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FCC To Officially Rescind Net Neutrality Rules On Thursday (reuters.com)

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: The U.S. Federal Communications Commission is expected to publish on Thursday its December order overturning the landmark Obama-era net neutrality rules, two sources briefed on the matter said Tuesday. The formal publication in the Federal Register, a government website, means state attorneys general and advocacy groups will be able to sue in a bid to block the order from taking effect. The Republican-led FCC in December voted 3-2 to overturn rules barring service providers from blocking, slowing access to or charging more for certain content. The White House Office of Management and Budget still must sign off on some aspects of the FCC reversal before it takes legal effect. Congressional aides say the publication will trigger a 60-legislative-day deadline for Congress to vote on whether to overturn the decision. U.S. Senate Democrats said in January they had the backing of 50 members of the 100-person chamber for repeal, leaving them just one vote short of a majority. The December FCC order will be made public on Wednesday and formally published on Thursday, the sources said.

124 comments

  1. More evidence that there are real differences by JoshuaZ · · Score: 3, Informative

    This should be more evidence that there are real and substantial differences between the Democratic and Republican parties. Yes, there are a small number of Democrat senators who aren't in favor of net neutrality, and there are a small number of Republican senators who are in favor, but the vast majority of each group have taken positions exactly as expected. There are real differences between the major political parties.

    1. Re:More evidence that there are real differences by drinkypoo · · Score: 1, Insightful

      There are real differences between the major political parties.

      There are, but they are implementation differences, not necessarily moral ones.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    2. Re:More evidence that there are real differences by messymerry · · Score: 0

      Yeah, the main difference is that the Dems lie out of the left side of their mouth and steal from your left pocket and the Repubs lie out of the right side of their mouth and steal from your right pocket. Woo Wee bigg diff...

      --
      Dear Microlimp: I give you 2 valid product keys for win7 and you reject both of them. Piss off you wankers!!!
    3. Re:More evidence that there are real differences by fyngyrz · · Score: 2, Insightful

      There's some truth to that, but the real question is which party will MAGA?

      Neither one. They're both engaged in screwing it up for most people. Not for themselves, of course.

      There are definitely differences, though. The Democrats (at present) aren't as utterly corrupt as the Republicans. I suspect that'll turn around with the next pendulum swing. Because American voters just can't seem to wrap their heads around the idea that putting the rich in power will not result in a generally favorable outcome for everyone else.

      --
      I've fallen off your lawn, and I can't get up.
    4. Re:More evidence that there are real differences by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You claim that both parties are the same yet you keep voting for Republicans over and over again.
      The only reason for you to claim that they are the same is because you are weak and lack integrity.
      You know that your actions can't be defended so you fake cynicism so that you don't have to stand up to criticism you can't handle.
      If you really believed both parties were the same you wouldn't keep voting for one of them.

    5. Re:More evidence that there are real differences by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Cyanide and Carbon Monoxide are both the same in that they will both kill you, but that doesn't mean it is hypocritical to have a preference as to which one you'd prefer.

    6. Re:More evidence that there are real differences by TheGratefulNet · · Score: 2

      so, BSAB argument?

      maybe you'd like to engage in some whataboutism?

      (no, both sides are NOT identically bad; and in this situation and mahy others where its business vs people, the R's clearly favor the rich business and care NOTHING for the common man. NOTHING. and their base of poor flyover states eat it up, in some kind of absurd opposite-think; afterall, anyone poor in a flyover is just 'temporarily poor' and they fully think they have every chance to be rich like their idols, though it will never happen)

      --

      --
      "It is now safe to switch off your computer."
    7. Re:More evidence that there are real differences by hirschma · · Score: 0

      Sorry, it's theater. They have the same donors, and the only difference is the Kabuki choreography.

      Don't forget: Obama appointed Pai to the FCC. Obama's FCC chairperson was for "fast lanes" before they reversed position due to public outcry.

      Big Telecom knew that they were getting this eventually. The script was written a long time ago.

    8. Re:More evidence that there are real differences by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Republicans don't look at Government and a Mommy/Daddy entity. Government has never done anything well and usually screws things up beyond belief and for 5x the money.

      Government is not a solution to problems; government is the problem. Keep them out of everything they are not mandated by the Constitution to do.

    9. Re:More evidence that there are real differences by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Republicans don't look at Government and a Mommy/Daddy entity.

      Over the last 40 years, Republicans have expanded the government and ran up deficits at almost every opportunity. Anyone that still believes their small government rhetoric is retarded.

    10. Re:More evidence that there are real differences by nmb3000 · · Score: 1

      Obama appointed Pai to the FCC.

      Obama was required to appoint a republican since the law requires the commission to have a 3-2 split between the parties. Guess who recommended Pai to Obama? Oh yeah, Mitch McConnell.

      Obama's FCC chairperson was for "fast lanes" before they reversed position due to public outcry.

      Tom Wheeler may have come into the FCC with some preconceived opinions and bias, like anyone would, but he quickly revised his stance as he learned the facts. This is what separates a rational, thinking person from a mindless party hack like Pai. Frankly, Tom Wheeler was one of the best commissioners the FCC has ever had, and as close to a champion of consumer advocacy the US has seen in decades.

      --
      "What do you despise? By this are you truly known." --Princess Irulan, Manual of Muad'Dib
      /)
    11. Re:More evidence that there are real differences by Gr8Apes · · Score: 1

      ... and their base of poor flyover states eat it up, in some kind of absurd opposite-think; afterall, anyone poor in a flyover is just 'temporarily poor' and they fully think they have every chance to be rich like their idols, though it will never happen)

      I think a large part of their base in poor flyover states are of the mind-set "If I can't have any, neither can anyone else" but are too stupid to realize they're creating a new aristocracy, and that has obviously always ended well (ie, never).

