The power of the broadband issue was on display Wednesday at an FCC event on accellerating deployment, where Democratic FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski was talking about not erecting regulatory obstacles, and about "overly burdensome rules and regulations" that can slow deployment or raise costs and limit the private sector's ability to invest in new technologies and jobs.
In other words, sounding for all the world like a deregulatory Republican, or at least that appeared to be the way Free Press heard it. "Julius Genachowski's statements today are further evidence that he's more interested in appeasing the giant phone and cable companies than in solving the real problems in the American broadband market," said Free Press President Josh Silver.
The chairman did say some of the costs of obtaining permits and leasing poles were necessary, but said it was time to remove uneeded regs and reduce red tape.
"While Mr. Genachowski pointed out that 'not all rules are bad rules,' it's cold comfort from an FCC chairman who continues to provide giveaways to and create loopholes for the likes of Comcast, Verizon and AT&T," said Silver. He also said he supported "rationalizing pole-attachment regs, but called it a "stretch" to suggest that would "move the needle" very much on broadband investment.
