Bear Flag Republic Radio Weblog

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At the Progress and Freedom Foundation gathering today he talked at length about some of what he considered the less-known achievements, including what he called a major shift in the way the staff operates. And he warned, as he has again and again, that regulation in the Internet age should be done with the lightest possible touch, or else we risk a long delay in seeing the Net reach the potential it should.

Powell was among friends here. The PFF is a free-market oriented organization, and you could almost hear the members of this audience thinking Amen to themselves as he spoke.

His message does resonate in many ways, and it always has even when FCC policies tended to belie the words. Entrenched incumbents have gone to great lengths to keep their advantages.

Again today, he spoke of a broadband revolution that will be much more than just two data pipes -- DSL and cable -- and fiercely competitive. There's no doubt that the commission under his leadership has made some excellent strides in wireless, particularly in pushing more use of unlicensed spectrum.

But some FCC decisions have tended to reinforce the long lead the Baby Bells and cable companies already have, giving them the right to establish an entrenched position in true broadband, as opposed to the pathetic imitation we have today. And Powell is plainly in no mood to help competitors get any traction on those pipes. (He's also been craven in his kowtowing to Congress on the "indecency" issue, which he must find an enormous waste of time. If so, he should have said so.)

Upcoming rules governing voice over Internet Protocol will be one of the defining moments of the next generation of communications and the policy that will govern it, Powell said. VoIP is either a voice service, subject to myriad old-fashioned regulations, or its just another Internet data application, he observed. If it's just data, the implications are huge.

Powell, asked to say what he's point to in his running of the FCC as key achievements, was quick to list initiatives to change the nature of the organization itself. The staff now looks forward, not backward, on regulatory issues, he said, with special attention to how technology is changing the landscape. And there's regular internal training to keep up -- including an internal "university" the staff lawyers must attend.

I wonder what government would be like if top appointees were all as smart and thoughtful as Michael Powell. [Dan Gillmor's eJournal]
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