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Conservative Groups Accuse FCC of Helping Net Neutrality Advocates File Comments
jfruh writes Conservative groups opposed to net neutrality have a beef with the FCC, claiming the commission helped pro-net neutrality advocates file comments on the subject without similarly helping opponents. In other news out of this camp, it turns out American Commitment, an advocacy group with ties to the Republican billionaire Koch brothers, sent out 2.4 million letters to Congress opposing net neutrality but only collected about 814,000 signatures. The group then generated three letters to Congress for each person signing the petition, one letter to each of the signer's two senators and one to each signer's representative.
814,000 is just over a third of 2.4 million (2,400,000). That's a damned good return rate on a mass spamming. It's kind of pathetic that so many people would support the Koch brothers in their efforts to make sure that internet dissent finally stops screwing with their business model, but I don't see why this is interesting news. As for the petition being sent to the senators, again, how is this news? Every PAC does this. You get people to sign a petition, and you send a letter in each person's name to each of their representatives. Sometimes they send one to the POTUS as well. The summary seems to be implying that there's something dishonest about this; if true, it's dishonest whether it's the Koch brothers or Earth Defense Alliance. I'm personally rooting for Earth Defense Alliance, but let's not get carried away looking for malfeasance in common practice.
You're kidding right? Tom Wheeler, the one guy who can put an end to all the BS, is an Obama appointee and he hasn't done anything against the telecoms yet. Remember Reagan broke up ma bell. Oh wait you're probably 12 years old and don't know anything.
You are lumping all conservatives in with two special interest groups. That seems to be the point of this article as well as most articles on news sites these days, anything that rings partisan politics generates a lot of comments.
Unless you are a wealthy company, in which case it is your right to try to change things.
It is not that simple. The Democrats can be just as pro-big-business, depending on the business. For instance Democrats tend to like big companies with unionized workforces, and pushed through the GM bailout in the face of mostly Republican opposition. For more complicated reasons, the Democrats voted for the bank bailout, while most Republicans opposed it.
There is nothing inherently liberal or conservative about net neutrality. I just happens to be the way the chips fell. The big media companies in Hollywood, and elsewhere, where already in bed with the Democrats. So the ISPs, which have mostly the opposite agenda, lined up with the Republicans. This alignment of interests had happened well before NN became a issue. The Republicans don't oppose NN because of ideology. They oppose it because that is what their big donors want them to do.
Correction: Republicans oppose NN because once the Federal Government starts regulating the internet, there will be no end to the politicization, corruption and other nasty business that politicians of all persuasions will inject into internet regulation.