Too Good to Be True

Down here at the ThirdPipe offices we figured that Commissioner Martin at least had some backing for his 70/70 cable enforcement plans. Guess not by what the New York Times is reporting –

In the face of a lobbying blitzkrieg by the cable television industry, the Federal Communications Commission drastically scaled back Tuesday evening a proposal by the agency’s chairman to more tightly regulate the industry.

The compromise was a significant, though not total, victory for the cable industry, whose executives and lobbyists had worked to erode support on the commission for the agenda of the chairman, Kevin J. Martin. Among other things, the commission agreed to postpone for months the decision Mr. Martin had hoped would be made on Tuesday, over whether the cable television industry had grown so dominant that the agency’s regulatory authority over it should be expanded.

ThirdPipe supports regulation that opens up markets and levels playing fields. In this particular case applying the 70/70 rules would have leveled the playing field between the Telcos and the cable guys. Which when you think about it, is surprising that the Telcos ‘lost’.

Full article here.