Broadband Lobbyists Gush Over Re-Appointment Of Trump's FCC Boss

from the we-just-love-consumers-so-very,-very-much dept

If you've been paying attention, you may have noticed that Trump-appointed FCC boss Ajit Pai is viciously unpopular. There are dozens of reasons for this, ranging from his assault on net neutrality and broadband privacy rules, to his efforts to protect cable's set top box monopoly while fiddling with data measurement to downplay a lack of competition in the space. Pai's the type to gut broadband funding programs for the poor while professing to be a stalwart champion of bridging the digital divide -- a man whose self-professed dedication to transparency is notably absent in his policy making.

This week, Pai was up for re-confirmation for a new five year term at the FCC. Consumer groups tried desperately to convince lawmakers to block his re-confirmation. It was a well-intentioned but arguably-futile exercise, since even if Pai was blocked, he simply would have been replaced by some other industry rubber stamp (most likely either current FCC Commissioner Mike O'Rielly, or Brendon Carr). Still the historically contentious 52 to 41 vote got notably closer than most people expected, with many politicians quick to highlight Pai's more-than-cozy relationship with giant cable operators:

Not too surprisingly, major ISP lobbying and policy organizations were quick to trip over themselves in gushing about Pai's re-appointment, using rhetoric so detached from reality as to border on high art. Comcast's top lobbyist David Cohen (Comcast apparently hates it when you call him what he is) proudly proclaimed that Pai's re-appointment was a major boon to consumers:

We commend the Senate’s decision today to reconfirm Ajit Pai as FCC chairman. Throughout his over five years at the FCC as a commissioner and during his nine-month tenure as chairman, Ajit Pai has favored deregulatory policies aimed at encouraging innovation, investment, job creation and economic growth – all in an effort to best serve consumers.

Yes, nothing "serves consumers" like gutting rules protecting them from Comcast's growing monopoly over broadband, allowing the cable giant to impose punitive usage caps and overage fees, saddling consumers with added costs while making competition harder for competing streaming providers. Or perhaps Cohen was referring to the way Pai crushed the FCC's attempted dismantling of cable's hardware monopoly over the cable box, thanks to a massive disinformation effort involving claims that cable box competition would hurt minorities, destroy copyright, confuse consumers, and rip the very Earth off of its axis.

Former FCC boss turned top cable industry lobbyist Michael Powell was similarly thrilled by Pai's re-appointment:

During his tenure at the FCC, Chairman Pai has consistently demonstrated a thoughtful approach to policymaking that promotes consumer welfare through marketplace competition and innovation. We share Chairman Pai’s vision for policies aimed at spurring continued investment and expanding opportunity for all Americans, and we look forward to working with him and all members of the commission in pursuing policies that protect consumers and promote the continued growth of new networks and services.

Right, nothing quite promotes the "continued growth of new services" like gutting popular net neutrality protections, which prevent smaller companies from being crushed by industry duopolists like Comcast and AT&T. And what helps foster "new networks" quite like killing rules that protect smaller competitors from Verizon and AT&T's total market domination of the special access, tower backhaul and business data services (BDS) markets, which will indisputably jack up prices for consumers and small businesses alike?

Not to be outdone, FCC Commissioner -- turned Comcast lobbyist -- turned top lobbyist for the wireless industry Meredith Attwell Baker, lavished praise on Pai for his dedication to "investment-spurring" policies:

On behalf of CTIA and the wireless industry, we congratulate Chairman Ajit Pai on his reconfirmation to the Federal Communications Commission. Chairman Pai’s continued leadership and expertise is essential as we transition to next-generation 5G wireless networks. He understands the need for smart policies to spur investment, innovation and growth and the importance of America continuing to lead the world in wireless.

As you all surely know, making it significantly more expensive for smaller businesses to survive and compete with industry giants is the very definition of "spurring innovation and growth." You also must know by now that Pai's tendency to completely ignore the broadband sector's blatantly obvious competition problems is the very first step toward a brave new tomorrow.

Unfortunately, because ISP lobbyists have convinced too many of us that maintaining a healthy internet and vibrant competition is somehow a "partisan issue," criticism of Pai's backward-ass policies will continue to be thrown under the media coverage bus. As a result, the next few months we'll get to enjoy the final killing blow against net neutrality, the rubber stamping of a competition-killing Sprint T-Mobile merger, and higher broadband prices than ever as bloated broadband and media empires cash in on Pai's regulatory apathy. Are you excited yet?

Filed Under: ajit pai, competition, fcc, net neutrality
Companies: comcast, ctia, ncta