| Jules as Chairman: Louis XIV or Andrew Jackson? |
| Friday, 16 January 2009 11:02 |
Jules' style is democratic, but a thousand lawyers and lobbyists, some paid in the millions, watch every whim of the FCC Chairman in a fashion that Versailles would understand. Because his decisions can change billions, the court is obsequious by nature. When Walt McCormick of USTA was seated in a far corner at the Chairman's Dinner, rumors floated he would lose his job because   he was out of favor. A lawyer who can obtain a half hour interview for a client can charge $10,000. (That's usually a total waste, incidentally, because most of the FCC people are so sick of the usual suspects they'd rather be contacted directly. No one believes that, but I've seen people g8 direct and get better results. If you're working in comm and have facts backing something they haven't heard before, they actively listen.)
Once at a big event, the Chairman saw me in a crowd of reporters and said “Hi, Dave” and we all went about our business. The next day, a senior staffer of one of the largest companies in the world spent two hours asking me questions, because he “wanted to understand my issues.” I must have seemed to be in favor. The Obama team proved a more open way is possible. Nearly all the tech policy people on the transition had their personal emails on their web sites, including Genachowski, Hundt, Crawford, Weiser, and Werbach. They usually responded promptly to suggestions. I took advantage of that to send the data in the articles I've been writing, and received thoughtful and polite responses. Martin in his last year arranged commission meetings in many cities other than D.C., and they were highly approachable. (That's when one of the commissioners told me “LPTV is the right thing to do.”) Everyone in and out of the transition is talking “transparency” and “data-driven policy,” including the new Chair. We're all hoping Jules finds the way to invite the public into his house. Having a press conference every two weeks or so would be a great place to start, especially if the reporters take the effort to ask the important questions. Having a call-in for folks out of D.C. really opens things up. Ideas welcome. |