One of the things I like about e-mail lists is learning things about myself that I never knew before, especially regarding my occupation. For the last 9 months or so I've been working part-time with a Washington think tank in an analyst capacity, not as a lobbyist, and not on the Comcast payroll. My views about Internet regulation precede this job and haven't been altered by it. For purposes of the present discussion, I'd rather be known as the guy who wrote the first IEEE 802 standard for Ethernet over twisted pair, or designed the Wi-Fi MAC protocol, or the DRP for UWB, or something like that. As Suresh notes, the idea that the FCC overstepped its bounds in the Comcast order is hardly controversial. It's not even a matter of opinion any more, as the decision written by the most liberal judge on the 3rd Circuit, David Tatel, means it's the law. The debate about how to regulate the Internet is now premised on the fact that the old rationale doesn't hold up to scrutiny, so deal with it. RB On 4/11/2010 11:23 PM, Suresh Ramasubramanian wrote:
On Mon, Apr 12, 2010 at 11:41 AM, Paul WALL<pauldotwall@gmail.com> wrote:
It should probably be noted, for purpose of establishing bias, that Richard is a Washington lobbyist, hired to represent Comcast on regulatory matters. What he views as overstepping legal bounds, others may view as protecting consumers...
Hell, funnily enough Susan Crawford warned at the time that the FCC action wouldn't stand up in court the way it was done.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/comcast_vs_the_fcc_a_reply_to_susan_crawfords_...
--srs
-- Richard Bennett Research Fellow Information Technology and Innovation Foundation Washington, DC