FCC Chairman Responds to Obama’s Net Neutrality Stance Dylan Duarte November 12, 2014 Well, that was fun while it lasted. No more than two days ago we told you that President Obama spoke out in favor of net neutrality, urging the FCC to classify Internet access as a utility, giving it the same rights that water and electricity enjoy. Now FCC chairman Tom Wheeler has responded, claiming that he won’t cave to pressure from the President, saying “I am an independent agency.” It’s weird that he said “I” when he runs a whole organization of people, but what do I know about politics? Of course, this doesn’t for sure mean that the FCC is going to continue obliterating net neutrality, but it certainly isn’t a good sign, especially after Monday’s good news. Senator Ted Cruz, who received campaign funds from Comcast, is still rallying hard against net neutrality, as are cable and telecommunication companies. Wheeler said in his statement that he has to “figure out how to split the baby,” a particularly gruesome reference to an Old Testament story. The problem is Wheeler isn’t King Solomon, he’s a former cable and telecom lobbyist that we’re expecting to approach the situation from a place without bias. There’s a reason that so many people opposed Obama’s appointing Wheeler as FCC chairman and that reason is going to bite us right where it hurts. via Engadget Share This With The World!
