While telephone subscribership has now become ubiquitous, increasingly many citizens — especially twenty-somethings — no longer use landline telephones, instead going completely wireless. Pollsters, however, still base their surveys on landline phone subscribers
The highly polarized debate over so-called net neutrality at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) exposes serious philosophical differences about the appropriate role of government in managing technological change. Neither side is unfortunately free either from hyperbole or fear-mongering. And neither side is completely right.
Release of Release of the FCC’s “National Broadband Plan” marks the start of what is likely to be a long and hotly debated implementation process, as the plan pits the interests of different industry segments against one other and tests the limits of the FCC’s regulatory authority.
The reaction in Silicon Valley to folks saying they’re from Washington, DC and are “here to help” may just be slightly more favorable going-forward.
Friday’s decision by the Federal Communications Commission to cite Comcast for unlawful violation of “network neutrality” principles raises the serious question whether a government agency should be allowed to issue what it expressly terms a set of non-binding “principles” and then make an official finding of illegality when a company fails to follow those principles.