The FCC right now is exhibiting a textbook case of regulatory capture, which is the scenario where a government regulatory body begins to internalize the logic and value systems of the industries it purportedly regulates. Over time it begins to harmonize its actions with the commercial imperatives of the corporations it’s meant to oversee.
We keep hearing about what Ajit Pai at the FCC is doing as a deregulatory project, but deregulation is a gross misnomer. It’s really re-regulation. It’s about restructuring our communications systems in line with corporate interests.
This interview with Victor Pickard, associate professor at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, is one of the best things I’ve read on the net neutrality debate.
Highly recommended reading material.
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Updated with an additional comment from Pickard:
Sandy 