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| Click on graphic to enlarge. Posted amongst permission of Einar Flydal. |
The Corporate Takeover of the Trump-FCC Is inward Full Attack Mode
Bruce Kushnick, HuffPost, November 9, 2017 (Part 1 of 2)
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/the-corporate-takeover-of-the-trump-fcc-is-in-full_us_5a041fb3e4b055de8d096ab0
The Trump-FCC-AT&T-Et Al. Plan: The Insidious “Wheel of Mis-Fortune”
Bruce Kushnick is the Executive Director of New Networks Institute (NNI), which was established inward 1992, together with a founding fellow member of the IRREGULATORS, together with has been a telecommunication analyst together with visionary for over 35 years. During his career he has predicted that the add-on of novel technologies together with networks would alter the way nosotros used the telephone networks together with he helped launch numerous interactive information markets together with services that have got at nowadays travel commonplace.
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June 26, 2015
Captured agency: How the Federal Communications Commission is dominated yesteryear the industries it presumably regulates
Alster, Norm. Captured agency: How the Federal Communications Commission is dominated yesteryear the industries it presumably regulates. Cambridge, MA: Edmund J. Safra Center for Ethics, Harvard University. 2015.
PDF: http://bit.ly/FCCcaptured (free)
Kindle: http://amzn.to/1SQThCU ($0.99 -- cheque out the majority reviews)
Kindle: http://amzn.to/1SQThCU ($0.99 -- cheque out the majority reviews)
Introduction
This exposé provides insight into how the FCC became a victim of regulatory capture yesteryear manufacture together with the implications of these corrupting influences for our wellness together with safety, our privacy, together with our wallets.
This book concludes amongst a serial of recommendations yesteryear its author, Norm Alster, an investigative journalist, who has written for the New York Times, Forbes, Business Week, together with Investor’s Business Daily. He wrote this majority piece serving equally a journalism swain amongst the Investigative Journalism Project at Harvard University.
Following are some excerpts that pertain to the wireless radiations manufacture together with its corrupting influences on the FCC. I encourage yous to read Mr. Alster's entire treatise.
Excerpts
A detailed appear at FCC actions—and non-actions—shows that over the years the FCC has granted the wireless manufacture pretty much what it has wanted.
Money—and lots of it—has played a component ... In all, CTIA, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile USA, together with Sprint spent roughly $45 1000000 lobbying inward 2013. Overall, the Communications/Electronics sector is i of Washington‘s super heavyweight lobbyists, spending nearly $800 1000000 inward 2013-2014, according to CRP data.
As a result, consumer safety, health, together with privacy, along amongst consumer wallets, have got all been overlooked, sacrificed, or raided due to unchecked manufacture influence …. Most insidious of all, the wireless manufacture has been allowed to grow unchecked together with virtually unregulated, amongst key questions on world wellness touching on routinely ignored. Industry control, inward the illustration of wireless wellness issues, extends beyond Congress together with regulators to basic scientific research. And inward an obvious echo of the hardball tactics of the tobacco industry, the wireless manufacture has backed upward its economical together with political ability yesteryear stonewalling on world relations together with bullying potential threats into submission amongst its huge standing regular army of lawyers. In this way, a coddled wireless manufacture intimidated together with silenced the City of San Francisco, piece running roughshod over local opponents of its expansionary infrastructure.
… Currently presiding over the FCC is Tom Wheeler, a homo who has led the 2 most powerful manufacture lobbying groups: CTIA together with NCTA. It is Wheeler who in i lawsuit supervised a $25 1000000 industry-funded research endeavour on wireless wellness effects. But when handpicked research leader George Carlo concluded that wireless radiations did get upward the run a jeopardy of encephalon tumors, Wheeler‘s CTIA allegedly rushed to muffle the message. ”You practice the science. I‘ll accept aid of the politics,” Carlo recalls Wheeler saying.
Graphic: The revolving door betwixt the FCC together with industry
Tom Wheeler, onetime Head of CTIA & NCTA, is at nowadays FCC Chair.
