About Scott Cleland
![]() |
|
You are hereOpen InternetNew broadband uncertainty -- is 700 MHz info? or telecom service?Submitted by Scott Cleland on Wed, 2007-08-01 10:57There are so many problems with the FCC's new 700 MHz auction rules that create a more regulated open access/net neutrality license -- its hard to know where to start.
Yesterday I highlighted the dirty little secret that there is very substantial risk that this will become known as the "do over auction" because it may not raise enough money to satisfy the rules and because the FCC likely overstepped its legal authority and will be overturned in court. Let's raise another dirty little secret behind the new rules that will increase regulatory uncertainty for broadband deployment. The FCC's "Do Over" Auction?Submitted by Scott Cleland on Tue, 2007-07-31 10:59A much under-reported part of the high drama behind the FCC's current 700 MHz auction rules is that there is a very substantial risk that this becomes known as the "do over" FCC auction. First, to any outside observer, the FCC's highly-tailored auction rules appear to have a pretty obvious "set aside" for the Google camp and its proposed net neutrality/open access business model for a third of the 700 MHz spectrum.
Second, there is substantial legal risk that the FCC does not have the authority to condition these licenses in a way that limits an "open" auction and substantially reduces the revenue for the US Treasury. Jim Harper of Cato has a great piece on the 700MHz auctionSubmitted by Scott Cleland on Mon, 2007-07-30 18:19Please read Jim Harper's (of Cato) cogent and on-point critique of the FCC's 700 MHz auction. Well said Jim! "Open" is clearly in the eye of the beholder.
A "Third" national broadband pipe? Try an eighth!Submitted by Scott Cleland on Mon, 2007-07-30 11:00I keep shaking my head in disbelief when the Google camp breathlessly claims that the 700 MHz is the last opportunity to create a true "third broadband pipe?"
The much ballyhooed proposal in the 700 MHz auction for an "open access license" (whatever that endlessly evolving term means) claims to be all about Government creating a "third broadband pipe?" Hello???!!!
Let's come down to earth folks. "Open Hypocrisy!" eBay-Skype "Blocks" application competitionSubmitted by Scott Cleland on Fri, 2007-07-27 10:11It is clear that "open access" is not a true "principle" for eBay-Skype, but a self-serving scheme by eBay to cloak their obvious "private interest" behind the greater "public interest."
Open access to eBay-Skype is a blatant double standard where eBay wants government to regulate their competitors to eBay-Skype's commercial advantage, but do not want the principle applied to eBay-Skype. Must read WSJ Holman Jenkins today... the "Master" of satire!Submitted by Scott Cleland on Wed, 2007-07-25 12:23Great satire is rare.
Please read it and laugh out loud and shout ouch! The pen is surely mightier than the algorithm. PrecursorBlog was "Blocked" by another denial of service attackSubmitted by Scott Cleland on Tue, 2007-07-24 18:58The Precursorblog was shut down for most of today because we were hit by yet another targeted and malicious denial-of-service attack. It appears that some net neutrality zealots may "say" they oppose any "blocking, degrading or impairing" of access to any Internet content -- but I guess that only applies to people who agree with them. Last time this happened, I appealed to Moveon.org's, SaveTheInternet and FreePress to denounce this attack on free speech, but alas, they said nothing. FCC McDowell's Great WSJ op-ed -- debunks need for new national broadband policySubmitted by Scott Cleland on Tue, 2007-07-24 12:37Please read FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell's outstanding op-ed in the Wall Street Journal today. It eviscerates the sloppy thinking and weak evidence of net neutrality/open access proponents that are trying to manufacture a national broadband problem/crisis to justify their new Big Government "National Broadband Policy." This op-ed is particularly timely given the current and tightly coordinated attempts by liberal House and Senate Democrats to establish the groundwork for an abandonment of competition and free market policies in communications and replace it with a new "National Broadband Policy" which is the liberal codeword for a Big Government-managed broadband sector. Google "exploiting a desperate town" for more corporate welfareSubmitted by Scott Cleland on Mon, 2007-07-23 12:12You can tell a lot about the true soul of people by how they treat the vulnerable and disadvantaged; do they naturally seek to help and protect those in need or do they instinctively seek to exploit others weaknesses for their own monetary or other gain?
Despite Google's infamous words in its "Don't be evil" motto, its actions recently in dealing with the job-loss ravaged town of Lenoir, North Carolina gives us a sad and disappointing glimpse into the real soul of Google -- the Silicon Valley titan and leading brand in the world. BusinessWeek just published an outstanding government/human interest story called: "The High Cost of Wooing Google" where it chronicles the story of how Google exploited the "down-on-its-luck" town of Lenoir, North Carolina with hardball negotiating tactics to extract : "a package of tax breaks, infrastructure upgrades, and other goodies valued at $212 million over 30 years, or more than $1million for each of the 210 jobs Google said it eventually hoped to create in Lenoir." The BusinessWeek article continued: This is a spectrum auction Google not a policy auction! No to "OPEN Sesame!Submitted by Scott Cleland on Fri, 2007-07-20 18:57Anyone who hasn't read Google's letter to the FCC today on the 700 MHz auction -- you have to -- its an absolute hoot!
First Google, despite what you may think, the US Government and FCC policy is not "for sale." (And even if you think it is, at least try to be less obvious about your cynicism in public.)
Second, the demand in their letter oozes with arrogance. Let's parse the final and operative sentence of Google's letter to see just how arrogant. Pages |