Good evening. Here’s a bit I’d never expect to read from the San Francisco Chronicle about Sprint’s begging for the FCC to pick winners and losers, instead of just standing aside and letting AT&T and T-Mobile get together:
At a time when wireless service is getting cheaper and more innovative, there is no reason for a Depression-era bureaucracy like the FCC to step in and regulate a dynamic and competitive marketplace.
Well put, I say. Even if the FCC’s Section 706 report on Broadband competition is a work of fiction. When 85% of US Census Tracts have two or more broadband providers according to your own numbers, and 98% have one or more, to give the industry a failing grade on infrastructure is a politically-motivated lie. The FCC is not doing its job honesty. They’re looking to regulate a booming industry (broadband user at home have gone up from 8 to 200 million Americans since 2000) to impose a socialist agenda. We must stop them and call out the lies.
Don’t believe me? Ask FCC Commissioners Robert McDowell and Meredith Baker. McDowell says that “America has made impressive improvements” since 2000. Baker says she is “troubled” by the failing grade. They know the truth, and the FCC isn’t telling it.
Anyway, it’s official. AT&T and Deutsche Telekom on Thursday requested to transfer licenses from T-Mobile to AT&T. We need the FCC to stay out of this. Both AT&T and T-Mobile lag in the wireless technology race as Verizon, Sprint, and Clearwire deploy 4G technology. If we want a competitive market, we need them to make the deal.
And as much as I’m mistrustful of Google, this lawsuit is stupid. People are running off half-cocked, reacting to smart technology that speeds GPS and saves battery, looking for a quick buck from deep pockets. It’s shameful. It’s the kind of thing that makes a person turn to Ayn Rand.
To close the night, let’s talk some more about Internet taxes. I do mention California often enough. I live here. It’s close and I have a stake in it. CalWatchDog has what appears to be a pretty comprehensive case against California’s plans, aimed largely at selected firms like Amazon. California, like the FCC, wants to pick winners and losers. Don’t worry though; Amazon won’t take it lying down. Ask South Carolina about that.