Federal Communications Commission

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Group.png Federal Communications Commission   Sourcewatch WebsiteRdf-entity.pngRdf-icon.png
Federal Communications Commission.svg
Parent organizationUS
Headquarters445 12th Street SW, Washington DC
LeaderFederal Communications Commission/Chair
Staff1,720
SubpageFederal Communications Commission/Chair

The Federal Communications Commission regulates communication in the US.

Radio decency

The FCC requires that broadcasts be 'decent', but does not specify exactly what this means. Amongst small broadcasters, for whom the potential fines or legal costs from an obscenity trial are huge, the practical effect is a serious chilling effect on speech.[1]

Wireless routers

In 2015, the FCC announced plans to make it illegal to reflash wireless routers (for example, with OpenWRT or DD-WRT) so as to allow the creation of mesh networks or other hacks not anticipated by the manufacturers. This was criticised by Vint Cerf and others.[2]

Mass surveillance

On Mar 28, 2017, US Congress approved legislation allowing logs of users' internet access to be sold.[3]

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References