Meredith Atwell Baker, onetime FCC Commissioner, is at nowadays caput of CTIA.
Michael Powell, onetime FCC Chair, is at nowadays caput of NCTA.
Jonathan Adelstein, onetime FCC Commissioner, is at nowadays caput of PCIA, the Wireless Infrastructure Association.
Graphics: Top House together with Senate recipients of cellular manufacture crusade contributions
It all begins amongst passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, legislation in i lawsuit described … equally “the most lobbied nib inward history.” Late lobbying won the wireless manufacture enormous concessions from lawmakers, many of them major recipients of manufacture difficult together with soft dollar contributions. Congressional staffers who helped lobbyists write the novel police line did non travel unrewarded. Thirteen of 15 staffers after became lobbyists themselves.
In preempting local zoning authority—along amongst the public‘s correct to guard its ain security together with health—Congress unleashed an orgy of infrastructure build-out. Emboldened yesteryear the authorities greenish calorie-free together with the vast consumer appetite for wireless technology, manufacture has had a gratis paw inward installing to a greater extent than than 300,000 sites. Church steeples, schoolyards, schoolhouse rooftops, fifty-fifty trees tin dismiss line solid these facilities.
In a 2010 review of research on the biological effects of exposure to radiations from jail cellular telephone tower base of operations stations, B. Blake Levitt together with Henry Lai found that “some research does be to warrant caution inward infrastructure siting” ….
Beyond epidemiological studies, research on a broad make of living things raises farther cerise flags. H5N1 2013 study yesteryear the Indian scientists S. Sivani together with D. Sudarsanam reports: “Based on electrical current available literature, it is justified to conclude that RF-EMF [electromagnetic fields] radiations exposure tin dismiss alter neurotransmitter functions, blood-brain barrier, morphology, electrophysiology, cellular metabolism, calcium efflux, together with cistron together with poly peptide human face inward for sure types of cells fifty-fifty at lower intensities.”
… Citing other studies—often industry-funded—that neglect to institute wellness effects, the wireless manufacture has dismissed such concerns. The FCC has typically echoed that position.
… since the passage of the 1996 law, the real reverse has occurred. Again together with in i lawsuit to a greater extent than both Congress together with the FCC have got opted to stiffen—rather than loosen—federal preemption over local zoning authorization ….
… would consumers‘ comprehend of jail cellular telephone phones together with Wi-Fi live quite then ardent if the wireless industry, enabled yesteryear its Washington errand boys, hadn‘t then consistently stonewalled on bear witness together with substituted legal intimidation for honest inquiry?
The FCC inward 1997 sent the message it has implicitly endorsed together with conveyed e'er since: study wellness effects all yous want. It doesn‘t affair what yous find. The build-out of wireless cannot live blocked or slowed yesteryear wellness issues.
… federal preemption is granted to pretty much whatever wireless outfit on exactly i uncomplicated condition: its installations must comply amongst FCC radiations emission standards. In persuasion of this generous bill of fare blanche to motion radiations equipment into neighborhoods, schoolyards together with habitation rooftops, i would think the FCC would at the real to the lowest degree diligently enforce its ain emission standards. But that does non appear to live the case.
Indeed, i RF engineer who has worked on to a greater extent than than 3,000 rooftop sites found vast bear witness of non-compliance. Marvin Wessel estimates that “10 to 20% top allowed radiations standards.” With 30,000 rooftop antenna sites across the U.S. that would hateful that equally many equally 6,000 are emitting radiations inward violation of FCC standards. Often, these emissions tin dismiss live 600% or to a greater extent than of allowed exposure levels, according to Wessel.
The best ally of manufacture together with the FCC on this (and other) issues may live world ignorance.
An online poll conducted for this projection asked 202 respondents to charge per unit of measurement the likelihood of a serial of statements … at that spot was i disceptation of indisputable fact: “The U.S. Congress forbids local communities from considering wellness effects when deciding whether to number zoning permits for wireless antennae,” the disceptation said.
