Street roots., December 29, 2017, Page 4, Image 4

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Page 4
"I w ill never allow any partisan
interest, personal prejudices or
hang-ups to come ia the way
of serving communities
who go without. I w il
never do that.
Never."
FCC COMMISSIONER MIGNON CLYBURN
E X E C U T IV E E D ITO R
Tien th e F ederal C o m m u n ica tio n s
W
C o m m issio n v o te d th is m o n th to
g u t in te r n e t neutrality protections,
simple. We were faced with a couple of
Commissioner Mignon Clyburn did not hold
uninterrupted - the landline phone
questions as to whether people like you and
back her outrage. The FCC, in her words,
connection went dead: Straight to a dial
me, businesses large and small, should be
had “pulled its own teeth” in passing what
tone, without any clear culpability on either
able to reach the online applications and the
sjie called the “consumer-harming,
end. We resumed the call, but it was hard
services of our choice, without interference.
F re e d o m O rd e r.”
" ~ ' ——
The issue and the question before us were
market and the power'it now hSsu<?vgrtered
Clyburn, along with fellow Democratic
our
lives.
Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, were
that travels over the internet should be
the two dissenting votes in a party-line, 3-2
treated equally. To me it was a very simple
J o a n n e Zuhl: Leading up to the vote,
decision to roll back 2015 protections
you’ve described it as the most difficult wee
question, and the (commission’s) answer, to
against blocked, throttled or prioritized
me, was one that s troublesome: That we
your career on the FCC. You’ve referenced
internet access.
threats and intimidation, personal attacks,
don’t think that the expert agency in
First sworn in in 2009, Clyburn is the
Nazis cheering, russian influences, fake
telecommunications should be the referee
longest-serving member of the FCC. With
on the field or a cop on the beat when it
comments. A n d you’ve noted repeatedly tha
this recent vote, she said, the commission
the majority on the FCC ignored the public
comes to protections to what has become an
had abandoned its pledge to serve the
large, and even lawmakers who were callin,
essential service and platform in our
American people. And that if history offers
for a delay o f the vote.
lifetimes. That we don’t think protections,
any lessons to the future, consumers —
This doesn t sound like garden-variety
are necessary for a service or an offering
notably people of color and marginalized
that, in too many places in this country, is a
capitalism at play here. What was going or
populations - will likely see greater barriers
monopoly.
and how does it compare to a couple o f yeai
to internet access in the future.
Between 50 and 70 percent, depending
ago when you were debating net neutrality
“When the current protections are
2015?
on the stats you see, of those of us who
abandoned, and the rules that have been
wish or do subscribe to high-speed internet
M
ignon
Clyburn:
One
of
the
things
I
officially in place since 2015 are repealed,
at home have only one option. This is not a
have to note is that the emotions are verj
we will have a Cheshire cat version of net
competitive market for the majority of
piqued right now. You’ve got individuals a
neutrality, she wrote in her dissenting
citizens.
companies
in
the
debate
that
seem
to
be
opinion. “We will be in a world where
And so for an agency to say it’s going to
entrenched,
extremely
emotional
and
rigi.
regulatory substance fades to black, and all
take itself out of the day-to-day regulatory
when it comes to their positions. And wh(
that is left is a broadband provider’s toothy
construct I find problematic. Agencies like
you have an atmosphere where there is n<
grin and those oh so comforting words: we
the FCC were put into place to be a
room for give or take, you can find yourse
have every incentive to do the right thing.
substitute for competition. We are supposed
in a place of great discomfort. I can think
What they will soon have, is every incentive
to be the public’s eyes and ears and
never in my 19 years of public and
to do their own thing.”
protection when competitive forces don’t
regulatory service have I seen as significaj
Inexplicably during her interview with
allow those market regulatory opportunities.
display as on this particular item.
Street Roots - just as Clyburn began
Were supposed to be there protecting. And
I consider that unfortunate, because it
addressing the critical need for Americans
fo Y Y l
° urselves 0Ut of the game- The
often clouds what the merits or demerits (
to be able to access the internet,
ah If , h matter iS’ a" Of the emotions and
the issue are. Which to me are pretty
all of us being so rigid in the debate really
when it comes to this essential service.
You work with communities that more
than anybody need the options and
opportunities and platforms and finding (
about essential services. They often get 1
from a mobile device - mobile broadbanc
access. If that is not protected or treated
the same way - which in 2015 we said it
would be, that you deserved to have
p r o te c tio n o v e r y o u r m o b ile d e v ic e an d
mobile broadband access as well as fixed
wired access - it will be disadvantaged
communities and individuals who don’t h<
a permanent home, that rely on that mob
device as literally their lifeline to the wor
It leaves the most vulnerable even more
vulnerable, by treating mobile access
differently and not offering the same leve
of protections, and treating all of us
differently when it comes to punting
regulatory protections. When I took my o;
of office, that’s not what I signed up for.
J.Z.: The proponents say repealing the ne
neutrality rules will foster more competition
among broadband providers and greater
access. Obviously you don’t agree with that
position.
M.C.: I do not. I look at the way of the
wor as it is. Whatever the barriers or the
markets, there’s a reason why the majority
of us have only one provider for high speec
access where we live. There are incentives
for those internet services providers, who
don t look the same as they did 10 or 15
years ago.
And remember, internet service
providers, particularly the ones who have
the majority of the market share, they own
See FCC, page !