Slashdot Mirror
FCC Cancels Free Internet Vote
Earlier this year we discussed a proposal from the FCC which would have required winning bidders for a portion of the wireless spectrum to use some of that bandwidth for free internet access. A vote for the plan was scheduled for next Thursday, but now the FCC has canceled those plans, facing "opposition from several top officials, wireless providers, and even civil rights groups." The internet access would have had some level of filtering, to which privacy groups took exception, and the Bush administration objected to forcing requirements on the winners of the spectrum auction. Others simply asked the FCC not to take on such a major project as the transition between analog and digital television transmissions looms.
Unlike roads and electricity grids, the Internet isn't a public utility. Right now about 4 in 5 Americans can select from three residential-grade broadband services: cable, DSL and 3G, all of which offer enough throughput and usage for plenty of everyday Web browsing, emailing, and streaming YouTube vids. And once LTE and Wi-Max are built out, 3mbps symmetric for $30 a month (which you can now get in much of Baltimore) will be the norm in urban and suburban areas.
Besides, public utilities are not that great. They don't really advance much over time, mainly because they're insulated from competition and have a guaranteed profit margin. Water, roads, electricity utilities have all provided us pretty much the same service at the same price for decades. Don't we want something more from our ISPs? Say, companies taking big gambles on next-gen services that might fail or might become the next big thing?
I certainly won't argue that public utility-style regulation of the Internet might cut out some of the occasional asshat tactics of some big ISPs, but is turning Internet access into a stagnant-but-consistent service really worth it?
Do you have any evidence or reason to think Michael Powell was corrupt?
Prosecution: Yes, I do. Your honor, the defendant is a politician.
Judge: Guilty! The prisoner is sentenced to copy the entire IRS code by hand. Next case.
The way you just stated that, it makes it sound like you think he's corrupt for no other reason than who his relatives are, which is just plain stupid...
All of his relatives are known humans, and humans are political animals. The conclusion is inescapable.