Recently, the tech community has been center stage of many issues, from net neutrality to major mergers. Now a showdown between the feds and telecommunications unfolds.
The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) plans to fine telecommunication conglomerate AT&T $100 million. The FCC accuses AT&T of deliberately misleading their customers and slowing down the data of those who have unlimited data plans. They also said AT&T didn’t notify customers of the data slow down. When I say slow down, I’m talking as bad as 20x slower than normal. This would be a violation of the 2010 Open Internet Transparency Rule. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said customers deserve what they paid for. AT&T has 30 days to fight this fine, and they are. In a statement, AT&T said, “We will vigorously dispute the FCC’s assertions.?We have been fully transparent with our customers, providing notice in multiple ways and going well beyond the FCC’s disclosure requirements.” But insiders say there’s deeper meaning to this beef. Some insiders say the FCC is using this as an opportunity to fight for the little guys aka the consumer. They know mega tech mergers are going on, virtually on a daily basis. Insiders believe this is the FCC’s way of reminding tech companies the Feds will be watching.
One hundred million dollars is a heck of a reminder. I know AT&T is one of the richest, most successful conglomerates of all-time, but $100 million dollars is a lot for anybody. I get it. I don’t trust these tech companies merging. These merges could easily lead to monopoly. And when a company is too big to fail, they’re often too big to care. But I’m not exactly buying the FCC’s ‘we’re fighting for the little guy’ rhetoric either. Remember the NSA revelations of 2013? Is this an opportunity for the Feds to get yet more control? Who can I trust in this dispute? Can I trust anybody?