View from the FCC: A Discussion with Commissioner Michael O'Rielly

In the wake of the FCC’s controversial victory in U.S. Telecom Association v. FCC, and as the presidential election approaches, the future of the American communications industry is uncertain. To what extent will the FCC’s proposal to eliminate the cable television industry’s set-top boxes threaten innovation in the television marketplace? Are zero-rated data practices forbidden by the Open Internet Order, and how much longer will these offerings remain in legal limbo? Will the FCC redeem its struggling spectrum incentive auction? How will the Commission justify unequal treatment of broadband companies and edge providers in its current privacy rulemaking?

On October 13, distinguished FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly addressed these questions and discussed the future of federal regulation of the communications industry. Harold Furchtgott-Roth, Director of the Hudson Institute’s Center for the Economics of the Internet and a former FCC Commissioner, moderated the event.