      --
      The cesspool just got a check and balance.
    12. Re:More evidence that there are real differences by Gr8Apes · · Score: 2

      Sorry, it's theater. They have the same donors...

      So Soros is donating to Republicans and Koch Bros are donating to Democrats?

      Don't forget: Obama appointed Pai to the FCC

      Under the advisement of Mitch McConnell, who happened to have control of the Senate and would have obstructed any pick he didn't present (yes, the party of NO). But Pai's ass-hattery didn't come to the fore until Trump put him in charge as the chairman.

      --
      The cesspool just got a check and balance.
    13. Re:More evidence that there are real differences by rickyslashdot · · Score: 1

      Actually, the real difference is that the Republicans steal as a unified organization (or sub-organization, as in the Tea Party coalition), whereas the Democrats steal as individual entrepreneurs.

      --
      redneck geek
    14. Re:More evidence that there are real differences by Green+Mountain+Bot · · Score: 1

      Don't forget: Obama appointed Pai to the FCC.

      Obama was required to appoint a Republican, and in doing so followed established tradition of going with the recommendation of the opposition party's Senate leader.

      Obama's FCC chairperson was for "fast lanes" before they reversed position due to public outcry.

      In other words, Wheeler was responsive to the electorate whereas Trump's Chair Pai was not. This is a point where one party was CLEARLY better than the other.

    15. Re:More evidence that there are real differences by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If only Clinton had won, we could have had the TPP signed and in effect by now. But we choose the future were the power of secret courts used to sue governments for impacting corporate profits aren't as strong as they could be, and we must simply suffer through it.

    16. Re:More evidence that there are real differences by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Stop trying to play divide and conquer.

      Most of the sane people I know, regardless of their political leanings, don't like to be considered "R" *or* "D".

      The two party system is a giant steaming pile of shit that needs to die. Make politicians campaign on issues, not party platforms. Two party systems ultimately serve to create a dichotomy and pit the people against *each other*, instead of pitting the people against the unfit, ignorant, or dangerous people seeking governmental power to enforce their own positions upon the masses.

      It's our job to elect people who will PRESERVE OUR LIBERTIES *from* one another, NOT to elect those who will enforce their personal (or even MY personal) ideologies upon everyone else.

      Identifying which liberties these are is a more difficult matter - but THAT is where our time should be spent. Instead we're being herded like sheep into one of two pens.

    17. Re:More evidence that there are real differences by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They're both out to fuck the citizens over for personal gain. The democrats will make a moderate effort to keep you from starving to death in the process.

    18. Re:More evidence that there are real differences by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This should be more evidence that there are real and substantial differences between the Democratic and Republican parties. Yes, there are a small number of Democrat senators who aren't in favor of net neutrality, and there are a small number of Republican senators who are in favor, but the vast majority of each group have taken positions exactly as expected. There are real differences between the major political parties.

      I have this inkling... overly subtle sarcasm at work. Why is this modded informative?

    19. Re: More evidence that there are real differences by baristabrian · · Score: 0

      Iâ(TM)ve voted both âoeRedâ AND âoeBlue,â so fuck you. I voted âoeTrumpâ this time. If you donâ(TM)t like that, fuck you. Your outrage? Ha, it bores me. Melt now, snowflake!

      --
      -- "I'm not in a hurry; I'm in Hawaii." The Homeless Guy
    20. Re:More evidence that there are real differences by lsatenstein · · Score: 1

      This should be more evidence that there are real and substantial differences between the Democratic and Republican parties. Yes, there are a small number of Democrat senators who aren't in favor of net neutrality, and there are a small number of Republican senators who are in favor, but the vast majority of each group have taken positions exactly as expected. There are real differences between the major political parties.

      As a Canadian, our government is in favor of Net Neutrality, and our ISPs will be looking to bypass traffic originating from the USA that has indications of favouritism

      --
      Leslie Satenstein Montreal Quebec Canada
    21. Re:More evidence that there are real differences by Radiophobic · · Score: 1

      The implementation is the only thing that matters, that is what people are going to be dealing with on a day to day basis. What the politicians say is all posturing, if you want to make an intelligent decision about who to support look at their history of action.

  2. 1 mbps is so awesome by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Thank you, Chairman Pai! Thank you, Trump voters!

    1. Re:1 mbps is so awesome by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      We need to blame the Hillary supporters too. I mean Trump horrible, but if the election were today, I'd still vote for him over Hillary. The 2-party system is a major culprit and nobody is even questioning that.

    2. Re: 1 mbps is so awesome by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The fact you actually voted for him instead of casting a blank ballot means you are to blame. You!

    3. Re: 1 mbps is so awesome by 110010001000 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The sad part is the Trump voters are the ones who are getting screwed, not the "libtards". The "libtards" tend to be upper income, so they benefit financially from corporatist policies. It is the Trump voter who gets screwed, but they are too dumb to realize it. They are going to freak out when Trump bans bump stocks.

    4. Re: 1 mbps is so awesome by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I think there are far more people who voted for him but are afraid to speak up. Not out of remorse but of fear of ostracization.

    5. Re:1 mbps is so awesome by kenh · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Thank the Democrat's Super Delegate system which all but forced the "Entitled" candidate to win the primaries, denying the Democrat voters their preferred choice in the 2016 Election, Sen. Bernie Sanders. In 2016 the democrats learned the lesson the Republicans mostly learned in 2008 with Sen. McCain (it was his turn, though few Republicans were enthusiastic about him as their candidate), and finally learned in 2012 when the party was divided over the religion of their candidate Gov. Romney - an eminently qualified, successful leader that was openly mocked for correctly identifying "Russia" as the greatest threat to America in the 2012 debates, only to be proven right after the 2016 election.

