Intro

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Post Show Musings

Book Love

Outro

In our first installment of the two-part FCC series we discussed the origins of the Federal Communications Commission, the reason it came into existence and the tension between its charge and the First Amendment. Our story resumes with a nod to the Chicago School, the one-two punch of the Reagan and Clinton administrations to deliver a death blow to media competition in the United States and the recent history of net neutrality. Let’s fucking go. 

Chapters

Intro: 00:01:56

Chapter One: The Coase Theorem. 00:03:08

Chapter Two: Reagan and Clinton. 00:10:28

Chapter Three: Title II and Net Neutrality. 00:25:25

Chapter Four: Bring it home, Max. 00:37:22

Post Show Musings: 00:42:14

Book Love: 00:53:17

Outro: 00:54:02

Resources

FCC Website

Steven G. Medema: “Failure to Appear”: The Use of the Coase Theorem in Judicial Opinion

European Council On Foreign Relations: Network effects: Europe’s digital sovereignty in the Mediterranean

Brookings: Was the 1996 Telecommunications Act successful in promoting competition?

USTelecom: Research

FCC: National Broadband Map

Community Networks: Community Network Map

Berkman Klein Center: Community-Owned Fiber Networks: Value Leaders in America

Vice: A Community-Run ISP Is the Highest Rated Broadband Company in America

Tristin Esfandiari: The FCC Threatens Free Speech

Open Secrets: Ajit Pai Employment History

FCC: FCC Releases Restoring Internet Freedom Order

FCC: Biography of Former Chairman Ajit Pai

Public Knowledge: We Already Knew Broadband Should Be A Public Utility. The Pandemic Made It Obvious.

Congress.gov: S.4676 - Net Neutrality and Broadband Justice Act of 2022

Electronic Frontier Foundation: New Proposal Brings Us a Step Closer to Net Neutrality

Ed Markey: Communications Act Bill

Electronic Frontier Foundation: Today’s Net Neutrality Order is a Win, with a Few Blemishes

Electronic Frontier Foundation: Today—and Every Day—We Fight to Defend the Open Internet

Searchlight Capital: Investments

Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee State University: 2 Live Crew

Book Love

Steven J. Simmons: The Fairness Doctrine and the Media

Brian J. Karem: Free the Press: The Death of American Journalism and How to Revive It

Ken Auletta: Backstory: Inside the Business of News

Bernard Harcourt: The Illusion of Free Markets: Punishment and the Myth of Natural Order

--

If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts: unftr.com/rate and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com.

Join the Unf*cker-run Facebook group: facebook.com/groups/2051537518349565

Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at shop.unftr.com.

Subscribe to Unf*cking The Republic on Substack at unftr.substack.com to get the essays these episode are framed around sent to your inbox every week.

Check out the UNFTR Pod Love playlist on Spotify: spoti.fi/3yzIlUP.

Visit our bookshop.org page at bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod to find the full UNFTR book list, and find book recommendations from our Unf*ckers at bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations.

Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at unftr.com/accessibility.

Unf*cking the Republic is produced by 99 and engineered by Manny Faces Media (mannyfacesmedia.com). Original music is by Tom McGovern (tommcgovern.com). The show is hosted by The Gipper and distributed by Slick Willy.

Podcast art description: Image of the US Constitution ripped in the middle revealing white text on a blue background that says, "Unf*cking the Republic."

