From Dingo To Net Neutrality Hero: FCC Boss On Why Everybody Had Him Wrong
from the book-by-its-cover dept
When FCC boss Tom Wheeler was first appointed to head the agency, few expected much. After all, here was yet another FCC revolving door regulator with a history of lobbying for both the cable and wireless industries -- now tasked with heading an agency that oversees both. Yet the one-time "dingo" surprised everybody by fighting for tougher net neutrality rules, raising the standard definition of broadband, standing up for municipal broadband and improved broadband competition, and now fighting to unlock the cable industry's stranglehold over the cable set top box.A few years later, and it's not a stretch to argue that Wheeler may be the most startup and consumer-friendly boss the agency has ever seen (though given the agency's history as a telecom lap dog, that may not be saying all that much). In an interview with The Verge, Wheeler points out why many people (this writer included) pegged him wrong when he first arrived at the FCC:
...People didn’t know who I was. What was the cable industry like when I was lobbying for them? They were the underdog. They were the folks trying to climb up the hill, and broadcasters and telephone companies tried to stop them. What was the wireless industry like when I was there? They were the young guys coming up the side of the mountain. What was I doing when I was a VC? I was funding startup companies that were challenging the incumbents.The problem Wheeler faces now is finishing what he started, since net neutrality rules don't mean much if the agency isn't willing to enforce them. The FCC made the decision not to ban the practice of zero rating when crafting its net neutrality rules, instead claiming it would tackle anti-competitive behavior on a "case by case" basis under the neutrality "general conduct" rule. And despite Verizon and Comcast now using usage caps to give their own streaming video platforms a distinct market advantage, the FCC has yet to really act.
My heart has always been with the insurgents, not the incumbents. And nobody stopped to really look at that — they just wanted to make this judgement. But I’m the same guy I always was.
Wheeler continues to insist that the agency is thoroughly investigating the issue before taking action, telling The Verge the goal with zero rating is "regulatory agility":
"You can see where it’s helpful if it reduces cost and increases choice. You can see where it’s harmful if it discourages and discriminates. So it’s the poster child for why we wanted to make sure we had a general conduct rule in place. What we’re doing right now is looking at the various schemes that have been developed, and we’ve asked folks on multiple sides of the issue to come in and sit down and help us understand so we can think our way through this.It remains entirely possible Wheeler chooses not to act on zero rating whatsoever. After all, the agency has a history of treating usage caps (despite their obvious anti-competitive implications) as little more than "creative pricing," and Wheeler's on-record calling T-Mobile's zero rating of some video services "innovative" and "pro competition". Public pressure's also not particularly high, since the majority of the public doesn't understand the potential threat zero rating poses to a level playing field. And Wheeler may not even get to make a decision: the rules could easily be gutted by mega-ISP lawsuits or the upcoming Presidential election.
I think the key to the Open Internet Order is the concept of regulatory agility. And zero rating is a classic example of that. I can argue there are some aspects of it that are good, and I can argue there’s some aspects of it that are not so good. The job of the regulator is to figure out, "Okay, now how do I deal with this?"
So while Wheeler's certainly been a boon to a telecom sector plagued by regulatory capture for generations, this is very much an unfinished story. If Wheeler refuses (dingo!) or is prevented from addressing the anti-competitive (ab)use of broadband usage caps, the entire fight for a neutral Internet could find itself kicked back to the starting line.
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Filed Under: consumer protection, dingo, fcc, tom wheeler
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Thank you Mr. Wheeler
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Stupid People once again
Yes Wheeler was pegged wrong, yes I think we are all happy to say thank God we were wrong about this clown. Now, everyone is throwing caution to the wind and saying let this guy sort it out.
Have you seen the new rules? Have you read them? This is how the rules read.
"If FCC feels that an entity is not being neutral, then they can fine them"
There is no place in law for anyone FEELING like anything. What is neutral or not MUST BE WELL DEFINED and it is not! The power we give this guy is the power we are also giving the Dingo we thought he was.
Wheeler is not the end all or be all of this agency, and we are talking about the very agency that helped create this fucking mess to begin with. So yea, lets give Wheeler some respect for having some spine and trying to do what looks like the right or best thing... but lets tell him that the power he seeks is BULLSHIT!
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Get This Man a Thesaurus
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Wheeler wanes, Ajit waxes full
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0 rating could be fun
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Considing the alternatives, At least Wheeler is taking us in the right direction.
Least us forget that the CEO of Comcast came out and likened bits of information and how it should be metered to that of electricity and gas.
Did I want the ISP's with their local monopolies to be regulated to the point where they have to ask permission to take a shit? Yes I did. Am I happy that Wheeler has make it harder for them to shit on me personally? Again, going to have to answer Yes.
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None of us are as dumb as all of us
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Wheeler never stopped being a dingo
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The FCC made a pretty big mistake by more or less defining the net neutrality issue on the basis of interconnection and not having traffic preferences. If you want true neutrality, it has to go right to the customer's connection. The FCC version seems to end at the ISP's "head end" (not bell end, different story that!). It means that within their own network they are still pretty much free to do what they want.
The results I think will be an increase in ISP operated content services. Services that originate inside the ISP and don't use transit or interconnect points would appear not to have to follow any neutrality rules, which means making a Netflix competitor without customers having to pay bandwidth, deal with clogged interconnect points, and get fast local download speeds may be the best way to get things done.
It could also be the basis of services offered as "Service by Comcast" where a company partners with Comcast (example) to have servers and equipment inside their garden, away from the full on internet. it could very much change the way the public uses the net and what services live or die in the future.
So don't praise Wheeler too hard, he may in fact sold you a pig in the poke.
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Wheeler is a centerist in a dabate
FCC regs have not articulated much of anything that would facilitate attaching the 1st, or 4th, or 3rd amendments to the ORIGIN of any data.
So while their arguments may sound centerist, the regulations create entropy that now must be overcome before actually ever getting to any real debate. So it is a cute sandbag. But it is still a sandbag. Not a ladder. Not a rope. Not a map.
Cute sandbags are better than saddling the Constitution with concrete shoes. But I am not about to lavish the guy with praise.
Fuck it. Let it burn. I still have my V.42bis. Anyone know if FIDONET is still up?
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