Dear rleshin,
This is a highly complicated problem that is obvious and must not be
underestimated. Before I proceed, I would like to point out that
Google Answers Researches are not Google employees and do not
communicate with the editors and engineers responsible for the search
index and its content.
I have carefully examined the problem. And I found that the FCC
citation of 11 March 2003 is indeed not only still traceable through
the Google index, but also stored as a document, accessible to the
public, on the FCC server. The main trouble is that removing links in
Google's search index is subject to strict regulations. Such changes
are carried out only only at the request of the webmaster who is
responsible for those pages or as required by law.
In this case, the content of the linked document itself does without
any doubt not constitute any legal obligation to intervene on the part
of Google. The FCC citation may have been issued in error; but that
does not make it illegal or unlawful content which Google would remove
from the search index independently.
So there is no way for you to accomplish that the said link could be
removed at your request. But that does not mean that there is no
approach at all to solve this important issue. The only possible
solution lies in the part of the removal rules that says: "...at the
request of the webmaster who is responsible for those pages".
In this case, it means that you would need to contact the webmaster
responsible for maintaining the FCC website and its content. Under
these circumstances, it should be possible to convince the competent
FCC official to contact Google. And if they request that the link be
removed, it is a valid request as defined by the Google regulations.
To contact the FCC webmaster, please use this e-mail address: webmaster@fcc.gov
Here is additional FCC contact information, in case you would like to
demand getting in contact with the responsible persons directly via
telephone, fax, or mail:
Federal Communications Commission
445 12th Street, SW
Washington, DC 20554
--
Phone (switchboard, toll-free): 1-888-225-5322
Fax: (202) 418-0710
E-Mail (general information, inquiries & complaints): fccinfo@fcc.gov
Website (contact information): http://www.fcc.gov/contacts.html
Once the FCC webmaster has agreed to request removal of the link from
Google, he can do so by following the instructions provided by Google
on this website:
://www.google.com/remove.html
It also contains the regulations for removal of search index content,
in case you would like to read the rules.
If you need additional information or assistance concerning this
complex and important issue, please do not hesitate to contact Google
directly:
Google Inc.
Attn: Customer Service
1600 Amphitheatre Parkway
Mountain View, CA 94043
--
Phone (switchboard): (650) 623-4000
Fax: (650) 618-1499
E-Mail: help@google.com
I hope that this will be helpful!
Very best regards,
Scriptor |
Request for Answer Clarification by
rleshin-ga
on
01 Apr 2004 15:53 PST
Dear Scriptor,
Thank you for your efforts. I actually already was aware of the Google
rules for removing webpages by a webmaster (those are pretty easy to
find), but I had no clue as to the e-mail address for the FCC
webmaster. I have e-mailed him (or her) in an attempt to have the
inaccurate pages removed, but I have not yet heard anything back. This
is sometimes a problem with government websites; they are overburdened
and understaffed, so it is sometimes very difficult to get responses,
let alone satisfactory results. Which leads me to my request for
clarification: If I can not get the FCC to remove the offending pages,
has my question been answered to my satisfaction? I don't want to
stiff you and will most likely pay in any event, but since this is my
first time using Google Answers I'm not sure of the protocol. Your
answer did not provide me with "new" information concerning the
removal process, but I respect your insight and ingenuity in finding
the address of the FCC webmaster. I didn't even think to go in that
direction, and hopefully this will resolve the problem. But if it
doesn't, am I expected to pay, or pay the full price, no matter what?
Please don't take offense, none is intended. I just want to get some
idea of how the system works. Thanks for your anticipated response.
Very Truly Yours,
Randall Leshin
Executive Director
Express Consolidation, Inc.
|
Clarification of Answer by
scriptor-ga
on
01 Apr 2004 16:17 PST
Dear Mr. Leshin,
Please do not worry about the question of payment. In case my answer
does not produce a satisfying final result - that means, if the FCC
will not follow your request to contact Google - you are entitled to
ask for a full refund.
Technically speaking, the answer itself is correct because it is the
only possible solution. But on the other hand, I am fully aware that
the usefulness of the answer depends on circumstances I have no
bearing on.
So if the FCC does not take any measures, do not hesitate to request a
refund. To do so, simply use this form (and do not rate the answer):
http://answers.google.com/answers/refundrequest
The phlegm of government institutions can, alas, make even correct
information worthless. Of course, I hope that the FCC webmaster will
take action. But if he fails to do so, you should not have to pay.
Very best regards,
Scriptor
|
