Why the FCC Matters

[Commentary] The Federal Communications Commission was created to oversee new communications networks that emerged in the early 20th century. And as the Internet continues to change our ideas about what it means to connect and communicate, it’s more important than ever that the FCC take the right steps to protect open networks and promote diverse and independent media. Here is Free Press' six-point plan for FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler. As he tackles the big questions about the future of media in the U.S., we hope he sees his agency’s role in all of this as we do.

1. Preserve the Public’s Network. Broadband is now our basic communications platform, but the FCC has failed to keep this public infrastructure open and available to all. The new chairman needs to clarify and use the agency’s authority to make broadband accessible, reliable and affordable for everyone.
2. Protect Internet Freedom. Broadband providers shouldn’t decide which websites, apps or devices you can use online. Verizon has challenged the FCC’s Open Internet rules in court to claim that right. Whatever that case’s outcome, the new chairman needs to enforce the existing rules and strengthen Net Neutrality going forward
3. Provide Broadband Choices. The new chairman needs to increase our choices among broadband service providers with policies that foster competition, lower prices and expand access for everyone. There are many ways the agency can accomplish this. One is striking the right balance in the upcoming incentive auction to promote competition among wireless carriers and open more spectrum for innovative uses like Wi-Fi.
4. Promote Media Diversity. We need a media system that reflects our nation’s growing diversity. The FCC has a mandate to make our media more local and accountable. The new chairman needs to improve the FCC’s broadcast ownership rules to enable more diverse ownership of radio and TV stations. The FCC should also stop companies from using every trick in the book to grow their empires.
5. Prioritize Political Transparency. The FCC has the power and responsibility to require transparency from political advertisers and broadcasters. The new chairman should better inform voters by making funders put their names in the political ads they’re bankrolling.
6. Put People Back Into the Process. The new chairman has worked with corporate interests in Washington for many years. One of the first things that he and the other commissioners should do is go outside the Beltway, get away from the lobbyists and meet face to face with the people they’ve been appointed to serve.