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FCC Chair Genachowski Resigns; What Effect on Net Regulation?

Posted by timothy on from the wish-the-government-would-be-neutral-toward-the-net dept.

New submitter RougeFemme writes with news of Friday's announcement that FCC chairman Julius Genachowski will step down in the next several weeks (also at Politico), and asks "Obama promised us the continuation of a free, open Internet. Will the resignation of the FCC chairman have any affect on that 'net neutrality'?"

6 of 42 comments (clear)

  1. Obama promised us.... by fustakrakich · · Score: 5, Insightful

    That right there should tell you how that will turn out.

    --
    “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
  2. unlimited power leads to unlimited corruption? by HavenBastion · · Score: 3, Insightful

    it's pretty goddamned ridiculous that one person can presumably have so great an effect on the freedom of us all in a way that goes well beyond national boundaries or the ability of any single individual to know if they're doing the right thing.

    1. Re:unlimited power leads to unlimited corruption? by Trepidity · · Score: 3, Informative

      Does the FCC chairman actually have much power?

      As far as I can tell:

      1. They can't make any significant decisions themselves. All actual power in the FCC is held by the 5-member FCC board, which is required to have at least 2 members from each of the major parties.

      2. Most of the ridiculous things about telecom law are passed by Congress, not decided by the FCC itself (and certainly not individually by the FCC chairman). And if Congress wanted to fix any of them, they could pass better laws: even for the things the FCC does have the authority to make decisions on, it's precisely because Congress punted on making a decision, and delegated the authority.

      --
      10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
  3. Re:Net neutrality by interkin3tic · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I'm not sure a high percentage of Obama's supporters, or americans in general, know what net neutrality is. I don't think most videogame enthusiasts know how net neutrality is important to their future lives. I -know- most netflix users don't.

    That's important: most people aren't already "with" net neutrality. The pro net neutrality side is small, the telecom side is smaller, but they have money, our side does not. The only way we keep them from crapping up the internet is with significantly higher numbers, by explaining to people how losing net neutrality is going to mean worse graphics for their games, netflix dying out and going back to something closer to blockbuster, inflating prices for internet access, no increase in speed, and your favorite mom and pop websites being replaced by MTV, MSNBC, and FOX websites.

    In case you couldn't tell, I'm in favor of using FUD to our advantage. Feel free to try to convince people to care about net neutrality by honest, unbiased information, and feel free to call me a cynic for thinking that approach won't work.

  4. Never forget by TubeSteak · · Score: 4, Informative

    http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/11/f-c-c-commissioner-to-join-comcast/

    Four months after the Federal Communications Commission approved a hotly contested merger of Comcast and NBC Universal,
    one of the commissioners who voted for the deal said on Wednesday that she would soon join Comcast's Washington lobbying office.

    --
    [Fuck Beta]
    o0t!
  5. Re:Net neutrality by Jane+Q.+Public · · Score: 3, Insightful

    "In case you couldn't tell, I'm in favor of using FUD to our advantage. Feel free to try to convince people to care about net neutrality by honest, unbiased information, and feel free to call me a cynic for thinking that approach won't work."

    Try: "Better service, plus more freedom and privacy, for a lower price."

    If the freedom and privacy parts don't get them, maybe the better service and lower price parts will.