Tea Party Targets The FCC

[Commentary] All around Washington, members of the telecommunications lawyer clan are doing a good bit of navel-gazing about the Net Neutrality order released by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) just before Christmas. They are delving deep into the subtleties of Sec. 706 (a) of the Communications Act, working out intricate arguments on FCC authority and policy. At the same time, the Tea Party is planning a naval bombardment offensive to counter the Commission’s order. Twice between Christmas and New Year’s, the Tea Party put the FCC in the sights of its 16-inch guns, sending emails to supporters to rally support for a campaign that would “Protect Our Internet Voice.”

The headline in the email reads, “The Tea Party Must Stop the Governments (sic) Freedom Grab!” If FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski thought he could escape Congressional and Tea Party-driven scrutiny by forging this weak “compromise” because AT&T was nominally on board, he certainly miscalculated. As a result, Chairman Genachowski and his colleagues will end up spending quality time before House interrogators to defend a rule that has loopholes larger in some respects than the rule itself. It’s just a shame that the FCC doesn't have something stronger to defend that would be equal to the vociferousness of the attacks.