Alan Grayson Sides With Telecoms On Net Neutrality

[babsbunny]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/05/alan-grayson-sides-with-t_n_672313.html

Rep. Alan Grayson shocked his passionate followers in the progressive online community this week when he aligned himself with the telecom industry and pressured the Federal Communications Commission not to write regulations protecting the principle of net neutrality.

Conservative bloggers immediately embraced Grayson, with Andrew Breitbart's Big Government mockingly offering him a "very warm welcome to the party," while reminding readers that he "is about as rabid a Leftist partisan as there is in Congress." Both Big Government and RedState.com gleefully noted that Grayson employs Matt Stoller, a former prominent blogger and leading net neutrality advocate.

[Angry Dragon]

1. Not good

[tallahasseedem]

2. I saw this...

I'm wondering where all of the Grayson for President in 2012 cheerleaders are. Very quiet tonight.

[laughingliberal]

4. He's wrong on this. nt

[gateley]

3. Here's what Grayson said:

/snip
So why does Grayson, a progressive champion, oppose allowing the FCC to regulate the Internet and implement net neutrality rules? The Orlando Democrat says that he is in favor of net neutrality and that his alliance with the telecom industry is a coincidental case of "strange bedfellows."

"I say in the letter that I support the policy of net neutrality. I don't know how I could be more explicit than that," he told HuffPost. "There is a question, though, of how to reach that conclusion, and it's a legitimate question. My own feeling is that we should not allow a matter like this to be resolved by regulation, because regulations can be changed very easily. We saw this all the time with the Bush administration. I think it is preferable to have the principle of net neutrality enshrined in statute." /snip

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/05/alan-grayson-sides-with-t_n_672313.html

[annabanana]

6. But getting corporations to unclench a profit stream is damn near impossible..

Dear Grayson.. Can we get some regulations in there pronto and back them up in statute, please?

[DFLforever]

5. Isn't that where Grayson made his money -

in the telecom industry?

[laughingliberal]

7. Found this-1st President of IDT:

History

IDT was founded by entrepreneur Howard Jonas in August 1990. He founded the company after opening a sales office in Israel, receiving large international phone bills and then discovering a way to lower them.<1>
On January 26, 2006, IDT Telecom, Inc. sold to GVC Networks LLC all its IDT Winstar Solution subsidiaries: Winstar Communications, Winstar Government Solutions, LLC and Winstar Wireless, LLC.
On February 17, 2006, IDT announced it would reacquire full ownership of Net2Phone, a company it had launched in the mid 1990s.
On May 16, 2006, IDT agreed to sell its IDT Entertainment division to Liberty Media for "for all of Liberty Media's interests in IDT, $186 million in cash and the assumption of existing indebtedness."<2> On August 31, 2006, the sale of all of IDT Entertainment's US operations and several international operations was completed. "The remainder of the deal, to include the Canadian and Australian operations, is expected to be closed in the next few weeks after regulatory approval has been given."<3> This sale was completed on 29 September 2006.<4>
On October 12, 2006, IDT completed the sale of its Toucan consumer phone business in the UK to Pipex Communications plc.<5>
On July 1, 2008, IDT sold IDT Global Services located in Jerusalem, Israel to its Israeli CEO, Eli Ninio. The company still operates under the name IDT, as IDT Global Israel.
The IDT Headquarters building on Broad Street in downtown Newark was once home to the now defunct Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company from 1957 to 2000.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IDT_Corporation

[FiveGoodMen]

8. Hmmmmm...

:thumbsdown:

[cilla4progress]

9. Very disappointing.

et tu?

[Enthusiast]

10. I'm unhappy with Grayson's position. nt