"Party at the FCC" demands net neutrality
On the 13th of November, net neutrality activists responded to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler's defiance of Obama's new pro-net neutrality position.They showed up at FCC headquarters for a party under cold rain mixed with snow, then took over the doorway in front of the building.
Interestingly, only three security guards were able to respond to the call for help from the two or three guards inside, with the result that the effort by security guards to repulse the protesters was defeated and the guards gave up. One of the guards became aggressive with other photographers, I kept the camera on these incidents and made it plain that I would back up any photographer who was assaulted. This guard soon abandoned his aggression as well.
Meanwhile, a high drama is playing out behind the scenes. A couple days ago, President Obama announced that he now supported activists' demands for complete net neutrality via reclassification of Internet service as a common carrier. Time-Warner Comcast stock fell 5% the next day. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler used to be President of the National Cable Television Association, and he chose to do the bidding of his former masters by publicly defying his current boss, President Obama. Tom Wheeler is still pushing a "hybrid" tiers Internet with fast lanes for bug bucks outfits like Netflix and slow lanes everyone else. He is still working for Big Cable, no doubt expecting a golden parachute from Comcast or a similar player if Obama does the right thing and fires him from the FCC. Unfortunately, the FCC has been riddled with Cable TV and phone company lobbyists ever since Obama took office, if not even before then.
In front of the FCC's doors
The main party site as seen from across the street
