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Republicans Introduce a Bill To Overturn Net Neutrality
New submitter grimmjeeper writes: IDG News reports, "A group of Republican lawmakers has introduced a bill that would invalidate the U.S. Federal Communications Commission's recently passed net neutrality rules. The legislation (PDF), introduced by Representative Doug Collins, a Georgia Republican, is called a resolution of disapproval, a move that allows Congress to review new federal regulations from government agencies, using an expedited legislative process."
This move should come as little surprise to anyone. While the main battle in getting net neutrality has been won, the war is far from over. The legislation was only proposed now because the FCC's net neutrality rules were just published in the Federal Register today. In addition to the legislation, a new lawsuit was filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit by USTelecom, a trade group representing ISPs.
This move should come as little surprise to anyone. While the main battle in getting net neutrality has been won, the war is far from over. The legislation was only proposed now because the FCC's net neutrality rules were just published in the Federal Register today. In addition to the legislation, a new lawsuit was filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit by USTelecom, a trade group representing ISPs.
It prevents Comcast, who effectively has monopoly power in most of the markets it serves
I wouldn't single out Comcast in this manner, they're not uniquely a monopoly any more than other ISPs (and they're not, most people have multiple options for Internet access, virtually everyone if you include wireless options).
charging Netflix extra simply to route packets from their servers to their subscribers
Netflix represents the majority of Internet traffic. Not just the biggest, but the majority. Mathematically, making a "swap" peering agreement while carrying Netflix traffic is going to be impossible because the exchange will be asymmetrical.
Every content provider who wants a fat uplink pipe needs to pay for it, and Netflix is no exception.
The ruling also prevents service providers from rerouting web requests to competitors' servers.
This is called fraud. It was always illegal.
It also prevents outright denying access to competitors.
Always been illegal. Not the FCC's jurisdiction, anyways.
In fact, the ruling states quite clearly that ISPs are to act as common carriers and no censorship of content is to take place at all. You would know this if you actually read the ruling and stopped reading propaganda coming from right wing "news" sources.
[Citation Needed]
I've read the thing cover to cover.
Wonder what the public key field is for?
The FCC Title II rules might get overturned?! The Internet might be the Wild West that it was one whole month ago! Oh the humanity, we can't possibly have that!
Wait, what was so bad about the Internet one month ago, again? I'm pretty sure Net Neutrality was still the de facto standard.
Wonder what the public key field is for?
The Tea parties foundations where straight up bonkers from day 1 when that stockbroker dude flipped out on TV about how unfair it was bankers might get punished.
screw that noise. Each and every one of those teabag nuts where stooges from day 1. It was a movement born rotten.
Excuse the Unicode crap in my posts. That's an apostrophe, and slashdot is busted.