Michael Powell v. the Internet

[reprehensor]

The Internet's Biggest Foe

Despite his self-professed claim of being a "techno-geek," FCC Chairman Michael Powell has done everything in his power to restrict American citizens' choice of information and entertainment.

While Powell has launched a vigorous censorship campaign against Howard Stern, the ABC show "Desperate Housewives," and Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction," he has allowed the near total reconcentration of the broadcast industry into a very few hands. Not only do we have fewer voices, but small businesses are now at the mercy of broadcast giants when buying radio or television advertising time.

What people may not realize, however, is that Powell has also done everything possible to make sure consumers have no competitive access to the Internet.

After the passage of the landmark Telecommunications Act of 1996, new competition was saving consumers and small businesses more than $10 billion a year. What's more, investment by telecommunications companies rose as competitors upgraded networks and services in the battle to win customers.

Yet Powell has steadfastly ignored both this record and the Supreme Court decision upholding the 1996 act, and has instead pursued a steadfast campaign to gut the act's market-opening provisions. Already, companies as large as AT&T and as small as Hoosier Telecom have quit selling to consumers. Several Wall Street analysts predict that in another 12 months, the Bells will recapture 80 percent of the 20 million customers that had chosen to take their business to phone companies that better met their needs.

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