FCC Chairman Uses Springsteen Titles to Explain Internet Policy
Bruce Springsteen was so inspired by President Barack Obama during the 2008 election that he went out on the campaign trail to support the Democratic candidate. Returning the favor, Julius Genachowski, the man hired by Obama to oversee the Federal Communications Commission, was inspired by Springsteen when delivering the FCC’s stance on their Internet policy, using song titles from throughout the E Streeter’s career to make his point in the most rocking way possible, the Wall Street Journal reports.
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Count the Springsteen references and get to know your new FCC chairman below:
“Everywhere from the Streets of Philadelphia to My Hometown in New York, every Bobby Jean and every Jersey Girl l should be counting on the Internet remaining free and open, not Counting on a Miracle. They should count on The Rising of millions of voices to beat back any Darkness on the Edge of Town, or broadband Badlands that could threaten limited choice and create potential bottlenecks.
The people who built the Internet were working on more than a computer network, they were Working on a Dream. It was a network that was Born to Run in a land of open protocols, (the Promised Land). The Internet is more than an information highway, it is a telecom Thunder Road of wonderfully chaotic creativity and it will be a Lonesome Day if that is ever lost. But, hold on, Janey, Don’t You Lose Heart, because the FCC will be taking up open Internet rules in the near future.
I am grateful for the multitudes of artists — including musicians, songwriters, and other creative voices — who are coming forward to say they have a Hungry Heart for a free and open Internet, who will shout ‘No Surrender’ when it is threatened. This exhausts Springsteen song title references except to say that the policy fight over Net Neutrality will be a Jungleland out there — and everyone should be involved in our public FCC process.”
It’s like Genachowski is saying, to use a pair of The River tracks, ” Point Blank: I’m a Rocker.” He and the FCC aren’t going to be some “Highway Patrolman” or “State Trooper” when it comes to net use, allowing the Information Superhighway to be “Open All Night.”
Later in his “Future of Music Coalition Policy Summit” speech, which you can download in its entirety over at FCC.gov, Genachowski talked about Merge Records’ ability, thanks to the Internet, to make top acts out of artists like Arcade Fire and Spoon with very little help of terrestrial radio play. “I want to salute the many artists who have already signed up to publicly lend their voice in support of Net Neutrality — including artists from R.E.M., Pearl Jam, OK Go, Wilco, and many, many more,” he said in closing.
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