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The University Daily Kansan
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Wednesday, July 28, 1999
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Internet access creates high-tech controversy
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Federal regulators have chosen a wait-and-see attitude as a legal brawl rages on about whether cable companies offering high-speed Internet services must share lines with their competitors.
But the Federal Communications Commission has made one point clear: Even in the absence of federal intervention, it does not want thousands of local municipalities coming up with their own regulations.
Cable companies could also deprive consumers of content choice through the Internet, said Gene Kimmelman, co-director of the Consumers Union Washington office.
"It is in the national interest that we have a national broadband policy." FCC Chairman Bill Kennard said in a speech in San Francisco last week. "The FCC has the authority to set one, and we have. We have taken a deregulatory approach, an approach that will let this nascent industry flourish."
So-called broadband access through cable lines provides connection speeds dozens of times faster than today's telephone modems. But consumer groups say the flip side of this is that cable companies
— which are not regulated as common carriers — control not only the wires, but the programs that people see.
Cable, phone, satellite and wireless companies are all racing to build these high-speed connections and to win
customers. So far, out of more than 30 million American homes with Internet access, only about a million have cable Internet hookups.
For this reason, the FCC said it was too early to pinpoint anti-competitive concerns and has declined to force cable companies to open lines to competitors.
But the FCC's hands-off policy hasn't deterred some local leaders from taking matters into their own hands,
Commissioners in Broward County, Fla., voted for a similar requirement, prompting AT&T to file suit Monday.
A federal judge backed the decision by Portland, Ore., cable officials, ordering AT&T, after its acquisition of cable company TeleCommunications Inc., to open its high-speed cable lines to rival Internet companies. AT&T is appealing.
Municipal officials who assembled in St. Louis for the National Association of Counties meeting last week insisted in a resolution that it is essential for local government franchise authorities to have the power to require that all cable companies provide open access to Internet service providers.
Federal regulators don't think this is an effective way to implement policy.
"The prospect of inconsistent rules and regulations promulgated by 30,000 local regulatory agencies does not produce a predictable regulatory environment," said Deborah Lathen, chief of the FCC's Cable Services Bureau, last week.
The commission plans to file a friend-of-the-court brief for AT&T's appeal of the Portland decision to explain the need for a national policy. On Monday, Kennard applauded the decision by San Francisco's city supervisors to approve the transfer of the cable franchise from TCI to AT&T and to hold off on forcing open access, pending the outcome of the Portland case.
The FCC's stance has drawn the ire of organizations like the openNET Coalition, a lobbying group AOL formed with other Internet providers and regional phone companies that want access to the pipelines.
"Doing nothing while AT&T turns a cable monopoly into an Internet monopoly is not a policy; it's surrender," said Greg Simon, the coalition's co-director.
Others said that while the FCC's hands-off policy might get high-speed Internet service out to consumers more quickly, regulators will later face a serious problem as a few companies dominate the market.
AT&T said its presence in the broadband arena has actually fueled competition, and local phone companies are speeding up the Internet services they offer and cutting prices.
The company also said that its foes were taking the issue to the local level as a last-ditch resort.
"They've been rejected at every other decision-making level," said Jim Cicconi, AT&T's general counsel.
Going for the gold
Brenda Meyer, Tonganoxie, races for the gold in the 200-meter freestyle swimming event at the Sunflower State Games. Meyer earlier won the gold medal in the 50-meter breast stroke event. Photo by Aaron Lindberg/KANSAN
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Moore ignores tax cut, Kansans' best interests
Remember Cyndi Lauper's hit song back in the 1980s called "True Colors"?
I'm sure he has the best of intentions. In fact, he has supported smaller tax reduction proposals.
Herein lies one of the fallacies of liberal thinking. Liberal politicians believe that our tax dollars are better spent on the East Coast, rather than here in Kansas. Although Rep. Moore says he doesn't believe that, his vote against modest tax relief speaks loud and clear.
Commentary
Well, I do, and that is exactly what came to mind Thursday when I discovered that Dennis Moore, our representative to the U.S. House, voted against a tax relief bill that was passed for Kansans and all Americans.
Irresponsible. Devastating. A bill too hastily put together.
If we have the projected $3 trillion in surplus in the next 10 years, 75 percent of the surplus would be left after this tax-relief package. Or, with a conservative estimate of a $1 trillion surplus, 20 percent of the overcharge would be left for the government to spend.
And, get this. Depending on which estimate you believe, that $792 billion in tax relief still will leave hundreds of billions of dollars in surplus.
Moore is beginning to sound like President Bill Clinton, who said that last week's GOP tax reduction vote will imperil the future stability of the country.
One last thing. Moore cited Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan to shore up his vote against this well-deserved tax cut. He accurately quoted Greenspan's preference for debt reduction compared to tax cuts.
You see, Moore would like all of us in the Republican-leaning Third District to think of him as sort of a new breed of Democrat — one of the fiscally responsible types. He wouldn't want to do anything to make us think he is actually a liberal.
Please. This tax relief plan doesn't imperil a thing, except bureaucrats' wishes to create and expand government programs to take better care of a nation that is doing quite well on its own.
But, his true colors shined through last Thursday when he was the lone member of the Kansas delegation to vote for Washington to keep $792 billion in federal budget surpluses during the next 10 years.
Let me emphasize the important word here — surplus. That means extra money. Above and beyond the trillions already being budgeted and spent. In other words, an overbilling.
The GOP plan leaves plenty of money for Social Security, Medicare and debt reduction. Don't be fooled by scare tactics.
But, rather than make intellectually honest arguments about this plan, Moore relies on the usual scare tactics to convince us that we don't deserve to get extra money back.
But, Moore left out the rest of Greenspan's quote
Greenspan said, "If we have to get rid of the surpluses, I would far prefer reducing taxes than increasing spending, and, indeed, I don't think it's a close call."
When was the last time Washington didn't spend extra money that was lying around? Let's go with the safe bet of tax cuts, giving the money back to those who earned it.
And, let's not forget Moore's true colors.
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Chad Bottes is a Shawnee graduate student in journalism.
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