#tomwheeler

FCC accused of lying about 2014 and 2017 DDoS attacks

A recent Gizmodo report has resurfaced doubts about the FCC’s explanation regarding the cause of its website outage in 2017. If you’ll recall, that event prevented people from posting comments on chairman Ajit Pai’s plan to eliminate net neutrality rules. Pai and a couple of other FCC officials blamed it on a DDoS attack and referenced another outage that happened in 2014, which an…

“My history has always been working with the insurgent, not the incumbent,” Wheeler told Ars in an interview at his Washington, DC, office. “I have always been the guy coming up the side of the hill, rather than the guy on the top of the hill pushing boulders down to stop them.”

I am cloaked in shame, in that I too thought Wheeler a sell out, himself and Obama for appointing him.  Instead he’s done more than anyone else to reassert the common carriage model and impose it on the contemporary transport service, the Internet.

Look at this!:

Wheeler’s FCC has (inter alia):

Reclassified fixed and mobile broadband as Title II common carrier services.

Used Title II authority to impose net neutrality rules that forbid blocking, throttling, and giving priority to Web services in exchange for payment.

Decided that content providers and network operators should be able to file complaints against ISPs about rates charged for network interconnection.

Preempted state laws in North Carolina and Tennessee that prevent the expansion of municipal broadband providers.

Raised the definition of broadband from 4Mbps downstream and 1Mbps upstream to 25Mbps/3Mbps, a move that helps justify further regulatory actions designed to promote competition (such as the municipal broadband decision).

Refused to approve Comcast’s proposed acquisition of Time Warner Cable.

Pressured Sprint to abandon a potential acquisition of T-Mobile.

Voted to create a software replacement for CableCard, forcing cable companies to make TV channels available to makers of third-party devices and software.

Proposed a $100 million fine against AT&T, saying the company throttled unlimited data plans without adequately notifying customers about reduced speeds. (AT&T is trying to lower or eliminate the penalty.)

Stepped up enforcement in general, with a $3.5 million fine against two small carriers that failed to protect the personal information of low-income customers; various fines against cellular carriers for bill cramming; a $40 million fine to TracFone for throttling and capping “unlimited” data; fines against hotel chains related to Wi-Fi blocking; and more.

Pressured wireless carriers into unlocking cell phones so they can be used on competitors’ networks.

Pressured Verizon Wireless into dropping a plan to throttle customers who pay for unlimited LTE data.

Imposed new rules against robocalling over the objections of a lobby group that represents Google, Netflix, and other Web companies.

Handed T-Mobile USA a victory in a fight against AT&T and Verizon Wireless over data roaming charges.