It’s rather remarkable, really, how willing federal bureaucrats are to block business deals that they speculate will cause price hikes and yet give nary a thought to foisting more than a trillion dollars annually in regulatory costs on the public. That’s one takeaway from the news that AT&T has scrapped its proposed $39 billion acquisition of struggling T-Mobile USA (from Deutsche Telekom AG) after a bruising nine-month battle with the U.S. Justice Department and the Federal Communications Commission. Bureaucrats at both agencies concluded that the deal could (maybe, perhaps) hurt …
America’s $15 trillion debt is soaring. Some 13.3 million Americans are unemployed. The economy is stagnant. Regulations are weighing down job creation. But hey, Congress and the Federal Communications Commission are taking action to truly set America back on the right path: They’re making sure that television commercials aren’t too loud! CNN reports: Television commercials that are a lot louder than the program will be prohibited under rules adopted Tuesday by the Federal Communications Commission. “Under our new rules, TV providers must ensure that the average loudness of commercials will …
The federal government owns vast assets that would be better managed and more productive in the hands of the private sector. Selling some of these makes sense to reduce debt, reduce the deficit, and help shrink our bloated government. However, selling assets is often abused as another Washington ploy that claims to reduce the deficit but becomes a ruse for more spending. There is real money to be had from the sales. Public lands. Unused buildings. And the ever-popular “spectrum auctions” that take bids for the right to use different …
Are mobile phones and Internet access necessities that require taxpayers to foot the bill for the supposed “have-nots”? The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) evidently thinks so. The FCC voted unanimously to phase out subsidies for traditional telephone service and instead use $5 billion annually from the “Universal Service Fund” (USF) to equip residents of rural areas with mobile phones and Internet access. With traditional telephone service now available everywhere, it’s predictable that the commission would concoct another scheme to keep its USF taxing power intact. But there’s little evidence that …
Congress could move a step closer to rejecting the Federal Communications Commission’s plan to regulate the Internet this week when the Senate considers a resolution targeting the agency’s net neutrality rule. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) introduced the measure, S.J. Res. 6, to halt the FCC from implementing the regulation. The Congressional Review Act gives lawmakers the authority to overrule regulations from government agencies. Hutchison’s resolution simply states: “That Congress disapproves the rule submitted by the Federal Communications Commission relating to the matter of preserving the open Internet and broadband …
In his new book Democracy Denied, Phil Kerpen, vice president at Americans for Prosperity, unravels the extraordinary power grab by the Obama Administration with startling detail. Kerpen explains how Obama is getting his leftist agenda passed without the consent of Congress—and how Congress can stop him. From regulatory czars to “signing statements,” Kerpen leaves no stone unturned to expose what is going on in the executive branch. He writes about the massive amounts of costly regulation that is passing through without congressional approval or public fanfare. It is a power-grab …
Following his party’s devastating losses last November, President Barack Obama made clear that where his party could no longer legislate, it will regulate. Just a month later, America saw his words become action when the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to issue new rules regulating the Internet, even though courts and Congress have stood in opposition to its actions. Tomorrow, the House of Representatives is poised to voice its opposition to the FCC’s unmitigated power grab and will vote on a resolution to block the FCC’s rules, sending a powerful message that enough …
No sooner did AT&T announce on Sunday its proposed acquisition of T-Mobile than analysts began handicapping whether federal regulators will approve the deal. The $39 billion fusion of the second- and fourth-largest providers of U.S wireless service (by revenue) is sure to trigger lots of hand-wringing at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). But the agency’s penchant for regulatory excess has harmed consumers in the past, and Congress ought to constrain it from doing so in this case. Under current law, the commission must approve all transfers of radio spectrum licenses …
On December 21 last year, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), led by chairman Julius Genachowski, voted 3–2 to impose “neutrality” regulations on the Internet. At the time, dissenting commissioner Robert McDowell noted that the day—quite literally—was the “darkest day of the year.” The regulatory winter, however, may prove to be a short one. Not only is Internet regulation under attack in Congress and the courts, but there are signs that Genachowski may soon take a new post at the Commerce Department, leaving his signature initiative in doubt. The latest blow …
Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) is keeping the promise she made last month. Today, she filed a bill to strike down the Federal Communications Commission’s recent move to enact net neutrality regulations. The Internet Freedom Act states Internet regulation is the sole prerogative of Congress, and is supported by more than 60 House members, including the majority of Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. “I agree that the Internet faces a number of challenges,” Rep. Blackburn said in a statement. “Only Congress can address those challenges without compounding them. …
