Saturday, June 19, 2010

Telecomm Boo-Hooing

Remember Al Franken's "Lying Liars?" Here we have Whining Whiners and the Whines They Whine. Or liars if you prefer. The Broadband Providers Doth Protest Too Much, Methinks - PCWorld Business Center

"...AT&T senior vice president for external and legislative affairs Jim Cicconi commented on the FCC NOI to say "It will create investment uncertainty at a time when certainty is most needed. It will no doubt damage jobs in a period of far-too-high unemployment. It will also undermine the FCC's own goals for the National Broadband Plan."

Really? No, seriously. Because, if that is true, we need to know about it. We need the facts to be a part of this open dialog so we can consider the full ramifications of altering the scope of FCC authority over broadband service providers. So, if you can actually back that alarmist statement up, please contribute those facts to the process.

In a statement issued from the FCC following Thursday's vote, FCC chairman Julius Genachowski notes, "It's not hard to understand why companies subject to an agency's oversight would prefer no oversight at all if they had the chance.

That is true. However, the United States has been experiencing the painful effects of reduced or failed oversight--the collapse of Wall Street, the ongoing BP oil spill fiasco--so you'll have to forgive us for not trusting the altruistic intentions of corporate America.

What is the broadband industry afraid of? It's a public debate, not an FCC directive. The point of the NOI is to provide an opportunity for all parties to weigh in. Instead of whining and complaining about the audacity of the FCC for moving the discussion forward, Verizon, AT&T, Comcast, or any other interested party, should participate in the democratic process to determine the best solution..."

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