What Does the Fox Say? Recently appointed by President Obama to head the FCC, Tom Wheeler is like the notorious fox in the hen house. He is a well-respected, charismatic industry leader; a Washington insider with close ties to President Obama. Many people within the industry are thrilled to see him take control of the FCC. Mr. Wheeler passionately vows to lead the industry and America farther into the “fourth greatest technological era”. Mr. Wheeler has over 30 years of experience in the industry as a lobbyist and entrepreneur. He knows the ins and outs of the industry like no one else. He was the Chief Executive of the National Cable Television Association (’79 – ’84), the CEO and President of the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (’92-’04) and since 2005 he has been a managing director at CORE Capital Partners, a Washington-based venture capital firm that invests in small technology companies. Wireless safety advocates are very concerned about Mr. Wheeler heading the FCC. Based on his track record, it is highly doubtful Mr. Wheeler has what it takes to protect the rights of average citizens and not simply manage corporate interests. Mr. Wheeler has raised a lot of money as a campaign bundler for Pres. Obama - over $700,000 for both the 2008 & 2012 presidential campaigns. He has also donated his own money, up to the maximum amount allowed for donors. Did Mr. Wheeler’s very close relationship to Obama and his fundraising efforts give him the advantage? Probably. There were other viable candidates Obama only briefly considered. Wheeler has been the most powerful lobbyist for the industry he is now supposed to regulate. The most undeniable reason for concern now is what he did as a lobbyist for the industry and what people fear he will continue to do as the FCC Chairman. When Mr. Wheeler was the President and CEO of the CTIA, he used some unscrupulous methods to deal with any scientific evidence that emerged regarding health risks associated with cell phone radiation. He discredited any scientists who found evidence of harm and withdrew funding for their (industry funded) research projects. He deceived the public by continuing to insist there were no safety issues with cell phones. Mr. Wheeler as the FCC Chairman has many grandiose ideas he plans to implement, swiftly. During his confirmation speech, Mr. Wheeler said, “This team will hit the ground running. With critical work to be accomplished for the American people and the internet becoming ever more important in the live of consumers and businesses across the nation…” The industry will continue to rush forward; simultaneously distancing themselves from the thorny issue of wireless health risks, with assistance from Mr. Wheeler heading the FCC. The denial of any health issues and rushing ahead before anyone has a chance to think about what is going on seems to be a common theme. How long can this go on? Checks and balances matter! What Mr. Wheeler says and does now, must be seen in the context of what he has said and done in the past. Case in point: On January 10th Chairman Wheeler was in the San Francisco Bay Area for two speaking engagements. One was at the Computer History Museum in Silicon Valley. On several occasions protesters interrupted his speech. The last protester said, “How long are you going to experiment with people’s lives without real safety standards in place? It’s time you told the American public the truth. Wireless causes cancer. It will kill you. You don’t give a damn.” (He was being led out of the auditorium in the middle of his comment.) “Yes, he does,” said a man in the audience. Wheeler thanked the man and said he would be going “off script.” “You’re right, I do (care),” Wheeler said. “We have a responsibility. One of the things that our agency is doing is receiving the scientific information from scientific agencies to be able to set standards at acceptable safety levels. We’ve historically done that, we will continue to do that, because safety is of paramount concern to all of us.” His comments may sound reassuring but they are by no means comforting to people who know the truth. This statement he made as the new FCC Chairman is reminiscent of the past; when he was the head of the CTIA. True, the FCC is receiving scientific information from scientific agencies now (see ET-Docket No. 13-84 and ET Docket No. 03-137). But I would have to argue the FCC has not historically set standards at acceptable safety levels based on the science, as Mr. Wheeler suggests and he has something to do with that fact! It has been 17 years since the FCC formally evaluated its safety standards and only after being prompted by a report in July 2012 from the U.S. Government Accountability Office. From the book Disconnect, by Dr. Davis, she describes how the telecommunications industry under Tom Wheeler’s leadership controlled the science: (Paraphrased from pages 80, 107, 108) When any accusation or concern is brought to the public’s attention regarding safety, they automatically dismiss it and do not permit any discussion at all. They hire the best and the brightest to study the problem and keep on studying the problem. They stretch it out for as long as possible. Interesting work gets done but nothing is ever conclusive. Scientists are well funded and decades later they are still studying the issue. Public fears are diminished because they are after all, “studying it”. People whose livelihoods depend on funding have a strong interest in having questions drawn out. As long as there are legitimate technical issues outstanding, the industry continues to fund the research and they are able to move forward with their ambitious plans. What happened when scientists did find negative health impacts? They halted industry funding and rigorously discredited the scientist(s). Then paid some other scientists to create similar looking studies that manage to reach the favorable results they want – no health effects. Chairman Wheeler’s statements and speeches are made available on the FCC Website. He posts regularly to the FCC Blog and there is also a link to send him an email: fcc.gov/leadership/tom-wheeler References Books: Carlo, G. & Schram, M. (2001). Cell Phones Invisible Hazards in the Wireless Age. New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers Inc. Davis, D. (2010) Disconnect. New York: Dutton FCC Commission Documents: Wheeler, T. (2014, January 9). FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler Remarks at the Computer History Museum. Mountain View, California. fcc.gov/document/fcc-chairman-tom-wheeler-remarks-computer-history-museum Wheeler, T. (2013, December 2) Remarks of FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler at the Ohio State University. Columbus, Ohio. fcc.gov/document/remarks-fcc-chairman-tom-wheeler-ohio-state-universityInternet Articles and Blog Posts: Block, A. (2013, November 4). New FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler: 7 Things to Know (Analysis). The Hollywood Report. hollywoodreporter/news/new-fcc-chairman-tom-wheeler-652820 (2014, January) Anti-Wireless Hecklers Interrupt FCC Chairman’s Speech. CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. sanfrancisco.cbslocal/2014/01/09/anti-wireless-hecklers-interrupt-fcc-chairmans-speech/ Gustin, S. (2013, April 16). Tom Wheeler, Former Lobbyist and Obama Loyalist Seen As FCC Frontrunner. Business & Money. Time. business.time/2013/04/16/tom-wheeler-former-lobbyist-and-obama-loyalist-seen-as-fcc-frontrunner/ Gustin, S. (2013, March 22). FCC Julius Genachowski Stepping Down After Contentious Term. Business & Money. Time. business.time/2013/03/22/fcc-chairman-julius-genachowski-stepping-down-after-contentious-term-reports/ Lieberman, D. (2013, November 4). Tom Wheeler Restructures FCC’s Leadership After Being Sworn In As Chairman. Deadline Hollywood. deadline/2013/11/tom-wheeler-restructures-fccs-leadership-after-being-sworn-in-as-chairman/ Moskowitz, J. (2013, May 28). Did Tom Wheeler, the Nominee for Chairman of the FCC, Subvert Research Showing Harm from Cell Phone Radiation?. Electromagnetic Radiation Safety. saferemr/2013/10/did-tom-wheeler-nominee-for-chairman-of.html Onthelevelblog. (2014, January 10). FCC Chair Wheeler Hounded by Wireless Health Activists All Day During Visit to SF Bay Area Thursday. Stop Smart Meters!. stopsmartmeters.org/2014/01/10/wheeler-hounded-by-wireless-health-activists-all-day-during-his-visit-to-sf-bay-area-thursday/ (2013, May). Obama Nominates Cable Industry Lobbyist and Campaign Bundler New Head of FCC. Transcript. The Real News. therealnews/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=767&Itemid=74&jumival=10189
Posted on: Mon, 20 Jan 2014 19:03:24 +0000
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