4 ms·

Tom Wheeler was a career lobbyist for the cable and wireless industries. I assume those firms are getting what they want, sort of like how Obamacare is good for

by lmg643 12y ago

Tom Wheeler was a career lobbyist for the cable and wireless industries. I assume those firms are getting what they want, sort of like how Obamacare is good for insurance companies (they are only "allowed" to sell expensive plans, with government subsidies for those who can't afford them). I liked this stat from Wheeler's bio: "Wheeler was inducted into the Wireless Hall of Fame in 2003, and in 2009, as a result of his work in promoting the growth and prosperity of the cable television industry and its stakeholders, was inducted into the Cable Television Hall of Fame. He is the only member of both halls of fame."

supergeek133 12y ago
I remember when this guy was appointed, everyone flipped out because of his history and called it a bad move. Now this happens and he's the messiah! Haha.
- TheHypnotist 12y ago
  Teraflop just posted this above your comment: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8999657 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8999657 So while you are right, you are muddying who you consider to be "everyone".
  - supergeek133 12y ago
    It's a figure of speech, and I believe it was top news on here at the time.
teraflop 12y ago
According to a recent comment, the truth about Wheeler's lobbying activities is more complex than that: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8999657 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8999657
daeken 12y ago
Tom Wheeler was a cable lobbyist when cable TV was unheard of -- 1976-1984. He fought for the underdogs there, whether or not you like where cable has gone. It's much the same with his record in cell lobbying, though he was there for a bit more of the maturing of the tech -- 1992-2004. He helped promote two nascent industries; how is this a bad thing?
kyrra 12y ago
He was a lobbyist for the cable industry from 1976 to 1984. I don't totally know what the industry was like back then, but from what I understand it's completely different then what we see today. Back then it was a large number of smaller providers that could easily be pushed around by larger networks. There was no massive comcast, timewarner or what have you. I haven't read up on his time at the CTIA, but that was 1992 to 2004. Again during a time of a lot of smaller companies in the cellular industry. Remember when roaming was down right expensive or didn't even work? I think that was changed while he was part of CTIA. The wireless industry grew dramatically in that time. What is the bad thing about him being a lobbyist for these groups? He's someone that has been part of the communication infrastructure at the political end since 1976. This means he probably has a very good idea of how his actions will impact companies. This seems like it may be a good thing?

by lmg643 12y ago

supergeek133 12y ago

I remember when this guy was appointed, everyone flipped out because of his history and called it a bad move. Now this happens and he's the messiah! Haha.

TheHypnotist 12y ago
Teraflop just posted this above your comment: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8999657 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8999657 So while you are right, you are muddying who you consider to be "everyone".
- supergeek133 12y ago
  It's a figure of speech, and I believe it was top news on here at the time.

teraflop 12y ago

According to a recent comment, the truth about Wheeler's lobbying activities is more complex than that: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8999657 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8999657

daeken 12y ago

Tom Wheeler was a cable lobbyist when cable TV was unheard of -- 1976-1984. He fought for the underdogs there, whether or not you like where cable has gone. It's much the same with his record in cell lobbying, though he was there for a bit more of the maturing of the tech -- 1992-2004. He helped promote two nascent industries; how is this a bad thing?

kyrra 12y ago

He was a lobbyist for the cable industry from 1976 to 1984. I don't totally know what the industry was like back then, but from what I understand it's completely different then what we see today. Back then it was a large number of smaller providers that could easily be pushed around by larger networks. There was no massive comcast, timewarner or what have you. I haven't read up on his time at the CTIA, but that was 1992 to 2004. Again during a time of a lot of smaller companies in the cellular industry. Remember when roaming was down right expensive or didn't even work? I think that was changed while he was part of CTIA. The wireless industry grew dramatically in that time. What is the bad thing about him being a lobbyist for these groups? He's someone that has been part of the communication infrastructure at the political end since 1976. This means he probably has a very good idea of how his actions will impact companies. This seems like it may be a good thing?