isen.blog

Update: My bad. I completely missed the fact that my friend Gene Crick, the executive director of the Texas ISP Association, the Executive Director of the TeleCommunity Resource Center, Exec Dir of Metro Austin Interactive Network, Exec Dir of Electronic Frontiers - Texas --- and spiritual advisor to Bob Cannon's Cybertelecom list -- is on the CAC! So there are at least four Netizen organizations on the CAC, all represented by one person. (see comments!)

Update 2: Brett Glass writes

It amazes me that this long list does not contain even one wireless Internet service provider (WISP).

It amazes me, too, that so many communications service provider sectors are completely unrepresented. But it amazes me more how few "consumers" are on the CAC.

Also -- Chairman Martin, are you listening? -- how about a CITIZEN'S advisory committee? You know, to talk about the Bill of Rights and all that? There are many amazing things about the FCC; one of the most amazing is how the word "consumer" has completely replaced the word "citizen" in FCC-speak.
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The FCC Consumer Advisory Committee doesn't seem to have anybody on it who represents Netizens, except for possibly NY Wireless.

The first Consumer Advisory Committee meeting is tomorrow, Friday, June 10, from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM. It will be netcast. (The agenda (.doc -- will the FCC ever learn .html?) looks like a snoozefest.)

Bruce Kushnik and his Teletruth organization has come out swinging about the membership of the CAC. While I think that Bruce is mostly on target (if a bit loose), I went to primary sources to look at CAC membership myself. Here's what I find:

1. It has 55 members! (How is it ever going to get anything done?)

2. At least 19 of its members represent the blind and the deaf!

3. At least 14 members represent big telcos, cellcos, cablecos and industry organizations.

4. There's possibly one CLEC, San Carlos Apache Telecommunications Utility(?). No ISPs. No municipalities. No Internet organizations, except for possibly the Center for Democracy and Technology.

4. While the FCC says that 15 members represent the consumers, I'm finding it hard to identify more than nine (though I admit I don't know all the groups (and don't have time for the in depth research required)).

5. There are at least two well-known sock-puppet (aka astroturf) organizations, the Alliance for Public Technology and the Telecommunications Research and Action Center, both associated with Issue Dynamics, an organization that prides itself in building centrally conceived and planned "grassroots" "movements".

6. The Chair of the CAC is from "Call for Action," a "consumer" group entirely funded by broadcasters.

Draw your own conclusions! (Please consider adding them to this via comments, below.) Here's the FCC's original list of 35 members (.doc) announced March 8, 2005:
1. AARP, Debra Berlyn;
2. Affiliated Tribes of NW Indians, John F. Stensgar;
3. Alliance for Public Technology, Daniel Phythyon;
4. Benton Foundation, Charles Benton;
5. Brugger Consulting, David Brugger;
6. Call For Action, Shirley L. Rooker (CAC Chairperson);
7. Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association, Carolyn Brandon;
8. Community Broadcasters Association, Louis A. Zanoni;
9. Community Technology Foundation of California, Laura Efurd;
10. Consumer Electronics Association, Julie M. Kearney;
11. Consumers First, Inc., Jim Conran;
12. Deaf and Hard of Hearing Consumer Action Network, Claude Stout;
13. Florida Public Service Commission, Commissioner Charles Davidson (CAC Vice Chairperson);
14. Georgia Centers for Advanced Telecommunications Technology, Helena Mitchell;
15. Hamilton Telephone Company, d/b/a Hamilton Relay Service, Dixie Ziegler;
16. Ideal Group, Inc., Steve Jacobs;
17. Inclusive Technologies, Jim Tobias;
18. International Association of Audio Information Services, George (Mike) Duke;
19. Rebecca Ladew (representing the interests of users of speech-to-speech technology);
20. League for the Hard of Hearing, Joseph Gordon;
21. Media Access Group WGBH, Larry Goldberg;
22. National Association of Broadcasters, Marsha MacBride;
23. National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, Commissioner Ron Jones;
24. National Association of State Relay Administration, Brenda Kelly-Frey;
25. National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates, Joy M. Ragsdale;
26. National Cable and Telecommunications Association, Loretta P. Polk;
27. National Captioning Institute, Joel Snyder;
28. Nextel Communications, Inc., Kent Y. Nakamura;
29. NYC Wireless, Laura Forlano;
30. Mark Pranger (individual with expertise in telecommunications law and policy);
31. Sprint Corporation, Brent Burpee;
32. Time Warner, Inc., Tom Wlodkowski;
33. T-Mobile, Thomas Sugrue;
34. Verizon Communications, Richard T. Ellis, and
35. Linda Oliver West (individual representing the interests of the Native American community and other consumers concerned with telecommunications services in rural America).

And here's the FCC's list of 20 additional members (.doc) announced May 26, 2005:

1. Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Janice Schacter;
2. Association for Communications Technology Professionals in Higher Education, Tamara Closs;
3. Association of Assistive Technology Act Programs, Deborah Buck;
4. AT&T, Michael F. DelCasino;
5. BellSouth, John A. Ruscilli;
6. Center for Democracy and Technology, John Morris;
7. Communications Services for the Deaf, Ann Marie Mickelson;
8. Communications Works of the Deaf, Greg Frohriep;
9. Democracy Now! Publications, Denis Moynihan;
10. James J. Elekes (individual representing the interests of the blind or visually impaired community);
11. EAD & Associates, LLC, Elizabeth Davis;
12. Mission Consulting, Judy Viera;
13. Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Cheryl Moose;
14. Ron Bibler (individual with expertise in telecommunications relay and captioned telephone services);
15. San Carlos Apache Telecommunications Utility, Vernon R. James;
16. State of Hawaii, Division of Consumer Advocacy, John Cole;
17. TCS Associates, Dana Marlow;
18. Telecommunications Research and Action Center, John Breyault;
19. TeleCommunity Resource Center, Gene Crick; and
20. Wayne Caswell (individual with expertise in deployment of broadband).

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