The new FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler made a swing through California after his Consumer Electronics Show appearance in Las Vegas. On January 9, he visited two decidedly different venues: Silicon Valley’s Computer History Museum for a meet-up with tech types, and a lively Town Hall meeting with community activists at Oakland’s Preservation Hall.
Chairman Wheeler is in only his third month as head of the FCC after his nomination by President Obama followed by a long wait for the U.S. Senate to confirm his appointment. He has now taken the helm of this important federal agency impacting telecommunications, broadcasters, and Internet companies.
Wheeler Talks Policy to Silicon Valley Tech Community
On Thursday, Chairman Wheeler first spoke at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, where he urged Silicon Valley to accept the FCC’s Open Internet rules [ http://www.fcc.gov/guides/open-internet], promulgated during previous FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski’s tenure. Wheeler praised innovation and how it is "a great driving force of the open Internet", but then said he thought it essential that the FCC maintain an open Internet and have the ability to intervene on a case-by-case basis in the event of "aggravated circumstances." The issue of the Open Internet rules has been foremost on the FCC’s mind because a ruling on Verizon’s appeal of the rules (on grounds the FCC lacked jurisdiction to regulate broadband services) is expected to issue soon in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Wheeler also signaled that the FCC would ask for proposals at its public meeting at the end of the month for pilot programs to allow upgrades to Internet Protocol (IP)-enabled networks by traditional landline telephone companies. To the crowd’s satisfaction, he seemed in favor of hastening the transition from copper line telephone systems to IP-enabled networks.
On the upcoming FCC incentive spectrum auctions, which rely on TV broadcasters voluntarily giving up their access to valuable TV spectrum so that the spectrum can be resold at auction to wireless companies, Wheeler made a suggestion that incumbent TV stations consider sharing spectrum, if they wanted to obtain some of the money from the auction proceeds yet continue to operate. Wheeler addressed Silicon Valley tech companies’ interests when he suggested they should encourage TV stations to give up spectrum, so that the tech companies can get access to unlicensed spectrum on a shared basis for popular wireless uses like WiFi and Bluetooth technologies.
"Brother Wheeler" Listens to Community Advocates at Oakland Town Hall Meeting
Wheeler then went across the Bay to Oakland’s Preservation Hall for an evening event, the first of a series of nationwide media policy town hall meetings. This Town Hall was organized by Free Press, the Center for Media Justice, the National Hispanic Media Coalition, and the Voices for Internet Freedom Coalition. While the event ideally should have been open to the public, by the time the press release went out, the Hall was sold out according to the Eventbrite site. A live webcast was available on the OaklandVoices website for those unable to obtain a ticket. Oakland community leaders and other advocacy groups got "quality time" to air their communications, media and Internet grievances to Chairman Wheeler. There were so many attendees, an overflow room was established (which promptly adopted its own Twitter hashtag #overflowroom separate from the #OaklandVoices hashtag).
Chance Williams of Free Press praised the Chairman’s visit to Oakland because "People should be the center of media policy." He said it was "nearly impossible for people of color to own media outlets" noting blacks used to own and operate 18 television stations in 2006 but now, there are none.
Malkia Cyril from the Center for Media Justice declared "Tonight is about change!" Cyril said the power to communicate can be the difference between life and death, and advocated for federal Lifeline program preservation, broadband access for all, policies to restore black-owned media stations, affordable broadband rates, and an open and accessible Internet.
California PUC Commissioner Catherine Sandoval asked for the attendees’ help in approving her proposed decision on updates to California’s Lifeline program, noting is retains the ability to have a landline phone for Lifeline. She asked for continued support for broadband access for rural areas particularly in light on new mandated, state online education testing. She said she wanted to ensure "students are tested on what’s in their brains, not how fast their broadband access is", and said "Beverly Hills kids should not have an advantage over kids in Oakland." Sandoval suggested the federal Lifeline program have a minimum number of mandated minutes for wireless providers, saying "low income people should not run out of minutes when on with social services, like a suicide prevention line." She asked Wheeler to amend the FCC’s Lifeline application to not require any social security numbers, saying it results in injustice to illegal immigrants. Finally she advocated the FCC "preserve the option of landline phone services in the federal Lifeline program." Later, TURN’s Mark Toney went further on the topic of federal Lifeline program, and said the "FCC must protect people from forced migration to IP-networks and wireless networks from landline phones."
Bob Butler of NorCal National Association of Black Journalists decried the lack of diversity in the nation’s newspapers, TV and radio news rooms.
Jessica Gonzalez of the National Hispanic Media Coalition asked for affordable broadband access to "give voice to the voiceless." Susan Walters of the California Emerging Technology Fund asked the FCC to urge Comcast and other Internet companies to offer a low cost broadband rate for low income persons, noting that Comcast’s Internet Essentials program had only reached 10% of the eligible low income families after two years. Walters further advocated the FCC set goals and performance metrics for any FCC-funded broadband adoption program
Richard Abisla of Mission Economic Development Agency noted the importance of broadband access, yet the poor struggle to afford it on an average annual income of $28,000. He advocated for broadband strategies be used in all federal programs alleviating poverty.
A librarian made a plea for faster broadband for public libraries, asking him to raise the cap on eRate limits on funding, reducing deployment barriers, and maintaining an Internet discount for libraries under the eRate Schools and Libraries program.
The issue of affordable prison phone rates came up twice, once by Christina Mansfield of CIVIC, and again, very powerfully, by a mother of a young prisoner, sentenced to 20+ years, who said she has spent over $3,000 in phone bills to communicate with her son in prison.
Dmitri Belser, Executive Director of Center for Accessible Technology, asked the FCC for better accessibility requirements for Internet websites, starting with the FCC’s own website.
After nearly two hours of Wheeler’s attentiveness and careful note taking of the often passionate speakers, Cyril joked about Oakland’s history of protests, and dubbed him "Brother Wheeler" to the delight of the crowd. When Wheeler finally spoke at 8:50 PM, he emphasized he had decided to get out of DC and listen to people "other than the typical DC players," then acknowledging he used to be a typical DC player who had sat in their seats and stood in the line to speak. He said his goal was to listen, take in data points and information.
"At this point in history," he said, "Networks do define us — our culture and our power."
Wheeler addressed some of the hot issues. He declared he is a big supporter of Lifeline, and strongly decried fraud in the program. "Fraud in the program effects fraud on the people who need the program," he said. "This is outrageous and we won’t put up with that crap."
Wheeler praised the work last year that fellow FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn did to lower prison payphone rates during the time she was Interim FCC Chair. He said he would remember the poignant story of the mother of the inmate who testified that night on inflated prison phone rates.
On the transition to IP-enabled phone networks, Wheeler came out in favor of doing some trials, consistent with his remarks earlier in the day in Silicon Valley. He noted that some industry players advocate that since the networks are moving to a new technology, all the old [common carrier] rules should not apply. He took strong issue with this, and said there is a "Network Compact" between traditional telephone companies and the public. Key aspects of this Network Compact must be upheld in the new IP-enabled system era, he said, giving as examples of the Compact the ability to dial 9-1-1 and be connected to the emergency response system, interconnection, and no preferential treatment to one player over another to get access to the network. Having said that, Wheeler said the the IP transition is important for the growth of the Internet networks. He said he was a proponent of new technologies, and noted they may allow new voices to be heard. He wants to offer proper incentives to build new networks, yet insist that the providers "uphold the Compact." And with that pronouncement, Brother Wheeler departed Oakland.
