
FCC accused of colluding with Big Cable to game 5G legal challenge - LinuxBender
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/01/25/fcc_accused_of_colluding/
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metaphor
So if I'm understanding this game of thrones correctly:

1\. Pai's commission pushed regulation fixing the cost of establishing 5G cell
sites to the benefit of big telecom and economic dismay of cities--in
particular, those known for their high cost of living.

2\. Cities litigate in the Ninth Circuit, which has a history of overruling in
favor of local governance.

3\. Before the Ninth Circuit can reach a decision, the 4 largest telecom
companies in the country file comparable yet independent suits in different
circuits; their national presence suggests they could have filed anywhere.
Their suits claim ommission of "deemed granted" provisions which would grant
cell site auto-approval if cities fail to respond to permit requests within an
allotted 3-month window, but eyebrows are still raised at why these companies
would place direct legal backpressure against regulation that already favors
their bottom line overwhelmingly.

4\. Cases were consolidated, triggering a procedural lottery to determine
which of 5 circuits--including the Ninth--these cases would be heard in. Tenth
Circuit gets it and appellants were instructed to migrate accordingly.

5\. A plea to delay the migration order was rejected by the Tenth Circuit;
Commissioner Carr, a former legal advisor to Pai during his Verizon days,
publicly cheers, dropping a hint of shrouded legal maneuvering.

6\. Tenth Circuit nevertheless decides that the cases be moved to the Ninth
Circuit. Telecom companies push back hard.

7\. A Democrat-controlled House Commerce committee gets wind of the
possibility that the FCC has leveraged its influence to game the judicial
system by colluding with the companies that they oversee. A communications
data dump and accomplice shit list is requested.

Not gonna lie...it's a dirty yet clever gambit.

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fivegeeohgee
Is it too late to force the fcc to back out of 5g approval?

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inetknght
> _the letter alleges that FCC staff – almost certainly from Pai 's office –
> put pressure on the big telcos to challenge an order that is designed to
> benefit them as a way of gaming the judicial system so the case didn't end
> up in a court likely to overturn it._

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bhhaskin
The FCC is so corrupt. FBI really should be brought in to clean house.

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kryogen1c
As much as everyone hates Trump, he has been outstanding in highlighting the
absurdly corrupt system. Can't drain the swamp you didn't know existed.

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prklmn
Everyone knows corruption is rampant. He’s just the first one to talk about it
so much. Too bad he’s only worsened the problem.

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Tsubasachan
Uhm no America has been corrupt for a long time and people have been talking
about it for a long time.

[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tammany_Hall](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tammany_Hall)

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tylerjwilk00
The dream is over.

Corruption has seeped it's way to the highest office and some of the most
important government organizations. What would be earth shattering 20 years
ago is just business as usual these days.

Can we find our way back to the light?

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Zarath
Gotta call the plumber every now and then if you catch my drift.

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chrisbennet
Brazil, IMDB
[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088846/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088846/)

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beautifulfreak
What kind of job could one of these alleged FCC sellouts expect to get when
they go into the private sector? I mean, what does it cost to capture the FCC?

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dylan604
A future board member of TelCo?

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expathacker
So essentially the republicans are trying to force (telephone pole) rent
control onto cities ? Commies.

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RcouF1uZ4gsC
This seems like a very consumer friendly move. The last thing we want for 5G
rollout is for it to be hampered by NIMBY cities. Clearing barriers for 5G
equipment to be rolled out is a good thing.

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fivegeeohgee
Consumer friendly would be making telecoms pay for it, not taxpayers.

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WillPostForFood
Telecoms do pay for it. They pay for hardware, install, and rent for the pole
space. This ruling just limits how much local govt can charge for pole rent.
It is consumer friendly because it helps accelerate a stable roll out and
keeps costs down. It also limits the ability of NIMBY cities to block rollouts
by over charging.

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ztjio
Ignoring the local economics is the same as getting a huge discount which is
the same as the taxpayers paying the difference.

