Courts gut Net neutrality laws

[DramatistDreamer]

CNET gives a summary of the yesterday's vote at the FCC as well as gives a prediction on what we can expect from the gutting of the Net Neutrality rule.

 

Edited December 15, 2017 by DramatistDreamer

[DRW50]

It's embarrassing and also pathetic how childish Pai is and how desperate for attention he is. Beyond that video I posted yesterday where he was dancing around with that pizza woman, he did another video reading "mean tweets." 

 

I have to assume that he's being so well paid for all this he doesn't feel he has to worry, and he can just show off. I've seen some say he wants to use this to run for higher office. He will likely get some big checks, but he has is about as likely as Jeb Bush to get past the first post. 

 

I wonder if he has any idea just how many lunatics are out there. I saw that other man, in the video linked above, joking about "telecom geeks," with smug laughter as the response. They don't seem to have any idea about a lot of the people who hate this law and will be out for payback. The idea that everyone on the Internet is sitting in their mother's basement with thick-rim glasses, eating cheese puffs, never seeing daylight - that's not how it works (it was never that way anyway). You'd think that they would know this because they've already talked about getting threats, so why are they still treating it as a big haha? 

 

This is serious stuff and the effects are genuinely very frightening, on multiple levels. And there wasn't even an attempt at a real discussion. They didn't even bother to pretend. 

 

I've never seen any greater example of just how out of touch this administration is. And that's saying a lot. 

Edited December 15, 2017 by DRW50

[DramatistDreamer]

I'm not sure whether this is still up on Wikipedia but

 

[amybrickwallace]

Ohio, get on board! There's no love lost between Gov. Kasich and Trump, so he could end his gubernatorial career in Ohio by making a stand:

 

http://www.starbeacon.com/opinion/editorials/saving-net-neutrality-in-ohio/article_34a62104-ca28-5bc6-9275-378a838bd422.html

[sivad40]

Here's some of what the pro Net Neutrality people are saying.

 

"It's about the free market. Net neutrality is govt. intervention when a need has not been established. More importantly, net neutrality stifles competition.

 

Think back 15 years ago ... cell companies charges for every minute of talk time AND long distance fees. I think it was Sprint or another smaller provider that just charged a flat rate for minutes and no long distance fees. I was using AT&T and that lumbering giant only when so far as make evening and weekends free. AT&T was one of the last providers to switch over to flat rates and no long distance, which gave rise to Verizon, Cricket, and others. Bottom line, I used to pay $300+ per month for cell service, now I pay $80. That's what the free market does without govt. telling cell providers how they can offer their services."

 

"NN is nothing more than the Dems giving something for free to their base and turning them against the big, bad corporations that want their money (while ignoring that bigger corporations are against NN). If the ISPs are abusive like the "progressives" warn that they COULD be, then they will be dealt with legislatively and they therefore have an incentive to not go down that road. NN is in the same sphere as free Obama phones... except that the cost of the heavy internet users is being subsidized by the low users instead of the taxpayers."

 

"Consumers also pay the taxes to support the bigger government that controls these things. Consumers enjoy the technological advancements that these big, bad corporations have created for them.

 

"Dems winning votes by promoting the possibility of monthly Netflix subscriptions jumping to $15. Dems lining up gaming nerds worried that they'll actually have to pay for hogging bandwidth. Their sheep followers are too numb in the gray matter to understand that a bigger, socialist government is expensive."

[DramatistDreamer]

Pro?  These sound like arguments from those who are against Net Neutrality, those that are in favor of doing away with it.

[sivad40]

It is anti Net Neutrality posts. I put pro by mistake.

[dragonflies]

I was searching the name of my brother in case they tried to use his identity, cause he died 7 years ago and they're very lucky I didn't find him listed on their.

[DRW50]

 

[DramatistDreamer]

I posted this in the Politics thread but I realize, it probably should've been here first, so I'm linking it.

 

Mozilla just filed a suit against the FCC to protect net neutrality

[DramatistDreamer]

In regard to the SCOTUS overturning Net Neutrality rules, one NYT Tech columnist argues that by the time the Obama had instituted the rules in 2015, the U.S. had long ago strayed from the original purpose and ideals of the the world wide web, which I can sort of agree with...to a certain extent. 

 

By the early-mid '00s, I could see definite changes (e.g. large telecom companies were beginning to swallow up smaller independent ISPs, which led to a lack of competitive pricing).  The disappearance or diminishing of those smaller ISPs was definitely to the detriment of the consumer.

 

Here is the article by Farhad Manjoo

 

How Net Neutrality Actually Ended Long Before This Week

[JaneAusten]

I've seen several articles written about how this may push the rise of new ISP's again, those committing to fair and affordable access to the internet. This, legalized marijuana, and college debt and secondarily the gutting of the social safety net even more are the things millennials seem to care most about.

[DramatistDreamer]

 

I sincerely hope this happens but right now, it sure looks as if the AT&Ts, Comcasts and Verizons of the world have a vice grip on the infrastructure (cables, wires, etc.).  These corporate behemoths are already digging into 5G so that they can claim that for their companies as well.

 

In Europe, the big corporations that have built the networks decided to lease to a variety of smaller companies, which keeps fee rates competitive.  There has been no such luck getting the big telecommunications titans to do the same.

 

Maybe the advance of technology will allow the most nimble start-ups to bypass the proprietary infrastructure of the big companies--allowing the smaller companies to build their own smaller networks. 

 

A few years ago, I read about municipal governments building their own community webs-- basically intranets, that are built, installed, owned and operated by the municipal government.  My only question was about access to broader networks and quality of security.  I would love to see this be successful. I think I'd rather pay my dollars to a local utility or a locally-based company than a giant corporate behemoth located half-way across the country.

Edited June 12, 2018 by DramatistDreamer

[DRW50]

Not surprising, but absolutely infuriating.

 

 

[DramatistDreamer]

Ha! I was coming here to post this, but glad I didn't have to.