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FTC Could Gain Enforcement Power Over Internet

Posted by timothy on from the who-above-all-else-desire-power dept.

Hugh Pickens writes "The Washington Post reports that under a little-known provision in financial overhaul legislation before Congress the Federal Trade Commission could become a more powerful watchdog for Internet users with the power to to issue rules on a fast track and impose civil penalties on companies that hurt consumers. 'If we had a deterrent, a bigger stick to fine malefactors, that would be helpful,' says FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz, who has argued in favor of bolstering his agency's enforcement ability. This power would stand in stark contrast to a besieged FCC, whose ability to oversee broadband providers has been cast into doubt after a federal court ruled last month that the agency lacked the ability to punish Comcast for violating open-Internet guidelines. The provision to strengthen the FTC is in the regulatory overhaul legislation passed by the House, and although it is absent from the legislation before the Senate, some observers expect the measure to be included when the House and Senate versions are combined."

1 of 134 comments (clear)

  1. Re:It should be the FCC by Wyatt+Earp · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I think the government getting into this is the right choice.

    I remember talking to my old boss about this 12 years ago. He is very socially conservative and didn't trust government at all, but he agreed that the Feds should be in control of this after having to deal with GTE and Comcast when it came to E-Rate and how they jerked around the schools, police and governments they were supposed to be offering services to in exchange for a monopoly.

    I don't get why the Telcos think they have the right to shape traffic, my friends work for a rural electric co-op and the power company doesn't give three hoots what you do with your electrons. Why can't AT&T, Comcast, Verizon, etc be the same? Just sell the bandwidth and let us do whatever we want, within legal boundaries.

    I can get in trouble for using too much electricity to grow weed, so I could get in trouble for using my bandwidth for terrorism, child pr0n, etc.

    Well when the companies cry about it on Capital Hill, we all know why the FTC is getting involved, because the companies farked up an easy thing.