WSJ Editorial Board: FCC In Exile?

It is clear to us that some members of the Wall Street Journal editorial board are harboring secret fantasies of becoming FCC commissioners. How else to explain the page's almost monthly pontification on some aspect FCC policy? Remember when they went after Chairman Martin for voting with the Democrats against then Chairman Powell's triennial review Bell give away?

Today's nugget of wisdom, entitled "More Spectrum, Please," blames the FCC's spectrum management policies for the poor showing of the United States in rankings of world-wide broadband deployment (an April report ranked the U.S. 12th in world behind Korea, Canada, Germany, Sweden, Belgium, Italy and a host of other nations).

The editorial is ironic for a couple of reasons. First, the report cited by the editorial is from none other than the Progress & Freedom Foundation, a Washington "think tank" that is usually more than happy to shill for the Bell companies. Second, FCC decisions over the past 6 years--all of which have made it harder for competitors to provide broadband services to compete with the Bells--are the single largest reason why the U.S. is in the cellar in broadband deployment and the Wall Street Journal was one of the biggest cheerleaders of those FCC actions.

If the Journal's editorial board members don't realize their FCC dreams I have every confidence they can put their propaganda skills to work elsewhere. Ed or Ivan, are you hiring?