FCC Martin Speaks at Telecom05

He was actually video conferenced in. (I guess he didn't want to be seen shaking hands with the very boys he bends to). If you read the remarks (and I encourage you to do so), you will see that we collect $7B in the USF. And he is going to revamp that to put the rural ILECs on a level playing field. (Someone should check his level, because the FCC has NO idea what LEVEL means.)

"And, we are beginning to hear complaints from incumbent LECs that some local authorities may be making the process of getting franchises unreasonably difficult."

Yeah, when CLECs and ISPs complain about ILEC barriers to entry and competition, we are brushed off. But let a multi-billion dollar corporation complain and Harry Potter is off to work some magic. What a crock! Perhaps Peter W. Huber is correct: It's time to abolish the FCC. They seem to have only an interest in maintaining the status quo anyway - and the ILECs, cableco's, and media companies really don't need any help. So let's save the taxpayers a few bucks and close the agency. If we are gonna get screwed, I'd prefer if it was just the IRS, not the FCC.