May, 07 2010, 03:59pm EDT
Free Press: FCC Proposal a Step Toward Correcting Powell-Era Mistakes
In an interview Thursday with CNBC,
former FCC Chairman Michael Powell called Chairman Julius Genachowski's
decision to change the way broadband services are treated under law
"the most massive expansion of regulatory authority over the Internet
ever."
WASHINGTON
In an interview Thursday with CNBC,
former FCC Chairman Michael Powell called Chairman Julius Genachowski's
decision to change the way broadband services are treated under law
"the most massive expansion of regulatory authority over the Internet
ever."
But it was Powell himself in 2002 who
categorized cable internet service providers as "information services"
under Title I of the Communications Act, a move which not only put the
FCC's ability to protect Internet users in legal limbo, but led to
America's rapid decline as a world broadband leader. Powell is now a
spokesman for the phone and cable industry front group "Broadband for
America."
Responding to Michael Powell's comments, Free Press Research Director S. Derek Turner said:
"It was the FCC led by Michael Powell that started this mess in the
first place. In 2002, Powell said his classification move would not
leave the FCC 'neutered,' but we now see it did exactly that. FCC
Chairman Julius Genachowski's proposal is designed to correct the
mistakes of the Powell and Martin FCCs and bring the regulatory
framework back into harmony with the law.
"This is not about the FCC regulating the Internet. Content and
applications on the Internet will remain unregulated - this is about
light-touch rules on physical access providers to protect Internet
users. Congress always intended for Internet content to be treated
differently from Internet access, and it was Powell's misguided
attempts to carry out his deregulatory agenda that resulted in the law
becoming unworkable.
"Powell's focus on Network Neutrality in yesterday's comments is
downright disingenuous in light of the fact that there is widespread
agreement among many observers, if not among his clients, that the
Comcast case puts many key broadband policy goals on shaky ground --
including achieving universal and affordable access to broadband. If
Powell supported 'broadband for America' as a policy, not just a
slogan, he would welcome the reclassification of broadband proposed by
Genachowski as a necessary step toward achieving that goal."
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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UN Chief Warns of Israel's Syria Invasion and Land Seizures
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United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said Thursday that he is "deeply concerned" by Israel's "recent and extensive violations of Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity," including a ground invasion and airstrikes carried out by the Israel Defense Forces in the war-torn Mideastern nation.
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Addressing the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and conversations it has sparked about the country's for-profit system, longtime Medicare for All advocate Sen. Bernie Sanders on Wednesday condemned the murder and stressed that getting to universal coverage will require a movement challenging corporate money in politics.
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Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)—a co-sponsor of Sanders' Medicare for All Act—similarly toldHuffPost in a Tuesday interview, "The visceral response from people across this country who feel cheated, ripped off, and threatened by the vile practices of their insurance companies should be a warning to everyone in the healthcare system."
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