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AT&T/Verizon Lobbyists To 'Aggressively' Sue States That Enact Net Neutrality (arstechnica.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: A lobby group that represents AT&T, Verizon, and other telcos plans to sue states and cities that try to enforce net neutrality rules. USTelecom, the lobby group, made its intentions clear yesterday in a blog post titled, "All Americans Deserve Equal Rights Online." "Broadband providers have worked hard over the past 20 years to deploy ever more sophisticated, faster and higher-capacity networks, and uphold net neutrality protections for all," USTelecom CEO Jonathan Spalter wrote. "To continue this important work, there is no question we will aggressively challenge state or municipal attempts to fracture the federal regulatory structure that made all this progress possible." The USTelecom board of directors includes AT&T, Verizon, Frontier, CenturyLink, Windstream, and other telcos. The group's membership "ranges from the nation's largest telecom companies to small rural cooperatives."
suing their own customers and the customer are paying for it
We've already paid for it. Twice. During the Clinton administration, $200 billion of taxpayer dollars were handed over to broadband providers who promised us 45 Mbps, both ways, within a decade.
Since that time, over $1 trillion in direct payments, tax breaks and other inducements, all of it taxpayer money, has been given to broadband companies who are now fighting tooth and nail not to provide the service they claim to do.
Considering it was the government (i.e. taxpayers) who created the internet, that it is government (i.e. taxpayers) who continues to foot the bill, it's very disingenuous for companies to claim they shouldn't have to do what the government tells them to do.
We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
The answer is NOT to regulate these idiots. It will not help
The RIGHT solution is to remove their monopoly, AND allow municipals and even states to set up competitive fiber utilities. Once a state de-monopolizes or at least forces open the ability for competition, then they will have no choice but to go after each other's area and compete on performance, and $.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
The States should counter-sue demanding folks like AT&T be forced to break up into smaller companies.
They posses an unfair advantage when they are delivering both content and control the pipes that supply it at the same time. It's a classic conflict of interest.
Watch how fast the big Telcos go quiet about all this " sue everyone " nonsense if their Monopoly status gets threatened.