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How the FCC Plans To Save the Internet By Destroying It
New submitter dislikes_corruption writes: "Stopping the recently announced plan by the FCC to end net neutrality is going to require a significant outcry by the public at large, a public that isn't particularly well versed on the issue or why they should care. Ryan Singel, a former editor at Wired, has written a thorough and easy to understand primer on the FCC's plan, the history behind it, and how it will impact the Internet should it come to pass. It's suitable for your neophyte parent, spouse, or sibling. In the meantime, the FCC has opened a new inbox (openinternet@fcc.gov) for public comments on the decision, there's a petition to sign at whitehouse.gov, and you can (and should) contact your congressmen."
It seems to me the lobbying forces on the part of the content providers, Netflix et al., would be pretty formidable—unless they think the price is worth it to suppress upstart competition. Which is it?
I'm mocked when I point out the blatant conspiracy between corporations and the FCC.
"If any question why we died, Tell them because our fathers lied."
Capitalism is nice until corporations grow big enough. At some point they start to strive towards a monopoly and this is where the core idea of capitalism dies. It's the end of competition and consumers suffer the most.
The political spectrum in the US needs some new parties and fast.
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/maintain-true-net-neutrality-protect-freedom-information-united-states/9sxxdBgy
They have the lobby money, they vote the way they are told to vote by the guys who have the nice suits and lots of money. Because if they don't, the Internet will fall to pieces for the entire country, nay the world. As the guys in suits have said it will happen, unless you choose them as your savior.
I should have included this in the summary: when you write to the FCC or your congressmen be specific - we need to reclassify Internet providers as common carriers. If you just say you're in favor of net neutrality they'll weasel around it again. They've already tried to redefine net neutrality as whatever it is that they're doing at the moment.
Tom Wheeler and other cable lobbyists should not and must not be in charge of any agency that purports to be for the public good.
sign this petition to target that very problem: http://wh.gov/lwhr8
I have read Ryan Singel's article. It is NOT "suitable for your neophyte parent, spouse, or sibling."
Far too long and too complicated. My father (who is 76 and worked in insurance) would not understand any of it.
I think we all will have a very hard time explaining this to the public
The United States of America was founded on principles of justice and freedom for all.
o During the Oklahoma Land Run of 1889, there were no special "carve-outs" for people of wealth. Every participant started racing at the sound of the starter's gun.
o When railroads were built, there were special coaches for first class, but they were part of the same train, going at the same speed, along the same route, to the same destination.
o While the rich can buy their own jet aircraft, the Air Traffic Control system that manages all aircraft in the skies give no special treatment to the jet aircraft, nor the lone pilot in a Piper Cub.
o When Eisenhower created the Interstate Highway system, he did not mandate special travel lanes for trucks or limousines; all traffic uses the same routes.
Every one of these historical innovations lifted up the poor, the middle class, and the rich. As a result, we became the world's most respected democracy, and the model for many other, newer countries to emulate.
Now, the FCC would like to change all that history and allow those who can afford to pay for a "special lane" on the Internet, crowding out other traffic, and making it slower. It will reward the oligarchs and penalize the common citizen.
I have been in the computer and electronics industry, from bench technician to CEO, since 1957. Now retired, I have watched as the very rich people, and the very large corporations have worked tirelessly in recent decades to destroy that equality of opportunity. If we are to survive as a nation, we must return to a democracy, with every citizen treated fairly and equitably.
We should, instead, be requiring our "common carriers" to expand their Internet capacity, robustness and security for all. Where there is plenty of reliable capacity, everyone will have the opportunity to use the Internet without disadvantage. The large carriers, like Comcast (which the FCC has misclassified), AT&T, Verizon, et. al., have been intentionally restricting their expansion of the Internet to make it slower and slower. Yes, they save the investments they should be making. But, deeper and more cynically, they have been intending to leverage those self-imposed restrictions into higher prices for these restricted servicesby adding a special lane for those willing to pay.
"Demos" is the Greek word for people; "kratia" is the Greek word for rule. Democracy puts the emphasis on people deciding how to rule. When appointed public officials usurp that decision-making to favor one class of people (or corporations) over another, it has violated basic democratic principles. The consequences will be uncomfortable for the citizens, and will erode our principles and the quality of our beloved nation.
You are a public, appointed official. I trust you will decide on the basis of democracy that the rich deserve no more preferential treatment than the middle class or the poor. We need to expand our Internet capacity for all, not make it available only to the highest bidders, driving all prices upward for the benefit of the already-rich.
I think that people have missed the obvious solution. Define "Internet service" as access to all sites on the Internet without restriction or prejudice. Then the FCC hands off "net neutrality" to the FTC for false advertising lawsuits for anyone that claims "Internet service" that delivers an AOL version of the world, with paid preference and hidden/slow access to the rest Internet.
Of course that would fail when people sell "the world network" with disclaimers in the fine print. The US is broken that way. Many other places disallow fine print that contradicts the large print. "Free sandwiches on Tuesdays" (only applies to butter sandwiches, and must buy 6 regular priced sandwiches for each free one) would be illegal elsewhere, but is perfectly fine in the US. A reasonable person wouldn't conceive of such restrictions when seeing the big print. "Buy-6 get a free butter sandwich" would be the better large print. But no, in the US, we have given up consumer protection, and it's down to corporate protection.
Learn to love Alaska
After signing that first one be sure and sign this one - its alot further along:
https://petitions.whitehouse.g...
PROPER REGULATION!
Oh I see, Proper Regulation is just like communism - it's just never been done right before!
Never mind the FACT that you cannot have Proper Regulation, because anytime you centralize enough power to write said Regulation it will naturally become subverted, because Power has that effect - always.
Just like people are calling for more regulation now and what they will get is anguish until they figure out the root cause of the pain was in fact regulation...
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
This is exactly what Comcast wants to hear
So is "Hey can we have the federal government please control the internet so Comcast doesn't have to deal with a bunch of local yahoos"?
In fact we ALSO need local regulations creating the cable monopoly situation that keeps Comcast entrenched everywhere to vanish also.
Your name, BTW, is just DRIPPING with irony in this situation as you apparently really, really love corruption as you are the biggest enabler of it I've ever come across.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
> You are REALLY going to see the screws put in over the next decade in most of Europe (probably not Germany).
Been hearing that for the past four decades, myself. Still nada. In fact, even with the recent austerity measures, my health coverage and access to higher education well into the last quarter of my career is so much better than my US colleagues I can understand why you neocon nimrods are so desperate to try to discredit the European model.
You're wrong. You've been wrong for 40 years. You'll continue to be wrong. You won't accept this because you are more obsessed with your religious adherence to an economic model instead of looking at the actual data.
I am woperson, hear me roar!
Someone flopped a steamer in the gene pool.