The Real FCC Plot: Open Internet Access

After the FCC lost its net neutrality case against Comcast, I put on hold a project to review a series of YouTube videos involving Chairman Genachowski. The rough plan was to gain some insight as to how the FCC would approach net neutrality, open internet, and universal access based on Genachowski’s public statements. I wasn’t going to do this alone, instead I would enlist the resources of Crowdflower’s cloud workers to help with the analysis.

That was ages ago (last month). Since then the FCC has announced its plan to place has placed broadband transmission under Title II regulation and has regained the net neutrality high ground. And in response, one well known, respected FCC watcher, Glen Beck, has said that the President plans to regulate the Internet and control the “misinformation” through net neutrality—there was also some talk about Marxism and public utilities.

This was enough to spur me into action and get those videos scanned for certain keywords.

After listening to parts of about 10 videos of Genachowski, I can reveal that the real FCC plan is (yawn) to promote economic growth by enforcing statutes and continue to honor our country’s long tradition of applying certain obligations to communications carriers.

Rather than force on you the complete results of the Crowdflower keyword analysis, I’ve embedded just three of the videos and added my comments to give you a sense of Genachowski’s view on open access and net neutrality.

Genachowski Before House Internet Subcommittee
It almost seemed that Genachowksi, under intense grilling from Representative Mike Rogers (R-Michigan) in March, would crack and admit his Marxist plans for control of the telecommunications industry. He instead announced that a free and open Internet would encourage investment and innovation. I know, I know: a very controversial point of view.

Countering Rogers, Genachowski refers to FCC powers (given to the agency by Congress) that lets it regulate parts of the Internet—the “on ramps.” He stands his ground, explaining how open access to these on ramps ensures there will continue to be future Facebooks and other startups (skip to 3:20).

Genachowski Interviewed by CNN at CTIA Wireless Conference

Genachowski is interviewed on CNN just after speaking in the lion’s den, the CTIA conference held in San Diego back in October 2010. I believe the FCC initiated inquiry the CNN questioner referred to concerns Apple’s removal of Google Voice from the App Store. Is this another example of the FCC’s hidden, un-American agenda of trying to guarantee fairness and equal access in wireless?

As we know, Apple relented a little by allowing a Web version of Voice to run on the iPhone; and in a related matter, AT&T caved in totally by approving an iPhone verision of VoIP Skype. The tyranny of the open Internet!

Genachoswki also called for “unleashing spectrum for mobile broadband” (at :39).

This idea did eventually make its way into the National Broadband Plan in the form of such socialist mechanisms as secondary markets and incentive auctions to allow license holders to resell underutilized spectrum.

Genachowski Interviewed on CSPAN’s The Communicators

The FCC Chairman lets the cat out of the bag early on in this interview. Genachowski calls our communications infrastructure a platform for innovation and opportunity for the 21st century. And he clearly states the agency’s sinister goals: promote investment in the communications ecosystem, promote innovation and competition, and protect and empower consumers. Yikes!

He calls the Universal Service Fund, which helps pay for phone access in rural and under-served areas, a great achievement for the country (10:20). There are some out there who would say this pool of money is a tool for wealth redistribution and that universal access is really about “social justice.”

Genachowski talks about rejiggering the USF service fund to pay for broadband (not legacy voice) infrastructure to ensure that high-speed Internet is available everywhere.

He doesn’t go into the details here, but in other interviews I watched as he carefully explained that carriers have traditionally not built out infrastructure in low density areas unless they get subsidies, such as from the USF.

In fact, this radical proposal to use USF fund for universal broadband did makes its way into the National Broadband Plan, which is ultimately …. a pretty conservative regulatory document by any measure!