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fg8578
join:2009-04-26
San Antonio, TX

fg8578

Member

In Copps' defense

As a Republican and a Conservative, I don't often find myself defending Michael Copps, BUT . . .

It should be noted that for most of his tenure, he was in the minority party while at the FCC (2001-08 under the Bush Administration, only 2009 under the Obama Administration), so even if he had wanted to reclassify ISPs as common carriers, he would have faced three dissenting votes from Republican Commissioners, meaning such an effort would have gotten nowhere.

OTOH, he was actually temporary, acting Chairman of the FCC for awhile early in the Obama Administration, while the Senate was approving the nomination of Julius Genachowski. So, theoretically he could have reclassified ISPs as common carriers during that short six-month window, but NOTHING gets done at the FCC in six months.

Even if he'd started the effort, then let Julius take over, I'm not sure the Democratic Commissioners would have had the stomach for a reclassification fight, even being the majority party.