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Reddit, Twitter, and 200 Others Say Ending Net Neutrality Could Ruin Cyber Monday (theverge.com)

Posted by msmash on from the avengers,-unite dept.

An anonymous reader shares a report: More than 200 businesses and trade organizations have signed a letter to the FCC asking that the agency reconsider its plan to end net neutrality. The letter is signed by an array of big and recognizable tech and web companies: that includes Airbnb, Automattic (which owns WordPress), Etsy, Foursquare, GitHub, Pinterest, Reddit, Shutterstock, Sonos, Square, Squarespace, Tumblr (certainly to the displeasure of its owner, Verizon), Twitter, and Vimeo, among quite a few others. The letter is being released on Cyber Monday and speaks directly to the internet's constantly growing role in the US economy. "The internet is increasingly where commerce happens," the letter says. It cites figures saying that $3.5 billion in online sales happed last year on Cyber Monday and $3 billion on Black Friday. Throughout all of last year, online purchases accounted for $400 billion in sales.

12 of 88 comments (clear)

  1. Finally, a convincing argument by HalAtWork · · Score: 5, Funny

    Finally, a convincing argument to end net neutrality

    --
    Twinstiq, game news
    1. Re:Finally, a convincing argument by jellomizer · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I am a supporter of Net Neutrality. However off the wall statements doesn't help the cause. Being that I expect 80% of Cyber Monday is via Amazon, and 15% going via other big names. That these companies are willing to pay for premium access. What is more worrisome, is that in today's political climate. That pressure can be put on the ISPs to Slow down companies that they don't like. Currently CNN by the Trump administration. But when the Democrats get back in office, it could target Fox News. Slowing these services so they cannot stream, or express their views is the biggest problem that we face.

      But will ISP try to slow down normal online stores? No I doubt it, because they are not in direct competition of the ISPs, and both political parties wants us to spend money.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    2. Re:Finally, a convincing argument by jellomizer · · Score: 2

      If the ISP's cant afford to offer people full bandwidth, then they should equally cut all their bandwidth, and sell it at the speed that it actually is.

      Saying you offer Gigabit internet, while it is only Gigabit to a few sites that they choose to be Gigabit is wrong, because you are buying what you thinks is a high speed network while you actually get a slow speed network with a few choice options.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
  2. It's not that bad by viperidaenz · · Score: 2

    If cyber monday and black friday only get 3x an average day in sales, that's like the difference in mall sales between a Saturday and a Monday.
    I would have thought the difference was bigger than that.

  3. Competing with AT&T is almost impossible... by MikeDataLink · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Invest in your own network infrastructure, folks.

    Well now, this is the problem isn't it. It would take billions to start a company to compete with the likes of AT&T, Verizon, and Level 3. And they will use their power to stand right in front of you at the city council meetings explaining why you shouldn't be allowed to use their poles that we the citizens paid for.

    So yeah... let's get started building our own ISPs... It's going to be a long road.

    --
    Mike @ The Geek Pub. Let's Make Stuff!
    1. Re:Competing with AT&T is almost impossible... by rogoshen1 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      free market..
      telecom industry..

      Thanks, needed a pick-me-up on this shitty Monday afternoon.

    2. Re:Competing with AT&T is almost impossible... by shentino · · Score: 2

      Good luck fighting incumbents who like to run crying foul to state legislatures into banning you from even entering the market.

      One of the few times that the feds could use "interstate commerce" and actually do some good with it.

  4. If it is that important then ... by 140Mandak262Jamuna · · Score: 4, Insightful
    OK. This is how the law makers are going to think.

    If it is that important to these players, and if they are handling that much of commerce, why the hell they did not spend enough in lobbying (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) to "educate" me using the proper channels (i.e K street firms staffed by ex senators and reps). The way I see it now, all these firms are making this load of money and they are not paying proper tribute, no no not tribute, campaign contributions, to us. Under what premise these companies expect any help from us? What part of pay to play they don't understand?

    --
    sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
    1. Re:If it is that important then ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      True, where the heck is Google, Facebook, and Amazon? They and their founders have deep pockets and grease their palms.

  5. Re: The mostest irony EVAR by peragrin · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Again you are being stupid about the topic.

    What would happen is amazing paid comcast $500 million to priotize their traffic for cyber Monday? So that Wal-Mart traffic ended up going half as fast as shopping at Amazon?
    How much wouild that affect buying habits?

    Net neutrality is there to prevent that kind of scenario. Where the big rich stores get extra fast service and everyone else loses out completely.

    Stupid conservatives don't know what they are fighting. Because all they listen to us fox news.

    --
    i thought once I was found, but it was only a dream.
  6. Re:So who do you want... by Dragonslicer · · Score: 5, Funny

    So who do you want controlling your access to the free market? Verizon, Comcast or AT&T?

    Wait, I get a choice?

  7. The FCC is not above the law by volkris · · Score: 4, Informative

    Fortunately, the FCC isn't empowered to make such decisions on their own. The tech companies need to be speaking to Congress if they want the laws changed, and legislators will work on legislation to change the US government policy.

    I assume the tech giants, knowing how our government is set up, understand this and are just using their letter as a publicity stunt.

    In any case, we absolutely should not promote the idea that regulatory agencies have such a free hand to implement whatever policies they can be convinced to implement.