Report: FCC's Tom Wheeler Get Frosty Reception

Tom Wheeler

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler scolded telecommunications companies, saying they provide America with an increasingly vital public service -- the Internet -- and regulation is warranted for an industry that lacks sufficient competition, according to the LA Times.

"More competition would be better," Wheeler said Wednesday during a speech from the Chicago stage of the Internet and Television Expo trade convention.

The FCC chief received a frosty reception at the gathering, which is hosted by the leading industry lobbying group, National Cable & Telecommunications Assn.

CEOs of cable companies, who were next to take the stage, lamented the FCC's more hands-on approach to regulations for the Internet. The new FCC rules, adopted earlier this year by a divided FCC, come after decades of the federal government allowing the companies to operate in a less restrictive environment.

Michael Fries, chief executive of Liberty Global, said he was happy his company operated in Europe -- not the U.S.

"I am baffled by the chairman’s remarks," Fries told the crowd. "There is a presumption of guilt and punishment for success that I’ve never seen before."

Fries' remarks prompted applause and cheers from the crowd.

Read More Now