Comments on: Blowing the Call: FCC Take Note http://www.digitalsociety.org/2010/06/blowing-the-call-fcc-take-note/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=blowing-the-call-fcc-take-note Pro-Culture, Pro-Commerce Thu, 08 Dec 2011 00:48:15 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.3 By: Brett Glass http://www.digitalsociety.org/2010/06/blowing-the-call-fcc-take-note/comment-page-1/#comment-8822 Brett Glass Fri, 04 Jun 2010 23:37:56 +0000 http://www.digitalsociety.org/?p=5166#comment-8822 The good news is that the Commission hasn't actually made the call yet! The Chairman has merely announced that it's considering it and put it on the agenda. It could yet be withdrawn from the agenda before the meeting, or it could be voted down at the meeting. (The Chairman could even decide at the very last minute to cast a "Nay" vote.) The danger is that the Chairman may feel that he already has committed and be too proud to reconsider. Or that the Commissioners will march in lockstep with the Congressional majority leaders (rather than listening to the majority of the <i>members</i> of Congress, who are opposed). If both are true, the FCC will proceed on a course which will delay the ultimate resolution of the matter by months or years. And broadband speed and deployment in the US will fall farther behind where it could be. The good news is that the Commission hasn’t actually made the call yet! The Chairman has merely announced that it’s considering it and put it on the agenda. It could yet be withdrawn from the agenda before the meeting, or it could be voted down at the meeting. (The Chairman could even decide at the very last minute to cast a “Nay” vote.)

The danger is that the Chairman may feel that he already has committed and be too proud to reconsider. Or that the Commissioners will march in lockstep with the Congressional majority leaders (rather than listening to the majority of the members of Congress, who are opposed). If both are true, the FCC will proceed on a course which will delay the ultimate resolution of the matter by months or years. And broadband speed and deployment in the US will fall farther behind where it could be.

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