As the Federal Communications Commission pushes forward in crafting its national broadband plan–anticipated to encompass controversial net neutrality provisions– the agency is attracting newfound criticism from key members of the U.S. Senate, reports Congress Daily (via nextgov).
Setting aside tersely-worded warnings from Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Sen. John (Jay) Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) regarding the prospect of the FCC submitting a broadband plan that is “complicated, esoteric, filled with grandiose ideas and dependent on protracted rulemaking to implement,” the Committee as a whole is reportedly concerned about the overly highbrow nature of discussions regarding the plan:
“There’s growing concern within the Senate Commerce Committee that the process has become too academic. Dozens of workshops designed to provide the public with an opportunity to learn about the plan and interact with the agency have featured Ph.D.-level policy discussions that even some telecom experts have difficultly understanding.”
The FCC contends that it has ordinary Americans, the vast majority of whom lack PhD.-level comprehension of broadband issues, firmly in mind. This is despite Blair Levin, an FCC official, admitting that complex dialogue unlikely to be easily understood by the average man on the street is being used in the course of said policy discussions.
Mr. Levin contends such complex language is necessary, in view of the technical subject matter involved. However, critics charge that the FCC’s evident inability, or unwillingness, to discuss broadband policy in terms that the majority of concerned citizens can understand may be aiding net neutrality advocates within the agency–including Chairman Julius Genachowski–in pushing the policy through with limited public scrutiny of what is being contemplated.
Net neutrality opponents say that the policy amounts to an effective government takeover of the internet that would stifle innovation, diminish the quality of broadband services provided to most customers, and impact the economy negatively. They charge that these implications of net neutrality will not, given the complex and technical nature of the ongoing discussions, be apparent to those who would be negatively impacted by a rollout of a broadband plan that includes it.
The FCC maintains that it is taking steps to make its process with regard to the broadband plan open and transparent. However, more may be required to satisfy Senators concerned about obscure and technical language serving to complicate debate and make it incomprehensible to the average American–and observers say a shift in language could have a big impact on the ultimate formulation of the broadband plan.