Though this is a rock mutual depression temperature fact that the wireless industry, the FCC together with the courts have got all turned into difficult together with inescapable reality for local authorities, exactly 1.5% of all poll respondents replied that it was “definitely true.”
… many respondents claim they would alter behavior—reduce wireless use, restore landline service, protect their children—if claims on wellness dangers of wireless are true.
… inward May 2015, to a greater extent than than 200 scientists boasting over 2,000 publications on wireless effects called on global institutions to address the wellness risks posed yesteryear this technology.
Some have got suggested that the wellness province of affairs amongst wireless is analogous to that of tobacco earlier courtroom decisions hold upward forced Big Tobacco to acknowledge guilt together with pay up.
It seems important that the responses of wireless together with its captured agency—the FCC—feature the same obtuse refusal to examine the evidence. The wireless manufacture reaction features stonewalling world relations together with hyper aggressive legal action. It tin dismiss also involve undermining the credibility together with cutting off the funding for researchers who practice non endorse cellular safety. It is these hardball tactics that appear a lot similar 20th century Big Tobacco tactics. It is these hardball tactics—along amongst consistently supportive FCC policies—that get upward suspicion the wireless manufacture does indeed have got something to hide.
So how does the FCC handgrip a scientific split that seems to propose bias inward industry-sponsored research?
In a posting on its Web site that reads similar it was written yesteryear wireless lobbyists, the FCC chooses strikingly patronizing linguistic communication to slight together with trivialize the many scientists together with wellness together with security experts who‘ve found have for concern. In a 2 page Web post titled “Wireless Devices together with Health Concerns,” the FCC iv times refers to either “some wellness together with security involvement groups,” “some parties,” or “some consumers” earlier inward each illustration rebutting their presumably groundless concerns well-nigh wireless risk. Additionally, the FCC site references the World Health Organization equally amid those organizations who‘ve found that “the weight of scientific evidence” has non linked exposure to radiofrequency from mobile devices amongst ”any known wellness problems.”
Yes, it‘s truthful that the World Health organisation remains bitterly divided on the subject. But it‘s also truthful that a thirty fellow member unit of measurement of the WHO called the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) was close unanimous inward pronouncing jail cellular telephone phones “possibly carcinogenic” inward 2011. How tin dismiss the FCC omit whatever reference to such a pronouncement? Even if it finds ground to side amongst pro-industry scientists, shouldn‘t this authorities way also scream that jail cellular telephone phones are currently inward the same potential carcinogen shape equally Pb paint?
Cell phones are non the exclusively wireless suspects. Asked what he would practice if he had policy-making authority, Dr. Hardell swiftly replied that he would “ban wireless utilisation inward schools together with pre-schools. You don‘t demand Wi-Fi,” he noted.
So what is the FCC doing inward reply to what at the real to the lowest degree is a troubling chain of clues to cellular danger? As it has done amongst wireless infrastructure, the FCC has to this betoken largely relied on manufacture “self-regulation.” Though it fix standards for device radiations emissions dorsum inward 1996, the way doesn‘t to a greater extent than oftentimes than non examine devices itself. Despite its responsibleness for the security of jail cellular telephone phones, the FCC relies on manufacturers‘ good-faith efforts to examine them. Critics ground that this has allowed manufacturers undue latitude inward testing their devices.
The EPA, notably, was in i lawsuit a hub of research on RF effects, employing equally many equally 35 scientists. However, the research programme was cutting off inward the belatedly 80s during the Regan presidency. [Former EPA Scientist, Carl] Blackman says he was personally “forbidden” to study wellness effects yesteryear his “supervisory structure.”
Blackman is cautious inward imputing motives to the high authorities officials who wanted his piece of employment at EPA stopped. But he does say that political pressure level has been a factor at both the EPA together with FCC: “The FCC people were quite responsive to the biological betoken of view. But at that spot are also pressures on the FCC from industry.” The FCC, he suggests, may non exactly live looking at the scientific evidence, “The FCC‘s position—like the EPA‘s—is influenced yesteryear political considerations equally well.”
