Now Google Says The FCC Doesn't Suck

EDITOR'S NOTE: The original headline of this story was changed because it didn't reflect the full context of the remark made by Google's representative. The story itself, however, has not been changed.

But even with that looming, Google general counsel Andrew McLaughlin says many in Washington would rather not get the FCC involved in the Internet at all. "The FCC sucks," Mclaughlin says. "Why would you want the FCC to get involved in anything? Its track record is pretty bad when it comes to processes and outcomes."

After his statements, Mclaughlin made it clear he was expressing the views of others in Washington who are not convinced there is a need for regulating the Internet.

Hi, this is Andrew McLaughlin. I know you're going to find this shocking - journalists always report things accurately, after all - but I didn't say that the FCC sucks. Rather, the opposite. What I did at the VON panel was list the 5 top arguments of libertarian opponents of Net Neutrality. Number 5 on that list: The FCC sucks, and can't be trusted to regulate in a lighthanded way. Note: Not my argument. Rather, that's the other side's argument, and the one that has to be addressed by proponents of Net Neutrality (like me!). I even later joked about the inevitability of being misquoted. And yes, sure enough.

Someone who saw the panel compared this bit of journalism to the story about the guy who is getting beat up by the goon squad for being a Communist. He says, "But I'm not a Communist, I'm an Anti-Communist." The head goon says, "I don't care what kind of Communist you are," as they continue the beating.