      Hillary ran a new kind of campaign, and in the end her over-confidence had her making what, in hindsight were some poor choices - she focused on fundraisers and massive vote advantage in the final phase of the election in states like California, while ignoring states that she felt confident she would win, only to learn her massive fundraising and popular vote advantage were meaningless when the Electoral Votes were tallied. She went home to walk in the woods, her opponent moved into 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue with less money raised and fewer votes cast for him - but those fewer votes were all where they needed to be.

      --
      Ken
    6. Re: 1 mbps is so awesome by thomst · · Score: 2

      An Anonymous Coward blurted:

      I'm proud I voted for Trump. I will vote him again I 2020.

      The irony of an AC trumpeting how proud he is of his vote is so thick, rich, and creamy I could cut it with a spoon ...

      --
      Check out my novel.
    7. Re: 1 mbps is so awesome by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Oh, please. Most anti Trump people I know are bear poverty. Most of the ones I know that are pro Trump are all very well off. Myself included.

    8. Re: 1 mbps is so awesome by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, I don't have an account here and I don't feel like making one to acknowledge your comment of me posting as AC.

      --Jeff

    9. Re: 1 mbps is so awesome by kenh · · Score: 2

      They are going to freak out when Trump bans bump stocks.

      No, they really aren't - most lawful gun owners are interested in convenient, accurate shooting, not "quickly spraying a room full of bullets" - the purpose of the "bump stock" it the latter, not the former.

      The "libtards" tend to be upper income

      Question, why is it that California, the Mecca of "Libtards" (your term) has the highest concentration of residents living in poverty? One in five California residents lives in poverty, the highest percentage of any of the fifty states even besting states like Mississippi, Louisiana and West Virginia.

      --
      Ken
    10. Re:1 mbps is so awesome by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      And don't blame the media, or as the old saying goes "don't shoot the messenger".

      Thanks to media consolidation in the hands of a few richy-rich mofos who don't give a good goddamn about anything but their pocketbooks, the media is more and more frequently an active part of the problem.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    11. Re:1 mbps is so awesome by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      if the election were today, I'd still vote for him over Hillary.

      That only makes sense if you live in a swing state. If you live in a state that was already guaranteed to Trump, congratulations he was already gonna win with or without your vote. And if you live in a state that was already guaranteed to Hillary, congratulations, you simply further ensured that Trump would come in 2nd place in that state (as opposed to 3rd, or maybe even lower).

      It is my firm belief that, at least as far as working within the system goes, we shouldn't be focusing on winning a state just yet, we should be focusing on making the runner-up position contested instead of guaranteed. Once people see that "holy fuck that D/R came in 3rd instead of the usual 2nd!" maybe people will realize there are other choices.

    12. Re: 1 mbps is so awesome by gnick · · Score: 2

      ...makes the crypt keeper look attractive.

      You nailed the #1 most important quality for POTUS - Attractiveness. An ugly president is fine, but an ugly woman president? Unthinkable! I don't even give a rat's ass that our POTUS is obese; it just bugs me that he lied about it.

      --
      He's getting rather old, but he's a good mouse.
    13. Re: 1 mbps is so awesome by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How many times can you vote from Russia?

    14. Re: 1 mbps is so awesome by Comboman · · Score: 2

      How many times can you vote from Russia?

      It depends on which voting machine you're hacking into.

      --
      Support Right To Repair Legislation.
    15. Re: 1 mbps is so awesome by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Are you saying rich people are only elite leftists?

    16. Re:1 mbps is so awesome by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If the messenger is shouting "FIRE" then I'll absolutely blame him.

      And if he's shouting "I HAVE A BOMB" then I'll certainly shoot.

    17. Re:1 mbps is so awesome by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If everybody in those "guaranteed" states had that "it's a given so I don't need to vote" or "I'll use my vote to pick the runner up" mentality, they wouldn't be guaranteed, now would they?

      It makes sense in EVERY state, dummy.

    18. Re: 1 mbps is so awesome by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      HAHA, the fucking millennial libtards are scraping the bottom of their change bowl to figure out how to pay for todays packet of ramen for lunch. Even the "well off" tech hub types really aren't "well off". They are all house poor. scraping at their change bowls or maxing out credit cards to get by

      Where as most business owners actually making money in places that are affordable to live tend to lean more conservative

    19. Re: 1 mbps is so awesome by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The sad part is the Trump voters are the ones who are getting screwed

      Oh, yes, they're so screwed right now, what with ICE presently in a hyperactive state, unemployment absurdly low, regulations on private launches into space about to be smashed, et cetera, et cetera.

      The "libtards" tend to be upper income

      Ah, the ol' lefty reality distortion field. Yeah, no, the reprehensible left has no monopoly on upper income.

      They are going to freak out when Trump bans bump stocks.

      No, they really aren't. Bump stocks are yet another one of those lovely things that libtwats continually wet themselves over, but nobody in the real world actually gives a fuck about.

    20. Re: 1 mbps is so awesome by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's comical how often Trump voters are proud of being complete reactionary retards.

      Turning myself into a complete moron to own the libs!

    21. Re:1 mbps is so awesome by Dragonslicer · · Score: 1

      Thank the Democrat's Super Delegate system which all but forced the "Entitled" candidate to win the primaries, denying the Democrat voters their preferred choice in the 2016 Election, Sen. Bernie Sanders.

