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FCC Begins Crafting Net Neutrality Regulations
ceswiedler writes "The FCC has begun crafting rules for network neutrality. The full proposal hasn't been released yet, but according to their press release (warning, Microsoft Word document) carriers would not be allowed to 'prevent users from sending or receiving the lawful content,' 'running lawful applications,' or 'connecting and using ... lawful devices that do not harm the network.' There will be a three-month period for comments beginning January 14, followed by 2 months for replies, after which the FCC will issue its final guidelines." Reader Adrian Lopez notes that US Senator and former presidential candidate John McCain has introduced legislation that "would keep the FCC from enacting rules prohibiting broadband providers from selectively blocking or slowing Internet content and applications." McCain called the proposed net neutrality rules a "government takeover" of the Internet.
Update: 10/24 16:32 GMT by KD : jamie found a Reuters story reporting that the Sunlight Foundation has revealed John McCain to be Congress's biggest recipient of telco money over the last two years — "a total of $894,379..., more than twice the amount taken by the next-largest beneficiary, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev."
Update: 10/24 16:32 GMT by KD : jamie found a Reuters story reporting that the Sunlight Foundation has revealed John McCain to be Congress's biggest recipient of telco money over the last two years — "a total of $894,379..., more than twice the amount taken by the next-largest beneficiary, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev."
McCain is right, one of the few times, and this would affect free markets and should be stopped.
As various free market groups have put out there is no evidence or even examples of a problem. Until there is an example or even a discussion of a company going to implement something like this* there is no reason for greater government takeover of the Internet or wireless. The only thing we are going to see from any proposal at this time less inovation and something like the CAN-SPAM law that will make it harder to get a need law passed if something does happen.
*Some people having been saying that things like the international Kindle are examples that a net neutrality law needs to stop. Sorry I am not counting blocking pictures as something that ISPs should be blocked from providing.
I thought it was awesome watching him go from a "maverick" to a completely bought & sold man as the GOP started grooming him for his runs at the Presidency.
There is a war going on for your mind.
After all these years, I still can't decide whether McCain is pure evil or just plain retarded. His RAH RAH Reagan bullshit and applications of some mythical Reagan principles to contemporary issues is akin to trying to reconcile modern justice system to levitical law.
McCain also came out recently as a "gang of 30" member of Pro-Rape Republicans who simply won't recognize a good legislation if it crawled up their ass.
Before anyone accuses me of being an Obamabot or a free-range coastal hippie, I dislike Democrats and their nanny-state horseshit equally, but they don't go out of their way to incite a gut-level "wtf" every time they set out to ratfuck the common sense.
Gurbamint takeover! Gurbamint takeover! Run run! Free murkits, not duh soh-shul-izzum! Gurbamint!
Hey everybody, look! I'm a Republican! I'm dumb enough to believe that corporations can police themselves! Never mind that with the hundreds of billions of dollars in subsidies and land grants we give to the telcos, they might as well be publicly owned. Also never mind that when it comes to abusing their monopoly power to restrict 'lawful' content, double-dip with bandwidth fees, and send rates skyrocketing for practically everybody, the telcos have been giddy with anticipation. This isn't about being tech savvy, Ted Stevens already embarrassed his party enough over that. This is about having the common sense to realize that a major piece of essential infrastructure the public has had an enormous role in building - which is now subject to abject mismanagement, worsening obsolescence, and a total dearth of competition thanks to the companies that are now in charge of it - should be subject to some simple rules to make sure it continues functioning as desired - by us.
In conservative la-la land, capitalism is only fair if you can't ask for lube while the rich skullfuck you. Maybe we should start asking for all that subsidy money back, especially for the shit the telcos never intended to deliver.
Why even have a government... it just wants to take over everything!
While I can easily believe McCain to be that stupid, I have a bit of difficulty believing that his entire staff is that clueless. Somebody's just feeding far-right talking points to McCain. Time to look at who's been making big political donations to McCain. (Three guesses as to who's been writing those checks.)
CUR ALLOC 20195.....5804M
Agreed. I think McCain is confused about the difference between "Government Takeover", and Regulation. Perhaps if they had tried a little more Regulation these last few years, we would have had a little less of the 'takeover'...
I don't even understand why this is political, and why repubics are on the wrong side of this.
Isn't it obvious? The GOP has for over 70 years been the party for of big money and big business. They're not for "small government," they're for concentrated power. Government power over morals. Private power over individuals lives. Not empowerment mind you, but corporate power over all aspects of people's lives. This explains why when they cut taxes, its always on the wealthiest 1%, even though at the rates since 1960 you spur little or no investment by cutting it further. (Cutting the rate in 1960s was a good idea, and helped spur the Kennedy expansion.) This is why they rail against government spending, but continue to rack deficits. They claim they're for the free market, but shout about how if medicare -- the largest insurer in the nation -- negotiates prices thats "government price controls" instead of "a volume discount."
In short, they promote local optimum for the smallest group, while sacrificing the global optimum