Blog

FCC reform

Jan 23
0

Statement On Ajit Pai’s Designation as FCC Chairman

Posted by | Regulatory State, Statement | No Comments

Washington, DC, January 23, 2017 – Fred Campbell, director of Tech Knowledge, issued the following statement regarding the designation of Ajit Pai as the 34th Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission:

“There is no one more qualified to guide the FCC for the next four years. Chairman Pai’s intelligence, experience, and humility will serve the American people well. The future of communications regulation could not be any brighter.”

Tech Knowledge promotes market-oriented technology policies on behalf of the public interest. Additional information about Tech Knowledge can be found on our website, techknowledge.center.

Share the post "Statement On Ajit Pai’s Designation as FCC Chairman"

Nov 09
0

Tech Knowledge Statement: Trump Victory A New Hope For FCC

Posted by | Broadband Internet, Regulatory State | No Comments

Haymarket, VA, November 9, 2016 – Fred Campbell, director of Tech Knowledge, issued the following statement regarding the election of Donald Trump as the next President of the United States:

“Trump’s victory offers new hope that the Federal Communications Commission will renew its faith in the dynamism of private enterprise and the competitive spirit. The agency’s pre-Obama policy of relying primarily on competitive market forces to drive investment and innovation in communications networks and services enabled the dynamic internet economy that we know and love. The Obama Administration’s love for top-down government mandates threatened to destroy that economy, but it’s not too late. The Trump Administration has a prime opportunity to level the playing field at the FCC and work with Congress on legislation that will benefit all Americans.”

Tech Knowledge promotes market-oriented technology policies on behalf of the public interest. Additional information about Tech Knowledge can be found on our website, techknowledge.center.

Share the post "Tech Knowledge Statement: Trump Victory A New Hope For FCC"

Sep 29
0

Tech Knowledge Statement On FCC Removing Set-Top Box Vote From September Open Meeting Agenda

Posted by | Video | No Comments

Haymarket, VA, September 29, 2016 – Fred Campbell, director of Tech Knowledge, issued the following statement regarding the decision of the Federal Communications Commission to remove its planned vote on a set-top box order from today’s open meeting agenda:

“Over the last several weeks, it has become increasingly clear that FCC chairman Tom Wheeler’s most recent iteration of his revised proposal to regulate set-top boxes looks nothing like the proposal the agency released for public comment earlier this year. Especially in light of the obvious lack of consensus among the agency’s commissioners, the public interest would be best served by providing the public with notice of how the revised plan is expected to work and a reasonable opportunity to comment on it.

A decision that could determine the future of television shouldn’t be cloaked in secrecy. It should be decided through a transparent and open process that reflects the complexity and importance of this proceeding.”

Tech Knowledge promotes market-oriented technology policies on behalf of the public interest. Additional information about Tech Knowledge can be found on our website, techknowledge.center.

Share the post "Tech Knowledge Statement On FCC Removing Set-Top Box Vote From September Open Meeting Agenda"

May 13
0

The FCC Must Fix Its Process For Receiving Public Input Before Driving Ahead

Posted by | Broadband Internet, Privacy, Video | One Comment

While defending his decision to take jurisdiction over broadband privacy issues from another federal agency, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler proclaimed the FCC “didn’t just fall off the turnip truck.” Perhaps because he had already driven it into the ditch. With this Chairman at the wheel of the FCC, the nation’s expert agency in charge of regulating the Internet, the agency can’t even keep track of public comments filed over the Internet.

During its net neutrality proceeding in 2014, the FCC omitted nearly 680,000 comments from its initial data files due to “glitches” in its electronic comment system. As quickly as the FCC is rushing to impose new regulations on Internet privacy and Internet video, one would think the FCC would have solved its problems with receiving public input by now.

