FCC Chairman: I’m concerned about data caps

Has Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski changed his mind on the acceptability of data caps?

As far back as 2010 he defended the idea of wireline Internet service providers using broadband usage caps as part of the network neutrality order and did so again in May at The Cable Show when he reiterated the position. The chairman has said he doesn’t mind the caps and is in favor of ISPs having the opportunity to experiment with different business models, but last night at a Silicon valley event it seemed like his mind has changed. When asked about the impact of data caps on broadband innovation and how his thinking had evolved on the topic, the chairman said he was concerned about data caps. He added, “Anything that depresses broadband usage is something that we need to be really concerned about.” And he further said, “We should all be concerned with anything that is incompatible with the psychology of abundance.” Wow, that’s three “concerns” in a single answer, but does this mean the chairman is set to recognize the potential harms of data caps and goad the commission into any action? That’s less clear. The FCC did signal that the cap issue is one that bears watching last month when it released a notice that asked the public how it should view caps when the agency was measuring broadband quality.