Proposing a Model For Locally Imposed Net Neutrality

newscloud writes "Envision Seattle has posted a model legal ordinance (pdf) for communities wishing to enshrine status quo net neutrality as law. The ordinance is co-authored by the legal group that helped Pittsburgh's city council ban fracking and corporate personhood last November. The concept of local municipalities defying FCC authority is troubling to some but the group counters that FCC authority actually violates certain rights that we hold as people, and the right to govern our own communities as an element of the right to community and local self-government. If we have a 'right to internet access' or a 'right to communicate' via these pathways, there are certain actions that can be taken by government which infringe on those rights. In our view, it's up to us to create these rights frameworks, and then enforce them at higher levels."

Comments

There is no 'right to Internet access'

[Beautyon]

There are some things that are not a matter of opinion. Anyone who has taken an introductory algebra class recalls the transitive property of equality. It states that if A = B and B = C, then A = C. A doesn’t “somewhat” equal C. It does not equal C most of the time. There is no moderate or extremist way to look at this theorem. It is just absolutely true without exception or qualification.

This mathematical/logical principle applies directly to our example. Consider the following:

If (A) a right = (B) healthcare

And (B) healthcare = (C) the labor of other people

Then the right to healthcare must equal “a right to the labor of other people (slavery).” The words “moderate” or “extreme” do not apply to this statement. It is simply true. One cannot partially agree or disagree with it.

In order to disagree with it, one must reject one of the first two statements in the theorem. Assuming that one does not want to reject the first statement (healthcare is a right), then one must take the absurd position that healthcare is not the labor of other people. Without accepting this absurdity, one cannot deny that a right to healthcare constitutes a right to the labor of other people. If that is not the definition of slavery, then what is?

The same goes for the bogus 'right to internet access' or 'right to education' or any other State created right that causes the property, work and money of other people to be put to use for the benefit of other people by force.

Net Neutrality is nothing more than a form of 'right to internet access'; in it, your ISP equipment and bandwidth are taken out of your control for the 'greater good' by force. Your company and your capital are being made other people's property, and you and your staff are being made into slaves because you are being forced to maintain these immoral rules.

If people want Net Neutrality, they should get together and form an umbrella organization made up of people and ISPs where the companies that own the bandwidth and equipment promise to follow the rules laid down by the 'Net Neutral Association'.

If the idea catches on, it will become the de-facto standard, otherwise, it will die. What is for sure, forcing people to cooperate with each other is not moral and people who have intact moral centers do not use force to make others do what they believe to be right.