Many of the changes to the FCC net neutrality NPRM in recent weeks have been driven by the Democratic commissioners, agency and industry officials said, as Chairman Tom Wheeler tries to secure the three votes he needs on the most intensely scrutinized item he has tackled as chairman. As the vote nears, some officials point to Commissioner Mignon Clyburn as the one in the driver’s seat, as Wheeler redrafts the rules to devote more space to the possibility of using Title II to achieve his net neutrality goals. The idea of a “springing” Title II authority has also gained traction in recent days, and is part of the NPRM discussion, industry observers said. That would invoke Title II as backup authority in case a court finds Communications Act Section 706 has fallen short.
Many of the changes to the FCC net neutrality NPRM in recent weeks have been driven by the Democratic commissioners, agency and industry officials said, as Chairman Tom Wheeler tries to secure the three votes he needs on the most intensely scrutinized item he has tackled as chairman. As the vote nears, some officials point to Commissioner Mignon Clyburn as the one in the driver’s seat, as Wheeler redrafts the rules to devote more space to the possibility of using Title II to achieve his net neutrality goals. The idea of a “springing” Title II authority has also gained traction in recent days, and is part of the NPRM discussion, industry observers said. That would invoke Title II as backup authority in case a court finds Communications Act Section 706 has fallen short.
Further FCC culling of a backlog of indecency complaints that exceeded a million at its peak (CD Jan 14/13 p1) hasn’t mollified critics on either side of the issue. The number of new consumer complaints about what’s on radio and TV plunged in recent years to a minuscule proportion of the highs after Janet Jackson’s 2004 Super Bowl “wardrobe malfunction,” agency records show. That happened because consumers grew discouraged feeling the agency won’t act on instances of on-air nudity and cursing they flagged, and also because of a lack of high-profile indecency on primetime broadcast TV a la Jackson, said groups that ask viewers to file FCC complaints.
Complaints filed at the FCC Thursday allege 11 TV stations failed to publicly disclose information about sponsors of political ads that aired this year. The Campaign Legal Center (CLC) and the Sunlight Foundation filed the complaints against stations owned by CBS, Gannett, Hearst, Scripps and others. Those groups cautioned that enforcement in this area is critical as smaller stations will have to comply with the political file rule July 1 (CD April 8 p5).
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler is reassuring net neutrality advocates that Title II reclassification of broadband remains an option if proposed net neutrality rules aren’t enough. Industry observers said in interviews that Wheeler’s latest comments (CD April 30 p4) probably aren’t an idle threat, though it remains a big question whether reclassifying broadband is even possible in the remaining 33 months of the Obama presidency. Wheeler circulated a revised version of his net neutrality NPRM Tuesday, agency officials confirmed.
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler is reassuring net neutrality advocates that Title II reclassification of broadband remains an option if proposed net neutrality rules aren’t enough. Industry observers said in interviews that Wheeler’s latest comments (WID April 30 p3) probably aren’t an idle threat, though it remains a big question whether reclassifying broadband is even possible in the remaining 33 months of the Obama presidency. Wheeler circulated a revised version of his net neutrality NPRM Tuesday, agency officials confirmed.
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler could face an uphill fight just to get three votes for the net neutrality rulemaking notice he circulated Thursday for a vote at the FCC’s May 15 meeting, industry officials said. The proposed rules faced significant backlash after they were unveiled last week, with public interest groups raising concerns that the commission was offering a watered-down version of the 2010 rules (CD April 25 p1). The big sticking point has been that the draft rules would allow fast lane deals between ISPs and content providers as long as their agreement is deemed reasonable by the FCC (CD April 28 p2).
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler could face an uphill fight just to get three votes for the net neutrality rulemaking notice he circulated Thursday for a vote at the FCC’s May 15 meeting, industry officials said. The proposed rules faced significant backlash after they were unveiled last week, with public interest groups raising concerns that the commission was offering a watered-down version of the 2010 rules (WID April 25 p1). The big sticking point has been that the draft rules would allow fast-lane deals between ISPs and content providers as long as their agreement is deemed reasonable by the FCC (WID April 28 p7).
Aereo v. ABC remains too close to call (CD April 21 p3) after oral argument at the U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday, said several communications attorneys who attended the hearing in follow-up interviews. They said a decision, which may be 5-4, seems likely to hinge on what’s safest for the cloud computing industry.
Aereo v. ABC remains too close to call (WID April 21 p6) after oral argument at the U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday, said several communications attorneys who attended the hearing in follow-up interviews. They said a decision, which may be 5-4, seems likely to hinge on what’s safest for the cloud computing industry.