Outgoing FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler warned against attempts to "gut" the agency, including by moving core telecom oversight functions to the FTC. He also defended the commission's actions on net neutrality, broadband reclassification, privacy, zero rating, the incentive auction, USF changes and other issues. He was interviewed on C-SPAN's The Communicators (scheduled to air Saturday and Monday and posted here), the latest in a series of exit interviews and farewell appearances (see 1701190069 and 1701130064) before Donald Trump's inauguration as president on Friday, Wheeler's last day at the agency.
Outgoing FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler warned against attempts to "gut" the agency, including by moving core telecom oversight functions to the FTC. He also defended the commission's actions on net neutrality, broadband reclassification, privacy, zero rating, the incentive auction, USF changes and other issues. He was interviewed on C-SPAN's The Communicators (scheduled to air Saturday and Monday and posted here), the latest in a series of exit interviews and farewell appearances (see 1701190069 and 1701130064) before Donald Trump's inauguration as president on Friday, Wheeler's last day at the agency.
A defiant Tom Wheeler defended the policies developed under his chairmanship Friday and said the newly reconstituted FCC may find it difficult to quickly undo the net neutrality order and reclassification of broadband under Title II of the Communications Act. Wheeler, who leaves office Jan. 20, spoke at the Aspen Institute in what he had said will be his last major speech while chairman. Some industry officials have questioned the impact of a major policy address by a departing chairman (see 1701120062).
A defiant Tom Wheeler defended the policies developed under his chairmanship Friday and said the newly reconstituted FCC may find it difficult to quickly undo the net neutrality order and reclassification of broadband under Title II of the Communications Act. Wheeler, who leaves office Jan. 20, spoke at the Aspen Institute in what he had said will be his last major speech while chairman. Some industry officials have questioned the impact of a major policy address by a departing chairman (see 1701120062).
The FCC Media Bureau admonishment Friday evening of Scripps Media and several other broadcasters for violating political advertising disclosure rules is likely to lead to other broadcasters taking care to more closely follow the rules, though no fines were levied, said broadcast and public interest lawyers in interviews. The admonishment orders included clarifications of bureau expectations for how forms disclosing the sources of funding for political ads should be filled out. Georgetown Law Institute for Public Representation Senior Counselor Andrew Schwartzman said that would make it harder for stations to use “evasive legal arguments” to avoid following the rules going forward.
Obama administration pushback to the Senate’s Mobile Now drafts last year targeted core bicameral and bipartisan spectrum proposals from Capitol Hill. Federal officials successfully killed attempts to provide financial incentives to federal agencies to relinquish spectrum and a mandate to free up a higher amount of spectrum, largely through criticisms never made public but shown in emails that Communications Daily acquired through a Freedom of Information Act open records request to NTIA. Emails also show the administration’s hand in adding language on bidirectional sharing and its objections to spectrum leasing language, which surprised some we interviewed who saw the critique.
Obama administration pushback to the Senate’s Mobile Now drafts last year targeted core bicameral and bipartisan spectrum proposals from Capitol Hill. Federal officials successfully killed attempts to provide financial incentives to federal agencies to relinquish spectrum and a mandate to free up a higher amount of spectrum, largely through criticisms never made public but shown in emails that Communications Daily acquired through a Freedom of Information Act open records request to NTIA. Emails also show the administration’s hand in adding language on bidirectional sharing and its objections to spectrum leasing language, which surprised some we interviewed who saw the critique.
Trump transition team member Mark Jamison said the FCC is no longer needed, at least as presently constituted, and suggested the commission should be downsized and refocused on a core spectrum management mission, with many of its current functions turned over to other federal and state agencies. "Most of the original motivations for having an FCC have gone away," he wrote in an Oct. 21 commentary. But Jamison, director of the University of Florida's Public Utility Research Center, more recently lauded FCC chairmen of both political parties for providing strong and effective leadership that resists political pressures and preserves the agency's independence.
Trump transition team member Mark Jamison said the FCC is no longer needed, at least as presently constituted, and suggested the commission should be downsized and refocused on a core spectrum management mission, with many of its current functions turned over to other federal and state agencies. "Most of the original motivations for having an FCC have gone away," he wrote in an Oct. 21 commentary. But Jamison, director of the University of Florida's Public Utility Research Center, more recently lauded FCC chairmen of both political parties for providing strong and effective leadership that resists political pressures and preserves the agency's independence.
Commissioners approved ISP privacy rules Thursday in a party-line FCC vote, as expected, largely as proposed by Chairman Tom Wheeler (see 1610260065). ISPs lost in their attempts to get the agency to drop a plan to classify web browsing and application use history as sensitive data, requiring opt-in consent. Commissioner Mignon Clyburn was unsuccessful in her push for restrictions on ISPs inserting mandatory arbitration clauses in service contracts, though the majority did commit to seeking comment on that issue in early 2017.