In our first installment of the two-part FCC series we discussed the origins of the Federal Communications Commission, the reason it came into existence and the tension between its charge and the First Amendment. Our story resumes with a nod to the Chicago School, the one-two punch of the Reagan and Clinton administrations to deliver a death blow to media competition in the United States and the recent history of net neutrality. Let’s fucking go. 
Chapters
Intro: 00:01:56
Chapter One: The Coase Theorem. 00:03:08
Chapter Two: Reagan and Clinton. 00:10:28
Chapter Three: Title II and Net Neutrality. 00:25:25
Chapter Four: Bring it home, Max. 00:37:22
Post Show Musings: 00:42:14
Book Love: 00:53:17
Outro: 00:54:02
Resources
<a href="https://www.fcc.gov/">FCC Website</a>
Steven G. Medema: <a href="https://hope.econ.duke.edu/sites/hope.econ.duke.edu/files/Medema%20workshop%20paper.pdf">“Failure to Appear”: The Use of the Coase Theorem in Judicial Opinion</a>
European Council On Foreign Relations: <a href="https://ecfr.eu/publication/network-effects-europes-digital-sovereignty-in-the-mediterranean/">Network effects: Europe’s digital sovereignty in the Mediterranean</a>
Brookings: <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/blog/techtank/2016/02/08/was-the-1996-telecommunications-act-successful-in-promoting-competition/">Was the 1996 Telecommunications Act successful in promoting competition?</a>
USTelecom: <a href="https://www.ustelecom.org/research/%5C">Research</a>
FCC: <a href="https://broadband477map.fcc.gov/#/">National Broadband Map</a>
Community Networks: <a href="https://muninetworks.org/communitymap">Community Network Map</a>
Berkman Klein Center: <a href="https://cyber.harvard.edu/publications/2018/01/communityfiber">Community-Owned Fiber Networks: Value Leaders in America</a>
Vice: <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/ne5k5m/consumer-reports-broadband-company-ratings">A Community-Run ISP Is the Highest Rated Broadband Company in America</a>
Tristin Esfandiari: <a href="https://medium.com/@tristinesfandiari/the-fcc-is-threatening-free-speech-8881fed86d20">The FCC Threatens Free Speech</a>
Open Secrets: <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/revolving/rev_summary.php?id=78736">Ajit Pai Employment History</a>
FCC: <a href="https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-releases-restoring-internet-freedom-order">FCC Releases Restoring Internet Freedom Order</a>
FCC: <a href="https://www.fcc.gov/biography-former-chairman-ajit-pai">Biography of Former Chairman Ajit Pai</a>
Public Knowledge: <a href="https://publicknowledge.org/we-already-knew-broadband-should-be-a-public-utility-the-pandemic-made-it-obvious/">We Already Knew Broadband Should Be A Public Utility. The Pandemic Made It Obvious.</a>
Congress.gov: <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/4676/text">S.4676 - Net Neutrality and Broadband Justice Act of 2022</a>
Electronic Frontier Foundation: <a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/08/new-proposal-brings-us-step-closer-net-neutrality">New Proposal Brings Us a Step Closer to Net Neutrality</a>
Ed Markey: <a href="https://www.markey.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/net_neutrality_and_broadband_justice_act.pdf">Communications Act Bill</a>
Electronic Frontier Foundation: <a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2015/03/todays-net-neutrality-order-win-few-blemishes">Today’s Net Neutrality Order is a Win, with a Few Blemishes</a>
Electronic Frontier Foundation: <a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/11/today-and-every-day-we-fight-defend-open-internet">Today—and Every Day—We Fight to Defend the Open Internet</a>
Searchlight Capital: <a href="https://www.searchlightcap.com/Investments/">Investments</a>
Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee State University: <a href="https://www.mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/1447/2-live-crew">2 Live Crew</a>
Book Love
Steven J. Simmons: <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/23377/9780520333338">The Fairness Doctrine and the Media</a>
Brian J. Karem: <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/23377/9781633887664">Free the Press: The Death of American Journalism and How to Revive It</a>
Ken Auletta: <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/23377/9780143034636">Backstory: Inside the Business of News</a>
Bernard Harcourt: <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/23377/9780674066168">The Illusion of Free Markets: Punishment and the Myth of Natural Order</a>
--
If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts: <a href="https://unftr.com/rate">unftr.com/rate</a> and follow us on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Unfucking-The-Republic-102319714930389">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/unftrpod">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/unftrpod/">Instagram</a> at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at <a href="https://www.unftr.com/">unftr.com</a>.
Join the Unf*cker-run Facebook group: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/2051537518349565">facebook.com/groups/2051537518349565</a>
Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at <a href="https://shop.unftr.com/">shop.unftr.com</a>.
Subscribe to Unf*cking The Republic on Substack at <a href="https://unftr.substack.com/">unftr.substack.com</a> to get the essays these episode are framed around sent to your inbox every week.
Check out the UNFTR Pod Love playlist on Spotify: <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1PpzNXBub9FLngMradJByC?si=abaed3d396504fae">spoti.fi/3yzIlUP.</a>
Visit our bookshop.org page at <a href="https://bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod">bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod</a> to find the full UNFTR book list, and find book recommendations from our Unf*ckers at<a href="https://bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations"> bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations</a>.
Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at <a href="https://www.unftr.com/accessibility">unftr.com/accessibility</a>.
Unf*cking the Republic is produced by 99 and engineered by Manny Faces Media (<a href="https://www.mannyfacesmedia.com">mannyfacesmedia.com</a>). Original music is by Tom McGovern (<a href="http://www.tommcgovern.com/">tommcgovern.com</a>). The show is hosted by The Gipper and distributed by Slick Willy.
Podcast art description: Image of the US Constitution ripped in the middle revealing white text on a blue background that says, "Unf*cking the Republic."

Unf*cking The Republic® (UNFTR) is a series of audio essays on the grand American experiment lovingly curated and presented by a quasi-anonymous political writer. 

Each essay reflects on a singular topic that is generally misunderstood or purposely obfuscated by the so-called “powers that be.” As we know, history is written by the victors and can be perilously manufactured to favor destructive world views. These views become intractably ingrained in the public consciousness and pervert public policy, oftentimes with horrific results. 

As of this podcast’s founding, we find ourselves living in a true kakistocracy. The disconnect between what we believe and what is actually happening below the surface or in plain sight is where this podcast lives. 

Together we’ll upend conventional wisdom, blow up narratives on the left, right and center and use magical devices like facts, logic and reason to explain how exactly we arrived in bizarro America, the funhouse mirror version of what was originally intended. #UNFTR

Unf*cking The Republic® (UNFTR) is a series of audio essays on the grand American experiment lovingly curated and presented by a quasi-anonymous political writer. 
Each essay reflects on a singular topic that is generally misunderstood or purposely obfuscated by the so-called “powers that be.” As we know, history is written by the victors and can be perilously manufactured to favor destructive world views. These views become intractably ingrained in the public consciousness and pervert public policy, oftentimes with horrific results. 
As of this podcast’s founding, we find ourselves living in a true kakistocracy. The disconnect between what we believe and what is actually happening below the surface or in plain sight is where this podcast lives. 
Together we’ll upend conventional wisdom, blow up narratives on the left, right and center and use magical devices like facts, logic and reason to explain how exactly we arrived in bizarro America, the funhouse mirror version of what was originally intended. #UNFTR

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