Adam Thierer has some worthwhile thoughts on Verizon EVP Tom Tauke’s speech this week about the future of communications and broadband regulation. Of note from Tauke’s remarks:
The Radio Act of 1927 was subsumed by the Communications Act of 1934, and after numerous amendments during the last three-quarters century, it’s become an interesting maze that the Federal Communications Commission and all of us attempt to navigate as we play various roles in the Internet ecosystem.
Think about that another way: Architects of the legislation that binds the nation’s communications infrastructure in the year 2010 were born in the 1870s and 1880s. There is talk today in Washington about categorizing technologies and platforms developed in the 21st century under different Titles of legislation written by people born in the 19th century. We don’t need to jettison all the wisdom of the ancients, but perhaps there’s a better way? Adam has ideas about new legislation Congress might want to consider instead of fitting the square peg of broadband into the round hole of the legacy Radio Act.