US: Ex-FCC chief slams net neutrality architect Tim Wu

As the deadline expires for the public to submit comment to the Federal Communications Commission regarding proposed Internet regulation rules, former FCC chief Robert M. McDowell has penned an op-ed in The Washington Post to weigh-in.

McDowell, who served as FCC Commissioner between 2006 and 2013, spoke out against the FCC forcing net neutrality rules onto Internet service providers as consumer advocates and companies champion such regulations as a way to maintain an open Web. Proponents of net neutrality say without the rules, Internet service providers could potentially charge fees from content providers for priority content streaming online – a move some say will reinforce the dominance of the largest content providers.

But according to McDowell, “if consumers were being harmed by ISPs, ample antitrust, competition and consumer protection laws already exist to fix the problem.”

McDowell also slammed the coiner of the term “net neutrality,” Tim Wu, who has “unfortunately…probed t be immensely influential among regulators,” he said. The op-ed further criticized Wu’s Congressional testimony regarding the matter, arguing that Wu is calling for a total regulatory oversight of the Internet.

”Inviting regulators into your neighborhood is likely to embolden them to control not only your neighbor but you, too,” he wrote. “Wu’s supporters should be careful what they wish for.”

Full content: Washington Post

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