American Cable Association Chairman: FCC’s ISP Branding an Insult

American Cable Association chairman Bob Gessner, president of MCTV, does not like being branded an evil operative by the Federal Communications Commission. Asked why the FCC seemed to be viewing Internet service providers instead as “asps,” or the snakes in the virtuous circle that includes content/edge providers and consumers, Gessner was not shy about weighing in.

At the American Cable Association summit in Washington, Gessner told reporters at a press briefing that he was insulted by the way the FCC treated ISPs in its preamble to the Title II vote, basically redefining them from innovators and entrepreneurs to a threatening force that puts profits above the public interest. He called it a cruel and intentional strategy to portray ISPs as evil. He said he has always wondered about another name for ISPs -- broadband Internet access providers (BIAS), suggesting the FCC had a bias against ISPs who have been “nothing but innovators.”