Regulate the Internet? FCC.gov Has It Right

by on August 6, 2008 · 8 comments

The FCC last Friday may have jumped with both feet into the business of regulating the Internet, but someone forgot to tell the folks that run the Commission’s website.   “The FCC Does Not Regulate the Internet or Internet Service Providers (ISP)” the “consumer publications” page of FCC.gov is still proudly telling visitors, referring them over to their state consumer protection office or to the Federal Trade Commission as the proper agencies for such things.

In the past, I’ve been critical of the shambolic way in which the FCC’s website is run.  But in this case, the problem isn’t with the web folks – they have the policy exactly right.  It’s the FCC, not FCC.gov, that’s bungled the job.

Someone at the Commission will eventually tell the website folks to fix the error.  But who will get the Commissioners to fix theirs?

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James Gattuso / James Gattuso is a Senior Research Fellow in Regulatory Policy in the Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies at The Heritage Foundation. Gattuso also leads the Enterprise and Free Markets Initiative at Heritage, with responsiblity for a range of regulatory and market issues. Prior to joining Heritage, he served as Vice President for Policy at the Competitive Enterprise Institute and also as Vice President for Policy Development with Citizens for a Sound Economy (CSE). From 1990 to 1993, he was Deputy Chief of the Office of Plans and Policy at the Federal Communications Commission. From May 1991 to June 1992, he was detailed from the FCC to the office of Vice President Dan Quayle, where he served as Associate Director of the President's Council on Competitiveness. He lives in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife Dana, 8 year-old son, Peter (whom he relies upon to operate his VCR), and his four year-old daughter Lindsey (who does the DVD player.) He has no known hobbies, but is not nearly as boring as he seems.

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