      Clinton still ended up with more "regular" delegates than Sanders. There's plenty that you can blame the Democratic Party for during the 2016 campaign, but "super delegates" are not the reason that Clinton won the primary.

    22. Re:1 mbps is so awesome by penandpaper · · Score: 1

      To emphasize this. Purple or battleground states change over time. Many lessons were learned the last election and a big thing learned was that there are more battleground states than in 2012 or 2008 (PA anyone).

    23. Re: 1 mbps is so awesome by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The fact you actually voted for him instead of casting a blank ballot means you are to blame. You!

      What a f***n retard. Your'e the reason we end up with tyrannical dictatorships. and No Trump isn't. Try harder! Try North Korea. What do you suggest - one choice? Hillary only.
      How do you think Trump won. People didn't want the same rinse an repeat of someone like Jeb Bush..

    24. Re:1 mbps is so awesome by pots · · Score: 1

      Clinton was the preferred democratic candidate by any measure. If anything, the 2016 election taught us the wisdom of super delegates - they are there as a hedge against some corrupt populist making a lot of promises that can't be kept, and hurling a lot of insults to deflect from his own inadequacies. The Republicans didn't have super delegates, and look what happened.

      In principle I agree that the idea of super delegates is contrary to the democratic ideal. In practice, well... here we are.

    25. Re:1 mbps is so awesome by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      When a state that was close is declared to be overwhelmingly in favor of one candidate (because of SDs), it is natural for supporters of the other candidate to become discouraged, this knock-on effect could have been enough to sway even the regular delegate count to her favor. Trouble is, we will never know.

    26. Re: 1 mbps is so awesome by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, Iâ(TM)m sure life in those upper income ghettos is just fabulous. Can we assume youâ(TM)ll be moving in soon?

    27. Re:1 mbps is so awesome by DNS-and-BIND · · Score: 1

      Wait a minute, weren't you calling Romney "Hitler"? Why yes you were!.

      People are in fear of Russians. Absolute nutty paranoia. Let's all get some perspective and tamp down the troll farm panic. It's 90 people with a shaky grasp of English and a rudimentary understanding of U.S. politics shitposting on Facebook. Our reaction to them is all out of proportion to their influence and will harm us more than they ever could. When even the New Yorker is ridiculing the idea that there is some great Russia conspiracy, you know it's all over but the crying.

      Trump's tweet about Moscow laughing its ass off was unusually (perhaps accidentally) accurate. Loyal Putinites and dissident intellectuals alike are remarkably united in finding the American obsession with Russian meddling to be ridiculous. The intellectuals are amused to see Americans so struck by an indictment that adds virtually nothing to a piece published in the Russian media outlet RBC, back in October; I wrote https://www.newyorker.com/news... at the time that the article showed the Russian effort to be more of a cacophony than a conspiracy. The Kremlin and its media are, as Joshua Yaffa writes https://www.newyorker.com/news..., tickled to be taken so seriously. Their sub-grammatical imitations of American political rhetoric, their overtures to the most marginal of political players, are suddenly at the very heart of American political life. This is the sort of thing Russians have done for decades, dating back at least to the early days of the Cold War, but those efforts were always relegated to the dustbin of history before they even began.

      Goldman, the Facebook V.P., has seen more of the Russian ads and posts than most Americans, and his imagination clearly strains to accommodate the push to take them seriously. It's hard to square words like "sophisticated" (frequently used by the Times to describe the Russian campaign) with posts like one from an apparently fake L.G.B.T. group promoting something called "Buff Bernie: A Coloring Book for Berniacs" http://www.nydailynews.com/new... with catchy English-language copy: "The coloring is something that suits for all people." It's hard to apply the description "bold covert effort" (used by Politico https://www.politico.com/story...) to the enormous amount of social-network static https://twitter.com/AdrianChen... that Russian trolls produced. To Goldman, it may all look like a giant gray mass in which only a few colorful ads and posts have any meaningâ"and that meaning is hard to discern.

      It is exceedingly unlikely that we will ever have a clear understanding of whether Russian meddling affected the outcome of the election. But a huge number of Americans imagine that it did. They imagine that exposure to a foreign effort to muddle American politics can fundamentally change the fate of this countryâ"and by imagining it, they render the country all the more muddled, divided, and vulnerable.

      --
      Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
    28. Re: 1 mbps is so awesome by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well whatever Trump supporters are, it would be a great help if you learned to use words properly.

      You only hate libtards because you're sad they couldn't stick up for you.

    29. Re: 1 mbps is so awesome by baristabrian · · Score: 0

      âoeThe Republicans didn't have super delegates, and look what happened.â Yeah, the fucking Republican voters got what they wanted. Democracy: any Leftist knows thatâ(TM)s dangerous. Voting is for the elite. Canâ(TM)t trust the masses. Period. Iâ(TM)ll take a tyranny of the minority anyway. At least then I canâ(TM)t blame myself for being a miserable, entitled fuck.

      --
      -- "I'm not in a hurry; I'm in Hawaii." The Homeless Guy
  3. Missed it by thaa-at much by rmdingler · · Score: 3, Informative

    Even though a Presidential veto and a Republican-dominated House would stand in the way of a 51 vote Senate rejection, the "one vote shy" premise is heartening on the surface... unless you consider these claims don't get held to any scrutiny.

    The Democrats are saying, "Look we are trying!" while accepting campaign contributions as fast as the Republicans from ISPs.

    --
    Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.

    Ernest Hemingway

    1. Re: Missed it by thaa-at much by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      One side is corrupted and ashamed of it, the other side is corrupted and proud of it.

