Customer Reviews

You Say You Want a Revolution : A Story of Information Age Politics

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This book opened my eyes to the dealings of large telecom and media corporations and their lobbying in Washington.

Reed Hundt is clearly partisan in his views but he is an insider who writes clearly and incisively. This book is fun!

You might disagree with Mr Hundt political views or the effects of his influential chairmanship but you got to give him credit for disclosing facts that would have otherwise been unknown. "You Say You Want a Revolution" is refreshing; Reed Hundt's book opens the door for controversy and contributes a thriving democracy in America.

What a disappointment. Mr. Hundt missed a wonderful opportunity to provide the American public with an accurate, balanced and analytical tour of the most important moment in telecommunications history. Mr. Hundt's recollection of his days at the FCC is analogous to writing a history of the LBJ presidency and failing to mention Vietnam. Instead, the author wasted the chance, and takes the reader on a trip focused on the exercise of paritisan political partisanship and ego gratification.

American consumers (and those of us in the telecom world) would have also enjoyed to read about Mr. Hundt's assessment of his entire legacy as chairman of the FCC, including, for example, 1)some insight on the genesis of those numerous surcharges he created that are now common on our inflated telephone bills; 2)how before Congress he had to defend his proposal to have the government provide pagers to homeless people (funded by another proposed surcharge on the American consumers telephone bill) and 3) how his professed reverence for public service, as outlined in the book, is consistent with the Wall Street Journal's front page article regarding the author's recently amassed wealth ($30-40 million) achieved by sitting on the corporate boards of the those same companies he once regulated. We look forward to a more sober assesment in volume two.

looking for a little inside info on how the FCC operates and some background on some of their more controversial decisions of the clinton era, i incorrectly assumed that the memoirs of the FCC Chair would shed some light. all i got was inside the huge, some could argue enormous, head of Reed Hundt, an egomaniac looking for someone to spin. i can't even finish the book it's so poor. all the politics aside, this book is really very poorly crafted. it's not insightful and just plain upsetting to read the machinations about how, through regulatory rules, reed hundt and al gore single handedly spurred the economic resurgence of the US economy. how absurd!

Don't buy this book if you want to learn about the Internet's influence on US politics, the machinations of the FCC and congress around telecommunications in general, or for insights into the politics of the digital economy. No, dear reader, the star of this book is none less than Reed Hundt!

Hundt portrays himself as a radical revolutionary battling political foes and the media to unleash the power of the Internet. Unfortunately, Hundt just can't seem to get over the main character and love of his life: Reed Hundt.

Hundt's zealous ego stroking (more a sort of political frottage) and incessant name dropping is so distracting that it is very hard to plough through many chapters and learn something about his period at the FCC. The self aggrandisement is so relentless that after a while you wonder how much Hundt has embellished his accounts to make himself look better.

The reader is left in no doubt where Hundt's political future lies, as he piles on the praise for Clinton, Gore etc. While political partisanship itself doesn't necessarily make any book a disaster, in this case it just makes the reader squirm with embarrassment. This does lead to episodes of comic relief as Hundt veers across the line into inadvertant self parody: for example, Hundt musing egocentrically on his political future while drawing parallels with his position in a conga line lead by Gary Hart at a Democractic party.

If "Al" (Gore) is as much of a buddy as "Reed" (Hundt) makes out, then it is hardly any wonder that Gore really thought he invented the Internet with the constant attention of Hundt's busily lapping tongue. Hundt piles on the praise so high that any object of his affection must feel that such a feat is within their power to be easily accomplished before breakfast.

Reed Hundt presided over one of the most dynamic periods in the history of the FCC, when the established players in the telecommunications industry saw the balance of power radically upset by the emergence of the Internet. This book is an expensive missed opportunity, as it is so overshadowed by the ego of its author that the reader learns little, and with difficulty.

I was given this book as part of a conference package, where Hundt was present to speak on the digital economy. Reading the first couple of chapters ahead of time, I managed to avoid wasting my time attending his speech.

Former Chairman of the Federal Communications Communications Commission Reed Hundt is far too enamored of activist government. This unfortunate mindset severely hindered the author's legitimate opposition to the excesses of the Republican controlled U.S. Congress. Hundt rightfully wished to draw "attention to the contradictions between sound conservative ideology and (actual) Republican behavior." Many right-wing Republican elected officials indeed talked the talk about encouraging free economic activity in the telecom industry while hypocritically kowtowing to the wishes of the powerful and wealthy Baby Bells. Capitalist godfather Adam Smith long ago warned that businessmen are inclined to collude together to defraud the consumer. A logically consistent conservative opposes both the careless welfare given to financially disadvantaged individuals and the corporate classes. Also, the Baby Bells originally benefited from the monopoly status granted to them by the government. They therefore have obligations unlike those corporations that never received such special favors. These truths are readily ignored by many conservatives especially when tempted by the not so subtle bribes offered by the rich corporations. "Al Gore's agenda was clearly," added Hundt "to promote competition, stimulate investment and innovation, and guarantee social benefits." Please note the very last item---enbracing this goal did a tremendous amount of harm.

