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FCC Wants Net Neutrality Suits Stopped
adeelarshad82 writes "The FCC moved to dismiss the net neutrality challenges filed by MetroPCS and Verizon, claiming they were 'filed prematurely.' Verizon and MetroPCS have both sued the FCC, arguing that the commission did not have the authority to hand down its December net neutrality rules. The FCC maintains that it does indeed have the right to regulate broadband, thanks to provisions in the Communications Act."
>>>will it mater next week? month? year?
Probably.
In the 1930s the Fuhrer Roosevelt* ordered a farmer to "grow half as much wheat" as part of his rationing plan (which also led to rampant food shortages). The farmer said it's HIS land for HIS personal consumption by himself and his family, and he can grow whatever the hell he wants to grow on HIS property.
The Supreme Court heard the case circa 1940 and decided the farmer is merely a Serf of the State, and has no right to decide what he wants to grow because it "affects" interstate commerce even if the wheat never leaves the farmer's Home.
That decision has haunted us for 70+ years and given the government virtually unlimited control to regulate our households. - How much energy we use, whether or not our water is drugged, what kind of low-flow toilet we buy (and which requires two flushes), and so on. THIS decision regarding whether the FCC can regulate private websites streaming over private cables into private homes is just as far-reaching.
The precedent could easily be used by a future FCC lawyer to argue they not only have the right to regulate the Private Internet, but also Private Cable TV and censor what is transmitted (i.e. goodbye FOX/MSNBC because they are too political, and goodbye swearing/nudity in movies or HBO).
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The other thing Fuhrer Roosevelt did was to jail people who dared say, "This war is wrong. We should not be involved," and to imprison 1 million Americans simply because they had grandparents who were japanese or german. (Thereby violating all 10 rights codified in the Bill of Rights.) Yes. I hate that guy.
Information wants to be expensive AND wants to be free. So you have Value vs. Cheap distribution fighting each other.
Congress told them they didn't have the power they claim to have and the people told them not to do it. Maybe the FCC should come back down to Earth and face reality.
its built on public land, but WE own the infrastructure and can decide what you can do with it.
That is correct. And what's the problem with that? Does the public own all cars parked or driven in public places (like highways, public parking, etc)? After all, you are using public resources just as much as the ISPs are. Of course not. The peoples' rules on who owns what are clear.
this is what the ISPs say. they are attempting to do make monkeys out of the people, on people's land, with people's money, with people's rules.
This pathetic whine again. Too bad you don't see how these sorts of complaints backfire. The only way to screw over these companies is to break the peoples' rules. That opens the door to other entities (hey, like the FCC or those very same ISPs) to do worse.
The point you seem to miss is that the rule of law is more important than your misguided sense of fairness. One can always change laws through lawful means, if they are unfair. But if one ignores the law in the first place, then anything goes. The same power that allows the FCC to decide that it should arbitrarily implement some sort of policy which may or may not end up being net neutrality, allows it to screw over you in many ways.
That is why all powers of the FCC should be granted explicitly by Congress. That is how the peoples' rules work.
Can you cite the Supreme Court case or are just another one of those idiots that believes anything Glenn Beck says?
And net neutrality isn't about the FCC regulating private websites, it's about the FCC preventing ISPs from stomping on those with competing products and on those that speak out against them. Your misportrayal of the situation marks you as either incredibly uninformed, or a corporate stooge.