This so-called "Make Everyone a Spy" clause would allow the attorney general or director of national intelligence to force electronic communication service providers to "immediately provide... all information, facilities, or assistance" the government deems necessary.
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Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.)—who
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The Biden administration and U.S. intelligence agencies vehemently oppose the Durbin-Cramer amendment. The White House called the measure "a reckless policy choice contrary to the key lessons of 9/11 and not grounded in any constitutional requirement or statute."
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