Having your heart in the right place is not always a guarantee of splendid results. The author muddled his core message with extraneous pursuits best left off the agenda. Effective politics require a focussing upon the priorities of your limited time in either elected or appointed office. Political capital is expensive and should be cautiously spent. It is wise to sharply distinguish between the direct duties of the state, and the social needs best handled by the myriad mediating structures that underpin a viable social order. The principle of subsidiarity must guide us when deciding whether to grant government further power over us. Hundt and his immediate bosses Bill Clinton and Al Gore are the products of the discredited thinking of the 1960s that advocated paternalistic big government as the ultimate savior of the poorer classes. Hundt's FCC even went so far as to advocate that Internet service providers offer heavily discounted Internet access to schools and libraries. Conveniently overlooked is the harsh fact that such policies frustrate the true goals of companies competing in the free enterprise system while additionally burdening cash strapped ISPs who could ill afford this somewhat disingenuous form of taxation. The Libertarian Cato Institute at times indulges in extremist rhetoric. But in this instance, it sensibly argues that the poor will inevitably earn access to today's technologies just as they earlier acquired radios, automobiles, and televisions. Expensive government welfare programs have a history of doing more harm than good.

Unhappily, the Baby Bells were able to persuade the powers that be in Washington, D.C. to inadvertently permit them to sabotage their new competitors. Essentially the latter were thrown into battle with one hand tied behind their back. The allegations are numerous concerning the mischief caused by the giant incumbent telecoms. These bullies are sometimes fined, but the penalty is never more than a mild slap on the wrist. This ultimately only encourages these behemoths to run rough shod over both their customers and weaker competitors. Even well educated and affluent consumers often find themselves powerless to challenge the abuses of the Baby Bells. Reed Hundt has an interesting story to tell. Some people charge Hundt with name dropping, but I merely sense a candid description of the author's everyday normal existence. I recommend "You Say You Want a Revolution." There are admittedly some weaknesses, but Hundt still earns four stars.

Prepared to be better informed, I found that I was, as well, fascinated, intrigued and entertained by this droll memoir. Mr. Hundt manages to convey the details of the deregulation of the telecom industry while entertaining his readers with insider anecdotes. I highly recommend this book to anyone who needs a quick update on communication industry changes in the U.S. or for anyone who has hooked a modem up to a phone line.

I'm a telecom reporter, and this is one of the three best books in the field. I know many of the people and incidents included, and Reed (whom I've met a few times but don't know well) is right on target. It's a remarkably candid book, including some of his errors, with humor and depth on the process and many of the people involved.

If you're not interested in policy, especially communications, this is not a book for you. Loads of insider stuff not interesting unless, like me, you're fascinated by how D.C. makes decisions.

As a member of the federal government, it is an embarrassment that someone of Mr. Hundt's self-perceived stature would write such satire. I agree with the reader from Alexandria. Mr. Hundt would have done more justice to all the readers if he would have spent some time explaining his thoughts behind his ill-advised tenure while serving in the FCC. Nevertheless, I guess it was my choice to waste these few hours reading another piece from this author's literary garden of fiction.

Mr. Hundt's book succeeds with considerable charm in describing his tenure as Chairman of the F.C.C. at a tumultuous time in our nation's technological history. Readers should not be put off by the possible preconception of the F.C.C. as a labyrinthine bureaucracy involved in either unintelligible technical turf wars or in the policing of potty-mouth radio hosts. Throughout this memoir, Hundt identifies key issues that arose quickly in the 1990's as our nation began to evolve from telephone-linked communities into something far more layered and complex. For those of us outside The Beltway, Hundt's insights into the ways of commissions,committees, the political figures and celebrities who people them are revealing and often hilarious. More than anything, Hundt's personal agenda--to construct a telecommunications infrastructure that ensures the greatest benefits of our emerging technologies will include our children and our public educational institutions--is an ongoing struggle. His battles, won and lost, make it clear that it matters who's in charge in Washington. All business, whether corporate or government, is ultimately conducted by individuals with personalities. Whether you agree with Hundt's rulings as Chairman or not, his book illuminates the issues we all will need to try and understand in this brave new world if we are to participate wisely in its unfolding.

A fascinating, entertaining & educational journey of good triumphing over bad within the political world of the FCC. I learned a lot, laughed a lot, and was intrigued by the actions of the characters in the world of high-tech politics.