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Obama to nominate tech-savvy progressive at the FCC

Advocate for public interests
Wednesday, 14 January 2009, 12:51

PRESIDENT-ELECT Barack Obama plans to nominate his campaign's technology advisor, Julius Genachowski, as the chairman of the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

During the campaign, Genachowski promoted a progressive platform for communications technology and innovation supporting protection of net neutrality, the rollout of affordable broadband nationwide, strengthening citizen and consumer privacy rights, and breaking up the current concentration of US media ownership. Big US corporations won't be pleased.

Internet users, privacy advocates and the press will likely approve of the nomination. Josh Silver, executive director of the consumer advocacy group Free Press, said in a statement, "Under Julius Genachowski's leadership, the FCC's compass would point toward the public interest."

Other progressives also voiced approval of such a shift in the direction of FCC policies.

The US telecommunications and big media oligopolies look to be in for some rough years. µ

L'Inqs
Daily Kos
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Comments
Goodbye free speech...

... hello "Fairness Doctrine"!

posted by : Nick, 14 January 2009 Complain about this comment
Man...

Everyone on here talks about free speech... even the 'Inq' supposedly supports free speech yet my other comment got censored and deleted, what kind of hypocrisy is this?

posted by : Yavor, 15 January 2009 Complain about this comment
Duh

It won't last - as soon as the $$$ starts flowing in from lobby groups, the policy will change for sure.

As for so-called Free-Speech, give up that tired argument. The 1st Amendment clearly states that free speech is limited to "petition the government for a redress of grievances". A US Supreme Court Justice has also gone on record stating that the 1st Amendment is "primarily collective in nature", no inDUHvidual need apply.

HB

posted by : Hucklebuck, 17 January 2009 Complain about this comment
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