Policy Blog Entries by Art Brodsky

Federal Communications Commissioner Michael Copps has managed the art of saying much in a few words.  His latest salvo came in a 245-word letter to the editor in the Washington Post, in which he not only savaged yet another misbegotten Washington Post editorial about Internet policy, but also took on the Verizon-Google joint policy “recommendation” and then noted the cruel reality of the agency to which he has devoted almost nine years of his professional career.

He, and others, recognize that this is a unique time in the history of the FCC, and perhaps of regulation and politics.  It happens from time to time in Congress that a legislator will vote against a bill that he or she has introduced, usually after an amendment has been added that drastically changes the bill, or in the case of some shift in the political dynamic.

Tom Tauke, Verizon’s erudite executive vice president for public affairs, made a valiant attempt the other day to try to salvage the policy deal his company made with Google.  In a speech at the Technology Policy Institute’s telecom forum in Aspen, he brought out arguments old and new to argue why it was that an agreement forged between two big companies to their benefit should be accepted.

When Federal Communications Commissioner (FCC) Michael Copps issued a brief, two-sentence reaction to the news of a policy agreement between Verizon and Google over Net Neutrality, he deliberately emphasized one word.  In bold face and italics, Copps said that a “decision” had to be made, to guarantee an open Internet.

"Some will claim this announcement moves the discussion forward.  That’s one of its many problems.  It is time to move a decision forward—a decision to reassert FCC authority over broadband telecommunications, to guarantee an open Internet now and forever, and to put the interests of consumers in front of the interests of giant corporations.”

For whatever reason, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) continues its misguided game of  “Let’s Make A Deal” with the big telecom empires.   Since the end of June, FCC Chief of Staff Edward Lazarus has convened representatives from AT&T, Verizon, the National Cable Telecommunications Association, Google, Skype and the Open Internet Coalition in an effort to try to have those negotiators do what FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski apparently won’t do – make a decision about the future of broadband and the Internet in this country.

As far apart as the parties are, it’s increasingly unlikely that any overarching deal will be reached, even though negotiating sessions are scheduled for today (Aug. 4) and tomorrow (Aug. 5), following a marathon Saturday session on July 31.  The Empire is stuck in 2005, giving nothing up and expecting surrender from the other side. 

No matter how many times the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) says he has no intention of “regulating the Internet,” there will always be politicians using the talking points of the big telecommunications empires to attack him for wanting to “regulate the Internet.”

Rep. John Culberson is on a mission.  The Texas Republican wants to prevent the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from "regulating the Internet."  Except in the instances in which he wants to regulate it, of course.

The problem is that in pursuing AT&T’s talking points while badgering FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski at a hearing, the former trial lawyer (yes, Republicans can be trial lawyers, despite their party’s dislike of them) has presented a weak case that no judge or jury would ever buy for the simple reason that both he and FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski agree on the fundamental point of contention.  Neither wants to regulate “the Internet.” 

Did White House business liaison Valerie Jarrett just give the big kiss-off to Verizon Chairman Ivan Seidenberg?  Or did she invite more negotiations on some crucial telecommunications issues?

A meeting between the two and the subsequent letters followed up Seidenberg’s blast at the Obama Administration on June 22, in which, speaking as chairman of the Business Roundtable, he said the Administration’s policies, including telecommunications policy, were creating a hostile environment for investment and job creation.

The New York Times editorial page put its formidable magnifying glass up to some fabulous work done by the Sunlight Foundation in the ferocious industry lobbying over telecommunications policy.

One of Ernest Hemingway’s more enduring quotes is the one defining courage as “grace under pressure.”  For the past couple of months, no officials in Washington have been under such sustained pressure as Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Julius Genachowski and his Democratic colleagues, Commissioners Michael Copps and Mignon Clyburn.  Today, they demonstrated the essence of Hemingway’s courage.

The mobile world holds a lot of promise for consumers, and for those brave enough to develop applications that have to work on a whole host of different devices and on the technologies of different carriers.