    2. Re:Missed it by thaa-at much by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Muh both sides, on Slashdot? Why I'll never!

    3. Re: Missed it by thaa-at much by fyngyrz · · Score: 3, Funny

      One side is corrupted and ashamed of it

      ...citation?

      --
      I've fallen off your lawn, and I can't get up.
    4. Re:Missed it by thaa-at much by thomst · · Score: 1

      rmdingler snorted:

      The Democrats are saying, "Look we are trying!" while accepting campaign contributions as fast as the Republicans from ISPs.

      As legendary former Speaker of the California House Jesse Unruh famously observed:

      If you can't eat their food, drink their booze, screw their women, take their money, and then vote against them, you've got no business being up here.

      (Unruh was talking about the California legislature - but the qualification is equally applicable at the national level. Perhap moreso ... )

      --
      Check out my novel.
    5. Re:Missed it by thaa-at much by pots · · Score: 1

      Your link just gives numbers for each congressman individually. You're telling me that you expect me to add all of those up to see which party receives more contributions from ISPs? It's Republicans. Who gives them money is a pretty trivial bit of information compared to what they actually do though - the congressional record is very clear that Republicans heavily favor eliminating net neutrality and Democrats are trying to preserve it.

      I would like to know why though, this didn't used to be a partisan issue. The ISPs were losing and so they decided to spin it that way, and someone took the bait. Why did they take the bait? The campaign contributions that I'm seeing here just aren't enough to explain why a politician would adopt such a detrimental position. ... I have some suspicions, but they're not flattering to Americans as a group.

    6. Re:Missed it by thaa-at much by rmdingler · · Score: 1
      In the current political climate, spinning this as a core Republican position might be as simple as saying, over and over again,

      "The Democrats are for it."

      --
      Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.

      Ernest Hemingway

    7. Re:Missed it by thaa-at much by rmdingler · · Score: 1

      thomst thoughtfully proffered:

      As legendary former Speaker of the California House Jesse Unruh [wikipedia.org] famously observed:

      "If you can't eat their food, drink their booze, screw their women, take their money, and then vote against them, you've got no business being up here."

      (Unruh was talking about the California legislature - but the qualification is equally applicable at the national level. Perhap moreso ... )

      We need more politicians like that in Congress and posters like you on /..

      --
      Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.

      Ernest Hemingway

    8. Re:Missed it by thaa-at much by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's a reasonable stance if the topic is major parties. The major parties are both bought and third parties are suppressed and scolded for even the meager votes they gain, as if those votes somehow belong to the major ones and have been stolen by such a vote. Is there any way to vote against more war anymore? Against unconditionally supporting Israel? Against building more leaky pipelines? Against all the surveillance? For doing something about these 'too big to fail' banks? Obama broke all his campaign promises. Trump is breaking the ones that mattered, such as less war or bringing jobs back from Mexico. After four, maybe eight years, when the public is sufficiently sick of Trump and their lives haven't improved, will they vote for Democrats again, having learned nothing? Or worse yet, the same lukewarm Republicans they voted against when they rallied behind Trump? How much uglier do these un-popularity contests have to get?

    9. Re:Missed it by thaa-at much by thomst · · Score: 1

      I pointed out:

      As legendary former Speaker of the California House Jesse Unruh [wikipedia.org] famously observed:

      "If you can't eat their food, drink their booze, screw their women, take their money, and then vote against them, you've got no business being up here."

      (Unruh was talking about the California legislature - but the qualification is equally applicable at the national level. Perhap moreso ... )

      To which mdingler responded:

      We need more politicians like that in Congress and posters like you on /..

      I obviously agree with your first point - and I am flattered by your second.

      Thank you, sir ...

      --
      Check out my novel.
  4. Cool by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If you want Net Neutrality, then actually pass a law. Government should act by the consent of the people, not the whims of kings or dictators.

    1. Re:Cool by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Government should act by the consent of the people...

      Too bad Government only cares about the consent of certain people

    2. Re:Cool by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Too bad Government only cares about the consent of certain people

      Too bad you're either too partisan to admit to, or too stupid to understand that, the Citizens United decision was actually a win for regular people. Corporations already had deep pockets and were influencing elections. CU allowed regular people with common views to band together and pool resources to have *their* voices heard,too.

      Of course, the corporate-owned MSM tried (and succeeded with low-info people like yourself) to paint it as just the opposite.

      Stop taking the words of MSM shills and talking heads, and motivate your lazy ass up and out of Mom's basement to actually dig into it yourself, read the docs, get some backstory and context.

      If you aren't willing to do your own homework to inform & educate yourself and would rather borrow the opinions of others, then you're a part of the main reason why the US has become so fucked up and steadily gets worse.

    3. Re:Cool by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Agree. A few thoughts to elaborate; Can rights be taken away from the individual for simply being apart of a group with a common goal? If you say "No" then you agree with the Citizens United ruling. Are you guilty violating FEC rules or collusion for having a similar position as a politician and paying money to advertise that position? Is a politician guilty for the same if you pay money to advertise a position shared by both you and the politician? If you say "No" to either then you agree with the Citizens United ruling.

      Further, money does not guarantee victory. Do I even need to link to the disproportionate amounts of money Trump and Clinton spent?

  5. Banana republic!!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That's right, Banana Republic rules!

    1. Re:Banana republic!!!! by mpercy · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Yep, what one fool rams through--bypassing Congress--via his pen and his phone, the next fool can undo with his pen and his phone. A wise man once said “Elections have consequences, and at the end of the day, I won.”

