Second BDAC Member Quits Over Charges of Industry Influence

A second member has quit the Federal Communications Commission's Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee, also suggesting it has been carrying water for industry rather than drawing on a well of other sources to grow broadband deployment. Miguel Gamiño Jr., CTO of the New York City, said in a letter to FCC chairman Ajit Pai that after participating in 100 hours worth of calls, attending one all-day meeting in D.C. and submitting "countless" suggestions and comments," he has concluded that the committee has "has skewed the drafting of the proposed recommendations towards industry priorities without regard for a true public-private partnership." He said he could not recommend the city follow or promote BDAC's eventual work product, and instead suggested the city's nationwide partnership between Mayor Bill de Blasio and more than a dozen other mayors on promoting network neutrality would be a venue to share best practices on broadband deployment. Gamiño said he had no choice but to "step away" from the process and focus on efforts be thought would provide his city " more productive opportunities for achieving the kind of cooperative progress in advancing broadband deployment in the public interest."