Almost All of FCC's New Advisory Panel Works For Telecoms (thedailybeast.com)

New submitter simkel writes: When the Federal Communications Commission went looking this year for experts to sit on an advisory committee regarding deployment of high-speed internet, Gary Carter thought he would be a logical choice. Carter works for the city of Santa Monica, California, where he oversees City Net, one of the oldest municipal-run networks in the nation. The network sells high-speed internet to local businesses, and uses the revenue in part to connect low-income neighborhoods. That experience seemed to be a good match for the proposed Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee (BDAC), which FCC Chairman Ajit Pai created this year. One of the panel's stated goals is to streamline city and state rules that might accelerate installation of high-speed internet. But one of the unstated goals, members say, is to make it easier for companies to build networks for the next generation wireless technology, called 5G. The advanced network, which promises faster speeds, will require that millions of small cells and towers be erected nationwide on city- and state-owned public property. The assignment seemed to call out for participation from city officials like Carter, since municipal officials approve where and what equipment telecommunications companies can place on public rights of way, poles and buildings. But the FCC didn't choose Carter -- or almost any of the other city or state government officials who applied. Sixty-four city and state officials were nominated for the panel, but the agency initially chose only two: Sam Liccardo, mayor of San Jose, California, and Kelleigh Cole from the Utah Governor's Office, according to documents obtained by the Center for Public Integrity through a Freedom of Information Act request. Pai later appointed another city official, Andy Huckaba, a member of the Lenexa, Kansas, city council. Instead the FCC loaded the 30-member panel with corporate executives, trade groups and free-market scholars. More than three out of four seats on the BDAC are filled by business-friendly representatives from the biggest wireless and cable companies such as AT&T, Comcast, Sprint, and TDS Telecom. Crown Castle International Corp., the nation's largest wireless infrastructure company, and Southern, the nation's second-largest utility firm, have representatives on the panel.

Comments

Regulatory Capture

[bravecanadian]

Another victory for capitalism! wooooo!

I got karma to burn

[rsilvergun]

so I'll vent a little here. We all knew this was coming when the Donald got elected. He's made no secret of his disdain for bureaucrats and his love of business people. Thing is, I'll take a bureaucrat over a businessman in government any day. I _want_ the people running my country to be free from industry ties. And how the hell else do you accomplish that except by having career civil servants? Folks need to understand a) elections have consequences and b) Civil Servant == bureaucrat.

Re:I got karma to burn

[parallel_prankster]

Trump was elected by folks who have no idea of how government runs. They were scared of extinction of their way of life, their religious beliefs and they compromised other things for the preservation of their choices. The entire business over bureaucracy stuff was just fluffy excuses.

Re:I got karma to burn

[El Cubano]

In my mind, the real lesson to draw from this is that every time you think to yourself "the government should [fill-in-the-blank]," you need to stop right there and perform a thought experiment. The procedure is:

1. Imagine that you got your way and that all the power you wish to grant to the government on the issue at hand gets granted
2. Now, imagine that after the power is firmly entrenched that those who hold opposing views to yours are put in power (win the election, get appointed, etc.)
3. Now, imagine that those who have an opposing view to yours twist and use the power granted to them (legally) in the most damaging way possible
4. Now, imagine that both those who have views congruent with yours and opposed to yours will abuse the law and the power that they have been granted
5. Now, imagine yourself saying, "maybe the government shouldn't..."

I am not trying to say that we should strive for anarchy, rather that we should very carefully consider the sorts of things that we rope the government into at the federal, state, and local level. Matters in which the government gets involved frequently turn out differently than we expect.

I'd actually take Trump over Romney

[rsilvergun]

it's all the same Goldman Sach's people running the show and we'd still be gearing up for war with North Korea. The difference is Romney would have gotten the Obamacare repeal through and we'd all be losing pre-existing coverage. Trump is like any other Republican but not as good at it. Lots and lots of cronyism, Low taxes, no regulation/EPA and no social programs. Romney's the same but he's better at it. As for McCain, he's got about a year left in him so a vote for him was really a vote for his VP. And that probably woulda still been Pence.

You don't hand government power

[rsilvergun]

you hand it tasks. Then you use Democracy to make sure those tasks don't turn into power. Now, here's another thought experiement:

Every time you think to yourself "the government should [fill-in-the-blank],"

then say "maybe they government shouldnt..."

Now remind yourself of the power vacuum you just created and how the mega corporations just rushed in to fill it. Stop to realized you're going to have a government whether you like it or not, and that the only real question is are you going to take part in it...