    2. Re:Banana republic!!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Trump was put into power by the electoral college, he lost the popular vote, just like bush did. These are the first instances I know of where people have been put into power against the will of the people. Both times it has been a complete shit show.

      Why some people on /. are so gung-ho about these people is beyond me, there isn't anything good happening domestically or internationally to cheer about. I think it has more to do with stiggin it than logic or reason because in the case of trump a good case could be made that he is mentally handicapped (no that is not a joke, nor is it political affiliation of any kind, his actions are reprehensible regardless of pol-party).

      Obama did the correct thing ensuring network neutrality, it was a vital issue much like health care and it was addressed. This administration seems to be keen to repeal sensible policy for no particularly good reason. The economic consequences of removing network neutrality far outweigh whatever benefits are perceived (I honestly cannot think of any benefits to the repeal). America likes to think it is an island unto itself but it is competing in an international market and your competition will not be entering the race with a handicap like americans will have as of thursday.

    3. Re:Banana republic!!!! by fyngyrz · · Score: 1

      A wise man once said “Elections have consequences, and at the end of the day, I won.”

      Okay, but we're not talking about Putin here.

      --
      I've fallen off your lawn, and I can't get up.
    4. Re:Banana republic!!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      A wise man once said “Elections have consequences, and at the end of the day, I won.”

      What a coincidence - a complete idiot said the exact same thing!

    5. Re: Banana republic!!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The people donâ(TM)t know what they want. All they know is that they were told that President Trump is bad. They wanted Bernie because they are lazy scumbags. Then Hillary stole that from him and the learned to love her. Now they cry themselves to sleep because they didnâ(TM)t get their way.

      They media is manipulating the majority of this country. They just donâ(TM)t see it.

    6. Re: Banana republic!!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I do not believe a word of that. There is if anything an attempt to massage trumps insane behavior and to normalize it for digestion by the public, but there is little in the way of strong anti-trump sentiment. The people on an individual basis though are by vast majority against such a man and his nature of inherant racism and cronyism.

      No one but crazy people like Trump, the man is a walking dumpster fire causing irreperable damage to your country. You are now thought of as racist hill billies by the international community. This will affect trade, this will affect soft power, this will affect cooperation on embargoes and military operations, this will affect internally too I cannot see many states as having respect for such an individual and as such carrying out his will.

      You guys need to overthrow him, if not you are seen as complicit and ergo a mini-me copy of him. Sort of the way you would be wary about a north korean russian or afghanni having a conversation about politics regardless of what they were saying.

      No one is 'crying' people are just shocked and appalled both internally and externally.

    7. Re:Banana republic!!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The economic consequences of removing network neutrality far outweigh whatever benefits are perceived (I honestly cannot think of any benefits to the repeal).

      I agree that the repeal makes no sense (except to Verizon, Comcast and AT&T, the only people the current FCC cares about). However, there is a much bigger and more troubling problem, the promise that various lawsuits will be filed in an attempt to block the repeal.

      In order to file such a lawsuit you have to argue that a federal agency has the authority to create regulations but does not have the authority to repeal the regulations it has created, and that is absurd.

      There has been a lot of this over the years on both sides of the aisle. One side passes a law and the other side sues, and it needs to stop. But that would require a court somewhere to issue a common sense ruling and .... well I won't hold my breath.

    8. Re: Banana republic!!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No,
      The people are tired of 8 years of lying slimeball who said whatever focus groups told the teleprompter told him to say. Trump says what's on his mind, and that's a lot less creepy than the carefully crafted lies spewing from the "good politicians".

    9. Re: Banana republic!!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You are now thought of as racist hill billies by the international community

      That's how you've ALWAYS thought of us. What has changed? We as Americans get bombarded with the message that America is a destructive and evil influence in the world and that the last just war was WWII. The message is that the people who see America as a threat is literally everyone in the world, and our allies are just our allies because they fear us.

      We get told by the world that we're racist, sexist, bigoted, uneducated, fat, and pretty much every negative stereotype under the sun. We kill cultures and replace them with McDs, we cause problems by clashing with Russia and China, we support ISIS, we are the bad guys.

      Trump took the hatred that was thrown on Americans every day by media both internal and external and fed on that. When you've had it drilled into you that you stand alone and everyone hates you, why would you not turn inwards and let everyone else fend for themselves? All you got from it was hatred.

      None of this started with Trump. It's been going on for a long time. Remember how the world hated Reagan? GHW "CIA director" Bush? Bill "rapist" Clinton? Chimpy McBu$hitler? This "you'd better do what we want or we're going to be VERY disappointed in you, America!" bullshit is just that, bullshit. It contains a fundamental incorrect assumption - that Americans give a shit what you think about us. I can assure you your opinions rarely trouble us, and since you hate us anyway, you are hardly worth listening to.

  6. Re:First Post ! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    No, but the ones posting those things sure have

  7. Obligatory.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    In Soviet Russia, government owns the companies.

    In Amerika, opposite is true.

  8. Re:First Post ! by 91degrees · · Score: 1, Insightful

    You have only been here too long when you pour hot grits down Natalie Portman's trousers.

  9. Battle is lost... by tetris11 · · Score: 1

    We've lost, right?

    1. Re: Battle is lost... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A victory for Trump is a victory for America.
      Embrace the greatness.

  10. Re:First Post ! by Kohath · · Score: 1

    Comcast will be charging those goats extra to show you the good part.

  11. Not "Obama Era" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    These rules were not "obama era". This imperial dictate was deliberately timed to impact after Obama's reign ended so that he wouldn't have to take any heat for them. This is not the "net neutrality" you're looking for. This was a giveaway to the incumbents and a CALEA handout to law enforcement. You suckers.

