There could be a movement afoot to reclassify broadband, and eventually, mobile broadband as Title II – also known as a common carrier.
A report said FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn is willing to support a move to reclassify broadband as a common carrier, if FCC head Julius Genachowski chooses to pursue this path. This is important because if broadband was classified as this, it would be subject to more regulation. The FCC currently doesn’t have explicit jurisdiction over this, according to a recent federal appeals court ruling.
This could have major implications for mobile data in the future, as Genachowski is a big believer in using mobile networks to bridge the so-called “digital divide.” He’s lobbied for carriers to get more spectrum and has generally been pretty good to the carriers. Placing these companies under more regulation would certainly not gain him any admirers in the industry.
It’s a tricky issue though because one could argue that the U.S. cellular market is so wacky because it didn’t have stricter regulations on what type of technology should be used, or how it should be accessed. The flip side to that argument is that we would have never got the amount of coverage (remember, the United States is geographically big) without the carriers having proper financial incentive.
[Via PhonesMag]