FCC

When I first learned that President Obama had nominated the former president of CTIA and the National Cable Television Association to be the next chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, my stomach turned: If there’s one thing that this country doesn’t need, it’s yet another former lobbyist appointed to a high position in the United States federal government. But after my initial gag reflex wore off, I found myself intrigued by the reaction from many activists whom I’d expected to slam the pick — Public Knowledge CEO Gigi Sohn, for instance, said that Wheeler was likely to champion “strong open Internet requirements, robust broadband competition, affordable broadband access for all Americans, diversity of voices and serious consumer protections, all backed by vigorous agency enforcement.” And Ars Technica notes that Cardozo School of Law professor Susan Crawford, who has long been a fierce critic of the cable industry, has also endorsed the nomination. More →

Julius Genachowski announced on Friday that he will be stepping down as Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, a position he has held since 2009. During his tenure, Genachowski supervised the regulation of radio, television, broadband, wired and wireless communications within the United States. He also attempted to free up additional spectrum for wireless carriers and oversaw the proposed merger between AT&T and T-Mobile. More →

A new law recently went into effect that made it illegal to unlock a cell phone purchased from a carrier without prior permission. The decision was met with widespread backlash from consumers and resulted in an online petition that was singed by more than 100,000 people asking the government to reverse the law. According to TechCrunch, the Federal Communications Commission plans to investigate whether the ban is harmful to consumers and competition in the industry. Chairman Julius Genachowski said that the “ban raises competition concerns; it raises innovation concerns,” adding that “it’s something that we will look at at the FCC to see if we can and should enable consumers to use unlocked phones.” The Chairman did note, however, that the FCC may not have the authority to overturn the law.