  12. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  13. Re:First Post ! by mrbester · · Score: 1, Informative

    That's a Beowulf cluster of hot grits, you insensitive clod!

    --
    "Wait. Something's happening. It's opening up! My God, it's full of apricots!"
  14. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 1

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  15. It's Official! by kenh · · Score: 2

    It's the End of Days, queue Mass Hysteria - we'll look back on these days wistfully, with a tear in our eyes for the liberties lost when the FCC stopped it's nearly thousand day watch over a briefly Neutral Net...

    --
    Ken
    1. Re:It's Official! by stephanruby · · Score: 2

      No need to wait that long.

      I'm already crying because of the results of the last fuck up the FCC made several years ago, radio station consolidations.

      At the time, I didn't have an opinion one way or another, but the quality and the diversity of content has only gone downhill since then. And now, in our pay-to-play world, the music we hear on the radio is just one massive advertisement that plays over and over again until we're brainwashed into liking it.

    2. Re:It's Official! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      queue Mass Hysteria

      I think you mean "cue", though I like the idea of the Mass Hysteria politely waiting its turn.

    3. Re:It's Official! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That is not correct. The FCC believed it had control over net neutrality for several years before the switch to title ii. Court cases in 2010 and 2014 led to a workaround of using title ii classification to ensure net neutrality could be enforced. Now that title ii has been reverted, it is known that the FCC cannot enforce existing rules on net neutrality. This is different than pre-2105.

    4. Re:It's Official! by Gilgaron · · Score: 1

      Did it work, though? I can't remember the last time I heard someone listening to music on broadcast radio. Just sports games. For music everybody streams on their phones these days. I suppose the consolidation in broadcast television will be even worse, though...

    5. Re:It's Official! by stephanruby · · Score: 1

      Maybe for you, but for me, I drive a lot and my internet is not truly unlimited, and I can't afford satellite radio.

    6. Re:It's Official! by Gilgaron · · Score: 1

      My old 2007 car had an aux in, I'd play stuff off my phone's storage rather than stream most of the time. The '96 I drove before that I had to use a FM adapter to play my MP3 player on the cars speakers. Worked better than a tape deck adapter anyhow. Newer cars have Bluetooth or USB ports, you can play a flash drive.

  16. One more thing to fix... by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 2

    after the "blue wave" takes control of Congress. The weird part is that net neutrality is good for everyone and everyone wants it (except ISPs).

    --
    Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
    1. Re:One more thing to fix... by AHuxley · · Score: 0

      NN rules are great for protecting paper insulted wireline monopoly networks.
      With networks finally released from federal rules, more innovative local networks can finally be considered.

      --
      Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
    2. Re:One more thing to fix... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      The weird part is that net neutrality is good for everyone and everyone wants it (except ISPs).

      Almost everyone wants something called Net Neutrality but very few people actually have any idea what the FCC decision did. Whatever neutral internet you wish for, it didn't provide. The main thing it did was implement rules and regulations about how all ISPs will have to provide information to the federal government. There were a few vague things about price controls and service limits, but the majority of it was about sanctioning ISP monopolies and explicitly stating their debts to the federal government.

    3. Re:One more thing to fix... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      after the "blue wave" takes control of Congress. The weird part is that net neutrality is good for everyone and everyone wants it (except ISPs).

      Except that there are too many CRUMBS getting in the way of that.

      People like their CRUMBS, despite candy-assed whining from arrogant asshole "progressives".

      Making America Great Again - one CRUMB at a time.

      Ooooh, the fact that HURTS you is music to my ears. How one year of Trump lays bare eight years of "progressive" Obama "recovery" failure.

    4. Re: One more thing to fix... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's difficult to imagine the mindset so many display here: You enjoy others pain? That's sadistic. It never takes long before you need to cause people pain in order to get your rocks off.
      You are a sicko.

    5. Re:One more thing to fix... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ha that's what they said about Hillary.

    6. Re:One more thing to fix... by Mr307 · · Score: 1

      I keep trying to tell people the same thing but its like talking to a wall.

    7. Re:One more thing to fix... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think you're wrong, and I think you didn't read the actual rules. This summary from Wikipedia is correct, per my reading of the rules:

      "On 26 February 2015, the FCC ruled in favor of net neutrality by reclassifying broadband access as a telecommunications service, thus applying common carrier protections under Title II of the Communications Act and section 706 of the Telecommunications Act to Internet service providers."

      The common carrier rules for telecoms are also summarized well by wikipedia:

      "In the United States, telecommunications carriers are regulated by the Federal Communications Commission under title II of the Communications Act of 1934.[6]"

      "The Telecommunications Act of 1996 made extensive revisions to the "Title II" provisions regarding common carriers and repealed the judicial 1982 AT&T consent decree (often referred to as the "modification of final judgment" or "MFJ") that effectuated the breakup of AT&T's Bell System. Further, the Act gives telephone companies the option of providing video programming on a common carrier basis or as a conventional cable television operator. If it chooses the former, the telephone company will face less regulation but will also have to comply with FCC regulations requiring what the Act refers to as "open video systems". The Act generally bars, with certain exceptions including most rural areas, acquisitions by telephone companies of more than a 10 percent interest in cable operators (and vice versa) and joint ventures between telephone companies and cable systems serving the same areas."

      This is more than you state, "how all ISPs will have to provide information to the federal government". This actually regulates ISPs under a framework much like the existing telecoms. Again, I read the doc; I believe you haven't.

