FCC having backdoor meetings with industry lobbyists to sell out network neutrality

[mikesm]

Think the FCC is actually going to do something to make network neutrality real and protect the future of the Internet? Wrong.

The FCC has been holding secret meetings with big corporate telecom lobbyists to "cut a deal" that would avoid the need for the Chairman to reclassify broadband services under Title II of the Act and give it real teeth to keep the Internet open. This is despite the fact that Genachowski has the 2 other D votes on the FCC to push this through! Why? Because he doesn't want to piss off the big telecom companies that give so much money to the politicians. If he moves ahead with this, these companies are not going to donate to the Democratic party, and as one of Obama's biggest fundraisers, he knows that causes a problem. So lets cut a deal.

See here for a story about the secret meetings:

http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/company-news/public-interest-groups-appalled-by-closed-door-fcc-web-meeting/19527046/

and the FCC's own blog: http://blog.broadband.gov/?entryId=518087

This has resulted in a huge stink from those of us in the President's base complaining about this sellout. See this full page ad in the Washington Post today: http://www.freepress.net/files/same-sellout.pdf

At least the Republicans are honest about their selling out to industry - but we voted for people who promised to0 do the opposite! Do you really think this is going on without the White House's acceptance if not direction? After all, unless we get all this corporate money, we won't be able to win congressional elections in the fall and pass all this great legislation that is important to the future of the country like health care "reform" and financial "reform"!

What is our future once AT&T and Comcast gets to control all the information flowing though the Internet? I guess we'll just have to settle for whatever Faux News tells us is going on! Argh.

[DJ13]

1. There sure are a lot of back door meetings in this administration

Big pharma, the health insurers, now the cable barons.

Thank goodness we didnt really believe that transparency bullshit in the election.

[Scuba]

2. You can expect access to this site will slow to 300 baud.

[katandmoon]

3. K&R