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  2. February 2017

February 2017

41 Democratic Reps Write to FCC Chairman Pai Over Lifeilne Program

Democratic Reps are hammering Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai over his decision to cut nine companies from a program that provides subsidized internet service to low-income people. Forty-one Reps, including Reps Ro Khanna (D-CA), Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and Ron Kind (D-WI), signed a letter saying that Chairman Pai’s move would hurt poor communities. “Your action will hurt those in our country that need the most help,” they wrote. “Your arbitrary decision will hurt poor children and widen the digital divide.” The House letter follows one sent on Feb 10 from 15 Democratic Sens that also blasted the decision. House Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ) blasted the decision earlier in Feb, calling it a “baseless action.”

Civil Rights Groups, Funded by Telecoms, Back Donald Trump’s Plan to Kill Net Neutrality

Leading Civil Rights groups who for many years have been heavily bankrolled by the telecommunications industry are signaling their support for Donald Trump’s promised rollback of the Obama administration’s network neutrality rules, which prevent internet service providers from prioritizing some content providers over others.

In a little-noticed joint letter released recently, the NAACP, Asian Americans Advancing Justice, OCA (formerly known as the Organization for Chinese Americans), the National Urban League, and other civil rights organizations sharply criticized the “jurisdictional and classification problems that plagued the last FCC” — a reference to the legal mechanism used by the Obama administration to accomplish net neutrality. Instead of classifying broadband as a public utility, the letter states, open internet rules should be written by statute. What does that mean? It means the Republican-led Congress should take control of the process — the precise approach that is favored by industry.

The Trump administration’s other war on the media

Despite his crusade against the press, President Donald Trump’s contempt does not seem to apply to the massive conglomerates — such as Comcast and Verizon — with so much influence over what the American people watch on television and read on the Internet. And at a time when extreme commercialization has helped drive the decline of accountability journalism, President Trump and his recently appointed Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai have signaled their intention to exacerbate the problem.

A former associate general counsel at Verizon and a consistent opponent of FCC rules intended to protect consumers, Pai fits the mold of other, higher-profile Trump appointees whose experience and ideology run counter to their roles in the administration. And since taking over the top job, Pai has already started transforming the FCC into an unofficial branch of the telecommunications industry. In Feb, Chairman Pai put his initial stamp on the agency with a series of orders that elicited harsh criticism from media reform and consumer advocacy groups, such as Free Press, which said they will “undercut affordable broadband, greenlight more media consolidation and endanger key protections for Internet users.”

Trump: 'Real story' of Flynn resignation is illegal leaks

President Donald Trump said the “real story” of national security adviser Michael Flynn’s resignation was “illegal leaks,” rather than reports Flynn misled senior White House officials about his conversations with Russia. "The real story here is why are there so many illegal leaks coming out of Washington? Will these leaks be happening as I deal with N.Korea etc?" President Trump tweeted. The White House announced Flynn's resignation Feb 13, the culmination of weeks of controversy surrounding alleged communications with Russia.

Flynn resignation shows leaks under Trump are working. Keep ‘em coming.

[Commentary] National Security Adviser Michael Flynn was forced to resign Feb 13—just three weeks into the job—following the revelation that he lied to both the Trump administration and the public when he said he did not discuss outgoing President Obama’s sanctions on Russia with that country’s US ambassador just after the election. But here’s the important part: It turns out it wasn’t the lying that got him fired; it’s that his lying leaked to the press.

The Washington Post reported that the acting attorney general told the White House weeks ago that transcripts showed Flynn likely misled administration officials. It wasn’t until the public found out he lied—based on a torrent of leaks from inside the administration in the past week—that Flynn was forced out. Speaking to the press about confidential and classified material is a risky and often courageous move. Many people, especially those close to the Obama administration, were highly critical of whistleblowers like Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden in the past. But it’s now more clear than ever that we will need more people like them in the next few years if we really want to hold the Trump administration accountable.

[Trevor Timm is the executive director of Freedom of the Press Foundation]

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