Still, the FCC has ultimate regulatory responsibleness together with cannot indefinitely laissez passer on the buck on an number of key world health. Remarkably, it has non changed class despite the IARC classification of jail cellular telephone phones equally maybe carcinogenic, despite the recent studies showing triple the glioma run a jeopardy for heavy users, despite the floodtide of research showing biological effects, together with despite fifty-fifty the recent defection of inwardness manufacture booster Alex Lerchl. It is the refusal of both manufacture together with the FCC to fifty-fifty acknowledge this cascade of alert signs that seems most incriminating.
This is a real rich manufacture that does non hesitate to outspend together with slap-up challengers into submission. Meanwhile, amidst the legal smoke together with medical confusion, the manufacture has managed to brand the entire globe dependent on its products. Even tobacco never had then many hooked users.
Such sustained success inward the confront of medical uncertainty has required manufacture to travel on a lid on critics together with detractors. Many scientists who‘ve found existent or potential run a jeopardy from the kind of microwave radiations emanating from wireless devices have got learned at that spot is a cost to live paid for standing upward to the manufacture juggernaut. H5N1 few prominent examples …
The FCC‘s network of corruption doesn‘t exactly shield manufacture from needed scrutiny together with rule on matters of world wellness together with safety. Sometimes it exactly puts its paw straight into earth bag together with redistributes that cash to manufacture supplicants …
The General Accounting Office (GAO) has issued several reports citing fraud, waste matter together with mismanagement, along amongst inadequate FCC oversight of the subsidy program. Bribery, kickbacks together with faux documentation tin dismiss perhaps live expected inward a handout programme mandated yesteryear Congress together with exclusively indirectly supervised yesteryear the FCC.
[The "subsidy program," the Universal Service Fund, subsidizes diverse applied scientific discipline programs at world cost.]
[The "subsidy program," the Universal Service Fund, subsidizes diverse applied scientific discipline programs at world cost.]
Fraud—as pervasive together with troubling equally it has been—is exactly i of the problems amongst the programs of universal service. It may non fifty-fifty live the key problem. More key issues line concern the real aim, logic together with efficiency of programs to extend broadband together with wireless applied scientific discipline at world expense. Though the aims of extending service to distant impoverished areas seem worthy on the surface, at that spot are many reasons to think the major beneficiaries of these programs are the applied scientific discipline companies that win the contracts.
… the FCC, prodded yesteryear an manufacture e'er on the picket for incremental growth opportunities, is ignoring the wellness of youngsters to promote expanded Wi-Fi subsidies inward schools across the U.S.
As a captured agency, the FCC is a prime number illustration of institutional corruption. Officials inward such institutions practice non demand to have envelopes bulging amongst cash. But fifty-fifty their most well-intentioned efforts are oftentimes overwhelmed yesteryear a scheme that favors powerful individual influences, typically at the expense of world interest.
… the auctions of electromagnetic spectrum, used yesteryear all wireless communications companies to transportation their signals, have got yielded nearly $100 billion inward recent years. The most recent auction to wireless providers produced the unexpectedly high total of $43 billion. No affair that the sale of spectrum is contributing to a pea soup of electromagnetic "smog" whose wellness consequences are largely unknown. The authorities needs coin together with Congress shows its appreciation amongst consistently pro-wireless policies.
Science is oftentimes the catalyst for meaningful regulation. But what happens when scientists are dependent on manufacture for research funding? Under pressure level from budget cutters together with deregulators, authorities funding for research on RF wellness effects has dried up. The EPA, which in i lawsuit had 35 investigators inward the area, has long since abandoned its efforts.85 Numerous scientists have got told me there‘s only no independent research funding inward the U.S. They are left amongst a uncomplicated choice: piece of employment on industry-sponsored research or abandon the field.
… an FCC amongst world involvement commissioners is an thought worth consideration. It would at to the lowest degree require political party apologists to defend how they then consistently champion the moneyed interests that have got purchased disproportionate access together with ability inward Washington.
An Exposé Of The Fcc: An Way Captured Past Times The Industries It Regulates
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