February, 08 2011, 11:27am EDT
Free Press Blasts FCC for Asking Questions Already Answered
Agency Proposes to Redirect Universal Service Funding Without Accurate Broadband Data
WASHINGTON
Federal
Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski released his
proposal to revamp the Universal Service Fund and a Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking to update its broadband data collection efforts at the
agency's open meeting Tuesday.
The FCC began its efforts to reform its broadband data collection
practices in 2007. After receiving input from industry, consumer and
public interest advocates, state utility commissions and independent
researchers, the FCC concluded in 2008 that it should collect granular
data on where broadband is available and committed to moving to a final
rule by fall 2008.
However, despite repeated calls to collect this data, the FCC has
failed to do so, and today's announcement proposes the same questions
that were first asked in 2007.
Free Press Research Director S. Derek Turner made the following statement:
"Today's FCC meeting agenda finally makes it clear that Chairman
Genachowski's oft-repeated mantra of running a 'data-driven' agency is
nothing more than an empty slogan that he's unwilling to back up with
actual policy.
"It is simply stunning that on the same day the FCC is proposing to
hand over billions to industry to build broadband networks, it is still
asking whether it's a good idea for the agency to collect basic data
about where broadband is deployed and how much it costs. Chairman
Genachowski needs to explain why, nearly three years after the FCC
concluded it should collect broadband deployment data, his staff is
issuing a notice full of the same questions that already have been asked
and answered numerous times.
"And while we're pleased the FCC is taking another baby step toward
reforming the Universal Service Fund, the agency still cannot answer the
basic question of where subsidies are actually needed to ensure
services are available at reasonable prices. The companies that profit
from USF subsidies and monopoly interconnection charges don't want that
question answered. This disconnect and the FCC's fealty to AT&T and
the telecom industry lie at the heart of why the current USF system is
broken.
"Unless Chairman Genachowski takes steps to reverse his trend of
releasing bold-sounding proposals only to retreat in the face of
industry pressure, we fear the reforms proposed today will fail to bring
rural America the benefits of broadband."
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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While applauding the U.S. House of Representatives' bipartisan passage of a bill to ensure that "law enforcement and intelligence agencies can't do an end-run around the Constitution by buying information from data brokers" on Wednesday, privacy advocates highlighted that Congress is trying to extend and expand a long-abused government spying program.
The House voted 219-199 for Fourth Amendment Is Not For Sale Act (FANFSA), which won support from 96 Democrats and 123 Republicans, including the lead sponsor, Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio). Named for the constitutional amendment that protects against unreasonable searches and seizures, H.R. 4639 would close what campaigners call the data broker loophole.
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The House notably included an amendment forcing a wide range of individuals and businesses to cooperate with government spying operations but rejected an amendment that would have added a warrant requirement to the bill, which the Senate could vote on as soon as Thursday.
Noting those decisions on the FISA reauthorization legislation, Ruddock stressed that "today's vote is a victory but follows a recent loss and ongoing threat as that Section 702 bill moves to the Senate this week too."
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Jeramie Scott, senior counsel and director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center's Project on Surveillance Oversight, also praised the House's FANFSA passage on Wednesday.
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As The Intercept's Ken Klippenstein and Daniel Boguslaw noted:
Since 2011, the U.N. Security Council has rejected the Palestinian Authority's request for full member status. On April 2, the Palestinian Observer Mission to the U.N. requested that the council once again take up consideration of its membership application. According to the first State Department cable, U.N. meetings since the beginning of April suggest that Algeria, China, Guyana, Mozambique, Russia, Slovenia, Sierra Leone, and Malta support granting Palestine full membership to the U.N. It also says that France, Japan, and Korea are undecided, while the United Kingdom will likely abstain from a vote.
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