Clyburn Slams FCC Majority for 'Hypocrisy,' Siding Against Consumers
The FCC majority engaged in “direct attack on consumers and small business” during Chairman Ajit Pai’s 10 months, said Commissioner Mignon Clyburn in a news conference Wednesday preceding a briefing from the Voices for Internet Freedom coalition. In both events, Clyburn castigated Pai and the FCC majority for “hypocrisy” and a stream of policies she said favor large companies. “This is a sad path,” Clyburn said. Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, Democratic National Committee Deputy Chairman Rep. Keith Ellison of Minnesota and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., were also critical of the FCC majority. Net neutrality is “a justice issue, a civil rights issue,” Khanna told the event. FCC leadership is “fixated on billion dollar public companies and what it best for their bottom line,” Clyburn said. Congress held a hearing on net neutrality Wednesday (see 1711010052).
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Clyburn attacked a draft Lifeline proposal set for a Nov. 16 vote as the latest example of the FCC “short circuiting opportunity” for those on the wrong side of the digital divide, and said she had concerns about the draft ATSC 3.0 proposal. There are “so many questions” about how the transition will affect those with fixed or limited income and whether it truly will be voluntary, Clyburn said. Though she conceded the new standard will bring many advantages, she is “troubled” by unaddressed concerns about the draft order. The draft Lifeline proposal will have massive consequences for those without easy access to the internet, she said. “Don’t get me started on what it does to tribal lands.”
Pai’s “top priority” is bridging the digital divide, an FCC spokeswoman responded. “His Lifeline proposals will help accomplish that goal by targeting support to those carriers that are actually deploying the infrastructure that is necessary to help bridge that divide.” A recent GAO study revealed “a significant percentage of Lifeline funds” are “being wasted,” the spokeswoman said. “The FCC must take action to ensure that this money is spent appropriately for the benefit of low-income Americans rather than companies engaging in fraud.” Many families live paycheck to paycheck and sometimes have to choose whether to spend money on food or on internet access, Clyburn said. “The FCC shouldn’t make it harder for them.”
The fight over net neutrality is connected to the struggle for civil rights, Ellison and others told the briefing. “Seekers of justice” use the internet in the same manner early civil rights leaders used phones, Clyburn said. “If they can throttle the internet,” Ellison said, “they can absolutely make sure that your voice does not get out.” Without net neutrality rules, broadband providers will be able to choose what voices to amplify, said Rosenworcel. She called for a “ruckus” over Pai’s proposals for net neutrality rule changes. “This merits a fight,” Rosenworcel said.
Asked about whether she has plans to leave the FCC, Clyburn said that “now more than ever” it’s important to “give voice” to the concerns of those worried about the future of internet access. Raising those concerns is more important than “what day I exit,” Clyburn said.