The Buzz this week is the FCC's "Third Option" for some form of regulation of the Internet.
This is FCC Commissioner Michael Copps' statement about the Third Option.
"Frankly, I would have preferred plain and simple Title II reclassification through a declaratory ruling and limited, targeted forbearance--wiping the slate clean of all question marks. The quicker we can bring some sense of surety and stability to the present confusion emanating from the Comcast court decision, the better off consumers--and industry, too--will be."
The FCC General Counsel released this statement explaining what FCC Chair Genachowski was trying to say in this statement: "The Third Way: A Narrowly Tailored Broadband Framework".
Net Neutrality buffs want the FCC to regulate ISP packet prioritization. I do too. The Internet is the engine of the American economy. The ISP's in this country have been slow to keep pace with broadband like other countries have. We compete globally for many jobs. Broadband helps us compete.
Small businesses with less than 25 employees pay more for Internet Access than companies with more than 25. Economies of scale perhaps, but small business is the growth engine of the economy. Period. The telecom spend of small business has gone up - POTS lines, cellular, Internet Access. It can't continue.
I think that in some cases Eminent Domain could be declared. If you own the franchise and choice not to upgrade then hand over the netork to someone who will upgrade it to provide the necessary broadband. Instead, the Duopoly spends the money on Lobbying, Advertising who has a bigger, and litigation (against the FCC and municipalities like Lafayette and Wilson, NC). How about putting that money into the network?
FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn sides with Chairman Genachowski's announcement to reclassify Broadband.
“It is essential that the Commission re-establish the authority that most people believed it had prior to the Court’s decision in Comcast v. FCC. ... If we truly support universal access to broadband, if we are serious about transparency in broadband speeds and billing, if our aim is to strengthen our nation’s cybersecurity, and if we care about ensuring meaningful access to communications technologies by people with disabilities, then Title II authority is essential."
Meanwhile, FCC Commissioners McDowell and Baker issued a joint statement rebuking the Title II decision due to impending lost investment in Broadband.
There is no doubt that effective broadband legislation is needed. The most important word in the previous sentence is "effective". Unfortunately, effective (and efficient) often don't happen when the government gets involved. However, in the broadband case, I think they need to.