The FCC (Part Two).
On the death of competition.
In our first installment of the two-part FCC series we discussed the origins of the Federal Communications Commission, the reason it came into existence and the tension between its charge and the First Amendment. Our story resumes with a nod to the Chicago School, the one-two punch of the Reagan and Clinton administrations to deliver a death blow to media competition in the United States and the recent history of net neutrality. Let’s fucking go.
Show Notes
Clips
Episode Timestamp + Link | Clip Link
- 00:00:05 | Town Meeting TV: Bernie Sanders on Media Consolidation 1987
- 00:04:48 | The Simpsons: Boring
- 00:07:15 | New Economic Thinking: Steven Medema: The Coase Theorem As Fiction
- 00:08:37 | Anchorman: I Did Not See That Coming
- 00:09:22 | Bad Boys 2: This Shit Just Got Real
- 00:10:00 | MSNBC: Gary Johnson Asks: 'What Is Aleppo?'
- 00:10:34 | Washington State University: The Murrow Interview featuring Dan Rather
- 00:14:06 | Library of Congress: Telecommunications Act of 1996
- 00:18:39 | Sneakers: It's All About The Information
- 00:19:00 | The Simpsons: The Whole Damn System Is Wrong
- 00:20:53 | Heat: Face To Face
- 00:25:03 | The Andrews Sisters: Chattanooga Choo Choo
- 00:28:34 | Pulp Fiction: You're a Smart Motherfucker
- 00:28:51 | Federal Communications Commission: Chairman Wheeler on the FCC’s Open Internet Rules
- 00:30:01 | Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO): Net Neutrality II
- 00:30:36 | Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO): Net Neutrality II
- 00:31:41 | Animal House: Blowjob
- 00:32:12 | The Office: How the turn tables
- 00:37:42 | National Digital Inclusion Alliance: Acting FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel
- 00:37:48 | National Digital Inclusion Alliance: Acting FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel
- 00:42:06 | CBS Evening News: "And that's the way it is": Walter Cronkite's final sign off
- 00:54:24 | Degrassi The Next Generation: Theme
Resources
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Steven G. Medema: “Failure to Appear”: The Use of the Coase Theorem in Judicial Opinion
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European Council On Foreign Relations: Network effects: Europe’s digital sovereignty in the Mediterranean
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Brookings: Was the 1996 Telecommunications Act successful in promoting competition?
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USTelecom: Research
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Community Networks: Community Network Map
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Berkman Klein Center: Community-Owned Fiber Networks: Value Leaders in America
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Vice: A Community-Run ISP Is the Highest Rated Broadband Company in America
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Tristin Esfandiari: The FCC Threatens Free Speech
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Open Secrets: Ajit Pai Employment History
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Public Knowledge: We Already Knew Broadband Should Be A Public Utility. The Pandemic Made It Obvious.
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Congress.gov: S.4676 - Net Neutrality and Broadband Justice Act of 2022
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Electronic Frontier Foundation: New Proposal Brings Us a Step Closer to Net Neutrality
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Ed Markey: Communications Act Bill
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Electronic Frontier Foundation: Today’s Net Neutrality Order is a Win, with a Few Blemishes
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Electronic Frontier Foundation: Today—and Every Day—We Fight to Defend the Open Internet
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Searchlight Capital: Investments
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Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee State University: 2 Live Crew
Book Love
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Steven J. Simmons: The Fairness Doctrine and the Media
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Brian J. Karem: Free the Press: The Death of American Journalism and How to Revive It
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Ken Auletta: Backstory: Inside the Business of News
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Bernard Harcourt: The Illusion of Free Markets: Punishment and the Myth of Natural Order
UNFTR Quick Links