  17. My bet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I made a bet that all the doomsaying will be found to be total bullshit, and any attempt to bring about the doomsaying will end in slews of lawsuits and accusations of endorsing [insert non throttled site here]. Can you imagine a headline saying "Comcast throttles YouTube but the KAY-KAY-KAY is A-OKAY?" Such things would be a nightmare for any company.

  18. Direct versus indirect incentives by sjbe · · Score: 1

    The weird part is that net neutrality is good for everyone and everyone wants it (except ISPs).

    That's true but everyone other than ISPs profits from it indirectly whereas ISPs have a direct incentive to kill net neutrality. Direct incentives almost always seem to win out over indirect ones at least in the short term because those with direct incentives are willing to fight harder for them. Google probably benefits from net neutrality but the benefits are hard to point to on a profit and loss statement so it's harder to get them to fight for it.

  19. Re:First Post ! by gnick · · Score: 0

    ...hot grits down Natalie Portman's trousers.

    Trousers? MY Natalie Portman is standing here naked and petrified.

    --
    He's getting rather old, but he's a good mouse.
  20. That's fine by lexman098 · · Score: 2

    If the Trump admin can rescind the rules this quickly, the next Dem administration can just put them back.

    1. Re:That's fine by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > the next Dem administration

      LOL. Dream on you paid Soros shill.

    2. Re:That's fine by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It takes years to prepare and instate a regulation.

    3. Re:That's fine by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So everytime a different party takes over, all the rules change again?

      Does not say much for stability if everyone and every business have to be prepared to change how and what they do every 4,5 years.

      You guys have a very weird (and entertaining) form of government.

      Good luck.

  21. Mini Poll by rsilvergun · · Score: 1

    will this change how anyone votes in the mid terms (or in any other election for that matter)? And change doesn't just mean "I'm not voting for so and so" it also means "I'm going to show up at the polls this year".

    --
    Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
    1. Re:Mini Poll by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Anyone with even the smallest of mind.
      One Term and they will wonder why.

  22. Thanks Trump by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And every idiot who voted for our Russian fuhrer

    1. Re:Thanks Trump by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And every idiot who voted for our Russian fuhrer

      Your "progressive" tears warm my heart.

      Gawd, can someone what's "progressive" about "progressives" reactionary 19th-century redistributionist policy failures?

  23. Listen To NPR by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You will never be brainwashed into liking the music!

  24. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 1

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  25. Discuss facts not gossip, please by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm shocked--shocked, I say, that most of these Net Neutrality threads devolve either into vague, hypothetical, dystopian predictions, or libtard versus Nazis...

    It would be refreshing to see fact-based criticisms based on the content of the 313 page order from 2015, (https://transition.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2015/db0312/FCC-15-24A1.pdf) versus opinions about rumors and summaries circulated about. It fundamentally is a lesser of two evils (Lo2E) type argument of which outcome seems more likely and painful: Government regulated content distribution that controls the limits of big business practice, or market driven semi-monopolistic providers determining their practices provided to customers.

    There are legitimate concerns on both sides, but I've read the document, and since I'm more distrustful of big government than big business, I'm settling on the side of rescinding the 300+ pages of potential harm, even at the expense of the 12 pages of goodness, because I can always fire and shop my provider services, but once the US government determines what "lawful" content, services, or protocols I can use, I'm screwed.

  26. YES! YES! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Faster! Faster! Less Regulations!

    LESS!

  27. Free at last by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The last thing I want is a government committee overseeing my internet. I want a free internet not a 'neutral' internet. neutral is just another socialist/marxist word for 'I know what's best for you'. The internet has managed to be free and open up until now, why does anyone believe that letting the government 'regulate' it is a good idea. I just don't understand. I realize that there are places in the country where there are isp's that are manipulative and controlling, but that's why there are other places to live. If you live in one of those places then rise up and cast off your shackles and find one of the places where freedom reigns. If my carrier was stupid enough to start throttling some data that I wanted, I'd switch to another carrier. There are at least 4 that I know of that I could use, probably more. Free market competition is the answer, not government regulation.

  28. It's easy when the vote doesn't matter by Leuf · · Score: 1

    It's easy to get votes for something when the politician knows there is zero chance that vote is going to actually do anything. Witness the attempts to repeal the ACA. If they actually got across 51 some of those votes would likely evaporate. If the House and presidency flipped some of those votes would certainly disappear.

  29. Another sad day for democracy by BrookSmith · · Score: 1

    Another sad day for democracy, if you can call it that, a political system which is bought and paid for is hardly democratic.

  30. Part of a larger trend that could be a plot by MercTech · · Score: 1
    What many don't realize is that two companies have not only taken over or driven out of business the majority of Internet Service Provider Companies (ISPs) but have quietly purchased control of the companies that maintain the internet backbone.

    The trend is a bit disturbing and it would be easy to start looking for a plot for world domination akin to a comic book plot. But, there is no need for an evil plot when greed, avarice, and apathy can achieve the same results.

    Net neutrality predates Obama by almost a decade. During the aegis of the Obama administration just saw the 2015 tightening of the definition of net neutrality as a result of court actions by AT&T, Comcast, and others to destroy the concept in law. Neutral traffic routing except in case of war was one of the fundamental properties of the network from its first iterations as ARPAnet. Calling net neutrality an Obama Administration thing is a calumny trying to piggy back on the disgust with a destructive administration.

    Large corporations now have the control and legal permission to edit all of what you watch and read.

    Hmmm, a plot comes to mind. Combination of Skynet and Fahrenheit 451. Population control by hacking and nuking any computer containing unauthorized ideas. Might be too close to reality to sell well.

    --
    NRRPT/RCT