Ajit Pai Killed Rules That Could Have Helped Florida Recover From Hurricane (arstechnica.com)

sharkbiter shares a report from Ars Technica: The Federal Communications Commission chairman slammed wireless carriers on Tuesday for failing to quickly restore phone service in Florida after Hurricane Michael, calling the delay "completely unacceptable." But FCC Chairman Ajit Pai's statement ignored his agency's deregulatory blitz that left consumers without protections designed to ensure restoration of service after disasters, according to longtime telecom attorney and consumer advocate Harold Feld.

The Obama-era FCC wrote new regulations to protect consumers after Verizon tried to avoid rebuilding wireline phone infrastructure in Fire Island, New York, after Hurricane Sandy hit the area in October 2012. But Pai repealed those rules, claiming that they prevented carriers from upgrading old copper networks to fiber. Pai's repeal order makes zero mentions of Fire Island and makes reference to Verizon's response to Hurricane Sandy only once, in a footnote. Among other things, the November 2017 FCC action eliminated a requirement that telcos turning off copper networks must provide Americans with service at least as good as those old copper networks. This change lets carriers replace wireline service with mobile service only, even if the new mobile option wouldn't pass a "functional test" that Pai's FCC eliminated. Additionally, "in June 2018, Chairman Pai further deregulated telephone providers to make it easier to discontinue service after a natural disaster," Feld wrote. In response to Pai's deregulation, Feld wrote: "The situation in Florida shows what happens when regulators abandon their responsibilities to protect the public based on unenforceable promises from companies eager to cut costs for maintenance and emergency preparedness. This should be a wake-up call for the 37 states that have eliminated traditional oversight of telecommunications services and those states considering similar deregulation: critical communications services cannot be left without some kind of public oversight."

Comments

Cell Phones More Important

[neonv]

I have to say, restoring cell service is probably more important than copper service. Hardly anyone has landlines. Notice how they hardly mention that it is copper wires they are talking about ...

Re:Cell Phones More Important

[MightyYar]

This summary reads like a lobbyist wrote it. In Florida they can't even get the cell towers going because the backbone took such a hit - that would be the case with or without copper regulations. The copper rules would affect consumers during the rebuilding phase, not in the immediate aftermath. This is the kind of hyperbolic bullshit that has replaced actual discussion in this country.

Re:Cell Phones More Important

[b0s0z0ku]

Problem is that they're allowing telcos to drop ALL fixed-line (copper OR fiber) service in certain locations. And wireless is only a good alternative if you like random slowdowns, high latency, and generally shit service.

Re:Cell Phones More Important

[terrycarlino]

Less than 50% of consumers have landlines.

On the other hand nearly 100% of businesses have landlines, and are likely to in the foreseeable future. I pretty much guarantee those business customers will get their phone service working.

This is a prime example of government doing it wrong. To start with government should not be telling companies what kind of technology they should be using. If what is wanted is universal coverage then say that and let the company decide how to meet that universal coverage requirement. Set standards for bandwidth, cost, etc. and require the companies to meet them, but leave the how to them.

And make it a law, not a regulation so that political appointees can't change them with the political wind.

Re: Cell Phones More Important

[jd]

Actually, you should.

It's more efficient and infinitely cheaper if we support one another than if we live in isolated caves. The Internet wasn't created by a person or a company but through subsidy and cooperation. And thus all projects worth having are born.

Re: Cell Phones More Important

[jd]

There are no "free phones", somebody pays in the end.

There are cost-effective phones, ones whose benefit exceeds the cost and thus have long-term negative cost.

A land line can last a hundred years without needing replacing, if it's built right.

A cell phone tower is unlikely to survive the next storm, no matter how well you built it.

That's a lot of cell phone towers you have to rebuild to be equal to one land line.

Re:History Lesson.

[Opportunist]

Ajit is playing with fire and has no idea what he is doing. You're looking at a fall guy in the making.

Any way to speed it up?

I think the phrase was "heck of a job"

[rsilvergun]

in case anyone's wondering what's being referred to here.

Re:so what do these rules have to do with....

[Anonymous Coward]

Isn't it in their own self interest to get there as quick as possible

No, it's not. They save a bundle by waiting until weather conditions are more favorable. And, they do not have enough competition to fear losing most of their paying customers.

Re:Smudge Much?

[b0s0z0ku]

If they can bring electricity and water to homes on Fire Island, they can bring fiber. This isn't an engineering issue, this is a Verizon-being-fuckheads issue.

Re:Credit where credit's due

[Carewolf]

In light of Ajit Pai's decisions and their influence on this disaster, I would like to borrow some words from a former president, and state that Ajit Pai is doing one hell of a job.

Ahh. Bushisms... Those were simpler times, when the president was only mildly incompetent, and a tool of his advisors.

Re:Credit where credit's due

[SuricouRaven]

Bush was an idiotic, self-serving theocrat... but at least under Bush I could say with confidence he wouldn't start a nuclear war because another national leader insulted him on the internet. I'm no longer confident of that with Trump.

Rarely, if ever

[jd]

Should the market drive the response. The corporations have defined the market, not the consumer. The theory of market-driven response is predicated on consumers having a choice.

Where you have de-facto local monopolies or duopolies due to arrangements between telecos, the consumer has no choice. Likewise when information is so limited that choice does not exist.

Does anyone seriously believe most of those affected had a free choice from a diverse market, with full information on choices? If they do, they need to take a serious look at what they consider diverse or information.

Re: The Republican Death Cult

[jd]

The dynamics are a bit more complex, but the poster was not lying.

Access to abortion actually does reduce abortion rates. It also increases the safety of them.

Abortion rates have gone up dramatically in States that have reduced access to nearly zero. One can argue that that's because contraception access is also nearly zero, as is sex education. That's fair. However, the three are linked. The attitudes restricting one restrict them all.