Last Friday, FCC Chairman Genachowski received a letter from three law professors, all experts on telecommunications law and open Internet rules. "Tim Wu (known for first popularizing the concept of Network Neutrality), Susan Crawford (former White House advisor on telecommunications policy), and Marvin Ammori (lead attorney and representative of intervenors in the FCC's Comcast proceeding and court appeal), called on the FCC to reclassify broadband transmission service as a Title II telecommunications service." [save-the-internet]

Since AT&T blogged about it without mentioning Crawford's name, I know that the spin machine is in effect. But the FCC must act fast before the Duopoly can mount a PR campaign and a war machine.  I'm a firm believer that anything that a Fortune 1000 company lobbies against is best for the consumer. And every time AT&T wants anything, it usually means it's time to reach for the KY. 

For a detailed legal explanation of why broadband was never classified as a Title II telecommunications service, read this.

Of course, the re-classification would be fought, but so what? The Duopoly fights everything. They have too many lawyers. USF Reform and Inter-Carrier Comp are going to change because the PSTN is going to be all VoIP in 5 years. That all-IP network has to be maintained. USF was designed to bring affordable landline to rural America. Now it will be used to bring broadband to rural America.  

The Duopoly has to wake up. If they want to continue to get $500 per household in communications services from the American consumer, they have to help the American economy compete on a global scale. Every job has competition globally. (Your McD's drive-thru window voice is likely in Colorado, not from the building you are parked next to). Every industry is being affected by the Internet. 

Small business and Innovation drive the American economy. Big Business - the people spending billions lobbying government for more money and protections of the status quo - do not grow jobs or the economy! 

The Internet will need to be taxed. North Carolina knows this. So does every politician. As more business moves to the Internet, brick-and-mortar loses revenue - and governments lose taxes. Not just sales taxes, but property, payroll, etc. Wake up now, because this Internet fad is going to change the way all people are employed, work, shop, spend -- and who gets what revenue, taxes, subsidies. 

The Internet is what the PSTN was in 1960. The PSTN was heavily regulated - and the companies that own most of it - AT&T, VZ, Qwest, Sprint, Comcast, Cox, TWC - are all used to FCC regulation and reporting. No sense in stopping that because the transmission medium moves to IP. 

Note that the FCC has never classified Wireless Broadband.