By John Eggerton, Multichannel News, 10-21-20
FCC General Counsel Tom Johnson took to the FCC blog Wednesday (Oct. 21) to defend the conclusion that the FCC has the authority to clarify ambiguities in Sec. 230, including limiting it if the Commission votes to do so.
FCC chairman Ajit Pai announced last week the FCC would respond to President Trump’s petition – filed by the National Telecommunications & Information Administration, the president’s chief communications advisor – that the FCC find a way to regulate social media’s moderation of content.
The president has long argued that social media sites are using the section to shield their censorship of conservatives and has lately called for its elimination altogether.
In his blog post, Johnson said Pai’s decision to proceed, which Pai had said came on the advice of FCC attorneys, “was consistent” with his analysis, an analysis the chairman has asked him to make public, he said, given the intense interest in the issue. » Read More