Dispatch From Denver: Former FCCer Slams McCain
Former FCC Chairman Reed Hundt blasted presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain at a Tuesday forum in Denver, saying it is "a gross understatement" to state that the Arizona senator "doesn’t get it" when it comes to crafting technology policies that will help advance U.S. innovation. Hundt, who led the FCC for most of the President Bill Clinton's first term, said McCain is "actually is committed to goals in government that are pernicious."
One recent example, Hundt argued, was McCain's sponsorship of legislation that would have gutted the recently completed auction of frequencies on the 700-MHz band by handing over the spectrum to one private entity. Six weeks ago, McCain said he still believes in that concept, Hundt said. McCain's plan would amount to "a $30 billion dollar giveaway" to a single corporate interest, the former FCC chief noted.
McCain, who chaired the Senate Commerce Committee for six years, told a National Sheriff's Association conference earlier this summer that a nationwide, interoperable public safety network is long overdue. His bill would have "provided for more than twice the capacity that the FCC has currently set aside for public safety," McCain said. "Special interests in Washington want the FCC to auction off more of that spectrum than I do."
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