[Techdirt] From Dingo To Net Neutrality Hero: FCC Boss On Why Everybody Had Him Wrong

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When FCC boss Tom Wheeler was first appointed to head the agency, few expected much. After all, here was yet another FCC revolving door regulator with a history of lobbying for both the cable and wireless industries — now tasked with heading an agency that oversees both. Yet the one-time « dingo » surprised everybody by fighting for tougher net neutrality rules, raising the standard definition of broadband, standing up for municipal broadband and improved broadband competition, and now fighting to unlock the cable industry’s stranglehold over the cable set top box. […]

It remains entirely possible Wheeler chooses not to act on zero rating whatsoever. After all, the agency has a history of treating usage caps (despite their obvious anti-competitive implications) as little more than « creative pricing, » and Wheeler’s on-record calling T-Mobile’s zero rating of some video services « innovative » and « pro competition ». Public pressure’s also not particularly high, since the majority of the public doesn’t understand the potential threat zero rating poses to a level playing field. […]

https://www.techdirt.com/blog/netneutrality/articles/20160309/08291233849/dingo-to-net-neutrality-hero-fcc-boss-why-everybody-had-him-wrong.shtml