Comments on: Time for a Digital Age Communications Act

Policy analyst Randolph May says it's time for a new Telecommunications Act that reflects the realities of the digital age.

[Remo_Williams]

Nuke the FCC.

Remake it into something else, even if it's only symbolic. I don't think the majority of Americans would shed a tear for the demise of such a useless organization of political appointees.

-R

[hscoggin]

Why do we need another "Act?"

Does it not occur to the morons in D.C. that there's no need for them to "do something?" We don't need yet another "Act" from the rulers on high. Just stay out of the way and let us go about our business. Better yet, GO HOME! Get real jobs, and leave the rest of us alone.

[deevolved]

Yes, but you got one fact wrong

I agree with the thrust of his arguments, with one exception: Mr. Mays said regarding the current mission of the Telecom regulatory body that it is designed to "protect competitors."

If one thing can be learned from the history of Telecom regulation it is that its net effect in both outcome and political disposition is that it has primarily protected established monopolies FROM upstart competitors.

[fgoldstein]

Just another paid Bell flack

PFF is a Bell-funded public relations ploy, practically a joint venture of Newt Gingrich and the RBOCs. It takes an extremist propertarian philosophy (we're the Bells, the phone wires are OURS, and you're a DIRTY COMMIE if you try to tell us what to do with them) an stretches it to advocate unregulated monopoly power for the Bells.

The Telecom Act is slightly ambiguous; it was written that way in order to get enough votes to pass. But the idea was clear, to create a transition from monopoly to competition. The Clinton FCC (1996-2001) did that; the Bush FCC is doing the opposite, trying its hardest to kill most competitors. Only the Incumbent telcos and the cable companies survive this scenario. ALL independent ISPs and almost all CLECs are on their death list.

That's followed by the death of consumer access to the Internet, since the current model doesn't give the wire owners a cut of the action. They want to migrate to "IPsphere" and other such initiatives wherein consuemers get a Broadband Walled Garden instead, with pay-per-view and vendor-censored content. China's Internet is freer than what Randall May wants.