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Tom Wheeler Defeats the Broadband Industry: Net Neutrality Wins In Court (bloomberg.com)
Andrew M Harris and Todd Shields, reporting for Bloomberg: The Federal Communications Commission won a major appeals court ruling supporting its efforts to prevent broadband Internet service providers from favoring some types of web traffic over others. The Washington-based court Tuesday denied challenges to the federal government's so-called net neutrality regulations, which were backed by President Barack Obama. The ruling hands a victory to those who champion the notion of an open internet where service providers are prevented from offering speedier lanes to content providers willing to pay for them. It's a defeat for challengers including AT&T Inc., Verizon Communications Inc. and Comcast Corp., which said the rule would discourage innovation and investment.FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said, "Today's ruling is a victory for consumers and innovators who deserve unfettered access to the entire web, and it ensures the Internet remains a platform for unparalleled innovation, free expression and economic growth. After a decade of debate and legal battles, today's ruling affirms the Commission's ability to enforce the strongest possible internet protections -- both on fixed and mobile networks -- that will ensure the internet remains open, now and in the future."
I'm trying hard to think no of anything even marginally resembling an innovation which has come from Comcast - but I'm drawing a blank.
You got a cheap +5 there, because Comcast is an easy target, but let me play devil's advocate and give you two things they've done right:
1. They had IPv6 for residential customers years before any other major ISP.
2. They actually invest money in their infrastructure, even in markets where they face no meaningful competition, unlike the asshats at Time Warner Cable. TWC left my hometown to rot on the vine; we didn't see DOCSIS 3.0 until two or three years ago and to this day still have speed/capacity issues at peak times. Go 20 miles to our immediate South, into Comcast territory, and you can get three digit speeds (we top out at 50mbit/s) that are actually consistently delivered to you.
I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
In this case, the head of the FCC was a member of a cable company lobbying group and was widely expected to be yet another pro-cable company shill. Except, Tom Wheeler apparently missed the memo and was mistakenly handed one that said "protect the consumers" instead. His run as head of the FCC has been surprisingly fantastic and I hope he continues on to give the cable companies headaches for years to come.
My sci-fi novel, Ghost Thief, is now available from Amazon.com.
Clinton is just as much (possibly more) a big business shill as Trump.
Trump is pro business in the he wants limited liability sense
Clinton is pro business in the already sold out to specific ones sense
I wish I had a good sig, but all the good ones are copyrighted
The FCC hasn't claimed anything. The Telco reform act of 1996 (Bill Clinton) gives this authority, atop the Act of 1934 which created the FCC in the first place. So, if you have an issue with it, you should take it up with your congressional representatives.
C|N>K
I remember that one. Given Wheeler's background and the history of FCC chiefs in general, it wasn't unrealistic to assume that he would be a horrible FCC chief who would only think of what the industry wanted. A lot of people are very happy that he's not a dingo. (Well, except for the cable companies but I don't care about them!)
My sci-fi novel, Ghost Thief, is now available from Amazon.com.