FCC commisioner to lobby for Comcast/NBC giant she OK'd

[SoCalDem]

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/05/12/fcc_rgulator_joins_comcastnbc/

FCC commish to lobby for Comcast/NBC giant she OK'd

An actor in Comcast's broadband's US rollout

By Gavin Clarke in San Francisco •
Posted in Government, 12th May 2011 01:27 GMT



An FCC commissioner who argued for and voted to approve Comcast's $6.5bn borging of NBC Universal is quitting her government position and becoming a lobbyist for the communications and media giant she helped to bring into existence. Meredith Attwell Baker – who had been one of two Republicans serving on the five-member commission – will become the new senior vice president of governmentaffairs for NBC Universal, just four months after the commission approved Comcast's NBC takeover.

When the FCC voted four-to-one in favor of the Comcast/NBC deal, just one Democrat dissented, saying it conferred too much power in one company's hands. Baker disagreed, writing in a joint statement with the assenting commissioners that the deal had "the potential to bring exciting benefits to consumers that outweigh potential harms."

Baker went on to complain in March that the FCC's scrutiny of the deal had taken too long. Not that her opinion of the timing was unique: Baker feels that for the last decade, FCC review processes have dragged on for too long.

In a glowing farewell statement on Wednesday, Baker said she was happy to have played a small part in the deployment of broadband in the US. "I depart most proud of our collective efforts to focus on long-term comprehensive spectrum reform," she said. "It is the most important step we can take to ensure our nation's competitiveness in an increasingly interconnected world."

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[The Wielding Truth]

1. I watched her on c-span explaining the compromises and complaining

about how complicated and unnecessary the concern was. I thought she was in corporate pockets then. I am not surprised at this transition.

[Angry Dragon]

2. I will go first

Whore

[Leopolds Ghost]

3. "Spectrum reform" = selling off the nation's airwaves and a Cable company buying a Broadcast network

What more need be said? :shrug:

[99th_Monkey]

4. That is just so wrong!!!

Why aren't there any federal laws disallowing this kind of blatant corruption?
... it would seem like a no-brainer ...like something that is obviously corrupt.

[SoCalDem]

5. There should be a FIVE YEAR moratorium

and an immediate review after a hiring, to see if any of their "rulings" aided them or put money in their pockets. If it's found to be the case, those issues should be revisited.. Look at all the current harm we have because of Phil & Wendy Gramm...waaay back in the 90's.

[KharmaTrain]

6. And You're Expecting Politicians To "Fix" This?

:rofl:

Nothing personal...but there's no way politicians are gonna give up this nice gravy train. No way no how. For many, it's the prime motivator for why they got into "public service" in the first place...to cash in down the road.

This lady (and said with a modicum of respect) used every minute she was on the commission to audition for this gig, so good riddence. "Deregulation" has turned the FCC into a joke...selling off the public airwaves literally to the highest bidder and letting the large corporates write the "regulations" and then break them with little regard for consequences. As long as the money rolls...all is good.

[SoCalDem]

7. Isn't that the truth.. They only seek office to audition

for the job that will set up their family for life..

[progressoid]

8. yippee

Meredith Attwell Baker was nominated for a seat on the Federal Communications Commission by President Barack Obama on June 25, 2009. She was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate on July 24, 2009, and sworn in as Commissioner on July 31, 2009.


:grr: :grr: :grr:

[lib2DaBone]

9. Former Attny Gen John Ashcroft now CEO at BlackWater/XE..

Homeland Security Czar Michael Chertoff sells body scanners to TSA...

Mr. Obama has a nice desk wating for him at Goldman Sachs....

On and on it goes... and it's NEVER the American people who benefit.

[SoCalDem]

10. That's because we refuse to set term limits

Ex-presidents will always be in demand, but if we had term limits for all the rest, they would not be around long enough to have made the connections the now make.

They would show up, serve the public, and then go back to their "real lives".. That's what the founders intended, and though would continue to happen..

There should also not be a pension for ex legislators (in most cases).

The terms should be 4 yrs for house...6 for senate, and no more than two of each.

A pension for 20 consecutive years (8+12), so anyone who served once & was not re-elected, or who did not get elected to the other chamber , would have no golden parachute waiting for them down the line, and might just consider returning to their state & their other life.