Instead, it appears things have gotten worse. Comments aren’t even showing up in the FCC’s electronic system due to a “74,000-comment backup” across all FCC dockets. In the meantime, the public can’t see these comments or attempt to respond to them. If Senator Mike Lee hadn’t asked Chairman Wheeler about the FCC’s information technology problems during a hearing on Wednesday, the public likely wouldn’t have known that the FCC comment systems aren’t working properly. Read More

Share the post "The FCC Must Fix Its Process For Receiving Public Input Before Driving Ahead"

Apr 04
0

Shining The Spotlight On The FCC: How Rules Impact Consumers And Industries

Posted by | Broadband Internet, Regulatory State | No Comments

The American Action Forum has posted a video of last week’s event examining current regulatory issues at the FCC. The event was keynoted by FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly, who was followed by a panel discussion moderated by Rob Pegoraro (Yahoo Tech) with panelists Fred Campbell (Tech Knowledge), Meredith Rose (Public Knowledge), and Will Rinehart (American Action Forum). You can watch the video HERE.

Share the post "Shining The Spotlight On The FCC: How Rules Impact Consumers And Industries"

Nov 16
0

What Does ‘Competition’ Mean At The FCC?

Posted by | Regulatory State, Wireless | No Comments

The question I would ask Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler at tomorrow’s congressional oversight hearing is, how does the agency define “competition”? The answer to this one question—the FCC does not have a definition of competition that it applies consistently—is a symbol of everything that is wrong with the agency.

Chairman Wheeler chose “competition, competition, competition” as his guiding principle without defining what “competition” means at the FCC. Relying on a guiding principle with no specified meaning is like steering a ship with no rudder: There is no telling where the ship (FCC) will end up after it leaves port (e.g., initiates a new regulatory proceeding).

The FCC’s rudderless approach to competition results in discriminatory regulations that erode public trust in the agency’s impartiality and the rule of law. For example, scholars on both sides of the aisle have long recognized that the FCC’s use of its merger authority “lead[s] to one set of rules for those who have merged and another set of rules for similarly situated parties who have not.” Even worse, discriminatory regulations that are adopted in the name of “competition” during FCC merger review are not practically subject to judicial review. Read More

Share the post "What Does ‘Competition’ Mean At The FCC?"

Aug 27
0

FCC Guilty Of Discrimination In Merger Proceedings

Posted by | Regulatory State | No Comments

When he was stumping his net neutrality plan for pervasive Internet regulation, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Tom Wheeler claimed government rules are necessary to keep the Internet “fast, fair and open.” But as Eleanor Roosevelt observed, “It is not fair to ask of others what you are not willing to do yourself.” The FCC is quick to demand that communications companies treat all others as if they were exactly the same while the FCC itself unfairly discriminates against disfavored companies in major merger proceedings.

 

“Life isn’t fair, but government must be.”

It is entirely appropriate for the FCC to distinguish between larger and smaller companies using common standards that are applied fairly to the facts at hand and to account for unusual factual circumstances. But the FCC doesn’t apply the same standards to similarly sized companies or fairly consider the facts in its merger proceedings, because its legal authority over them isn’t subject to meaningful constraints. Read More

Share the post "FCC Guilty Of Discrimination In Merger Proceedings"

Feb 26
0

CBIT Statement on FCC Municipal Broadband and Net Neutrality Votes

Posted by | Broadband Internet, Regulatory State, Statement | No Comments

Washington, D.C., February 26, 2015 – Fred Campbell, Director of the Center for Boundless Innovation in Technology, released the following statement with respect to the votes of the Federal Communications Commission on municipal broadband and Internet regulation:

“Today’s FCC actions imposing discriminatory, anticompetitive regulations on the Internet and preempting state competition laws trampled on the rights to free speech and freedom of the press, state rights, and fundamental principles of the free market.

The agency’s ideological pivot at the President’s command betrayed the trust of Congress and the American people in the fairness and utility of the FCC and other so-called independent agencies. It’s now up to Congress and the courts to uphold justice and protect the values that Americans hold dear.”

Share the post "CBIT Statement on FCC Municipal Broadband and Net Neutrality Votes"