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Net Neutrality Repeal Is Official (cnet.com)

The Federal Communications Commission's repeal of net neutrality rules, which had required internet service providers to offer equal access to all web content, took effect on Monday. The rules, enacted by the administration of President Barack Obama in 2015, prohibited internet providers from charging more for certain content or from giving preferential treatment to certain websites. CNET: FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has called the Obama-era rules "heavy-handed" and "a mistake," and he's argued that they deterred innovation and depressed investment in building and expanding broadband networks. To set things right, he says, he's taking the FCC back to a "light touch" approach to regulation, a move that Republicans and internet service providers have applauded.

But supporters of net neutrality -- such as big tech companies like Google and Facebook, as well as consumer groups and pioneers of the internet like World Wide Web creator Tim Berners-Lee -- say the internet as we know it may not exist without these protections. "We need a referee on the field who can throw a flag," former FCC Chairman and Obama appointee Tom Wheeler said at MIT during a panel discussion in support of rules like those he championed. Wheeler was chairman when the rules passed three years ago.
We expect to see some protests today as the tussle to convince House representatives to reinstate the regulations continues. Some members of Congress are still fighting to overturn the ruling, so there's hope for a net neutrality return if legislators agree to it.

Further reading: The Washington Post published an interview of Pai over the weekend. In the interview, Pai remained bullish that the FTC could stop abuses. He also criticized Senate Dems and others for spreading misinformation during net neutrality debate. Over at CNET, Ajit Pai has written an op-ed, in which ... he is defending his move. Fight for the Future: The FCC repeal of net neutrality goes into effect TODAY, but Congress can still stop it and save the Internet.

333 comments

  1. No worries... by Kenja · · Score: 2, Interesting

    They wont start actually acting on the repeal until after the 2018 elections. So we got time before everything goes to hell.

    --

    "Have you ever thought about just turning off the TV, sitting down with your kids, and hitting them?"
    1. Re: No worries... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There will never be net neutrality as long as social media providers like Facebook, Twitter, and even /. are able to ban users who are acting legally or to censor content that doesn't violate any laws.

      Neutrality at the media layers is pointless if there isn't also neutrality at the data layers.

    2. Re:No worries... by bobbied · · Score: 2, Insightful

      They wont start actually acting on the repeal until after the 2018 elections. So we got time before everything goes to hell.

      Is that a joke? I mean everything was fine until 2015 when this whole concept took root, so you expect that it will rock along fine until November 2018 and then we are all dead?

      I'm just guessing here.. But it seems to me that returning to a pre-NN regulation environment won't be a huge issue even then. Where I expect to see a problem or two that NN would have prevented, I don't see how they won't be effectively dealt with by the FCC as necessary.

      --
      "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
    3. Re:No worries... by jythie · · Score: 1

      One of the big reasons we did not see the abuses net neutrality was designed to address was that the larger ISPs did not want to make long term plans like that until they felt confident that that rules were going to be consistent for the next few decades. So yeah, as long as things are still in flux, they are unlikely to move on much of it.

    4. Re:No worries... by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · · Score: 4, Insightful

      "Cord cutting" is making the cable TV people, who are most of the Internet people, panick. So they are trying to sink their claws into what you pay Netflix (on top of what you pay them) or they will hamper the video service.

      This makes their promise to you for a fixed speed a lie. Do you recall a line on your ISP contract that they will give slower service than what they state to Netflix or Hulu, unless Netflix or Hulu pay them a cut of what you pay Nerflix and Hulu?

      It is fraud.

      --
      (-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
    5. Re: No worries... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There will never be net neutrality as long as social media providers like Facebook, Twitter, and even /. are able to ban users who are acting legally or to censor content that doesn't violate any laws.

      Neutrality at the media layers is pointless if there isn't also neutrality at the data layers.

      ^^Clueless troll, probably but hurt for being banned for being a MRA nazi.^^^

    6. Re:No worries... by atrex · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Is that a joke? I mean everything was fine until 2015 when this whole concept took root, so you expect that it will rock along fine until November 2018 and then we are all dead?

      I'm just guessing here.. But it seems to me that returning to a pre-NN regulation environment won't be a huge issue even then. Where I expect to see a problem or two that NN would have prevented, I don't see how they won't be effectively dealt with by the FCC as necessary.

      Everything was not "just fine" prior to the 2015 ruling, otherwise we wouldn't have had the 2015 ruling. The FCC was handling cases of discriminatory service provision since 2003. The 2015 ruling was the end result of a long line of cases against various ISPs for pulling shady stuff like AT&T limiting access to FaceTime, one ISP restricting consumer access to Vonage VoIP service, Verizon throttling Netflix and Youtube, Comcast throttling/breaking VPN services, etc. Just because maybe you didn't experience any of the BS that was going on doesn't mean that it didn't affect plenty of other consumers. And since we don't have reasonable broadband competition in many markets (especially rural ones) consumers don't have a choice when it comes to broadband providers, so they need NN protections to keep from being extorted.

    7. Re:No worries... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Is that a joke? I mean everything was fine until 2015 when this whole concept took root,

      The fact that you don't understand that this started in 2008, and was applied to everyone as of 2010 - shows how low-information you actually are.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FCC_Open_Internet_Order_2010

    8. Re:No worries... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      From the Pai op-ed:

      VTel wrote to say that "regulating broadband like legacy telephone service would not create any incentives for VTel to invest in its network. In fact, it would have precisely the opposite effect." The company went on to say that it's now "quite optimistic about the future, and the current FCC is a significant reason for our optimism."

      So simply growing the VTel network to more customers would not be lucrative, but thanks to the current FCC now it will be. Please tell me all the reasons VTel will now make money, and I will tell you all the reasons why NN is necessary.

    9. Re:No worries... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Those were handled fine by the FTC. Why did the FCC have to be involved when every example you came up with were properly handled and anti-competitive behavior was ended.

    10. Re: No worries... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Again and again we see Democrats and other left-leaners complain about the lack of choice and the lack of competition when it comes to ISPs. But then it's like they don't realize that things are that way due to the highly restrictive regulations they've imposed on the telecom industry, making it nearly impossible for new entrants to enter into the market. What's worse is their supposed 'solution': yet more government regulation! Adding more regulation to a problem caused by excessive regulation will only make the situation worse.

    11. Re:No worries... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Right. So instead of opening market for competition, dear Obama installed insane regulations.
      Good riddance (and hopefully competition will grow).

    12. Re: No worries... by MightyMartian · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Translation: I want to post my racist mysoginist crap on Facebook in service of Mother Russia, and Facebook won't let me. Wahhh!

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
    13. Re:No worries... by JackieBrown · · Score: 2

      They are already adapting to that by making the internet cost as much as cable. And net neutrality doesn't help with that "problem."

    14. Re: No worries... by GameboyRMH · · Score: 1
      --
      "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
    15. Re: No worries... by triffid_98 · · Score: 1

      So...pretty much the same shakedown that Comcast already gave Netflix prior to that law being passed? I guess it's time for TimeWarner and ATT to get their blood money too.

    16. Re: No worries... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Indeed. Imagine Ma Bell being told to make money anyway they want, as long as they serve more customers each year. Our telephone system would look slightly different.

    17. Re:No worries... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      It does if the treated ISPs as common carriers under Title II like they used to when it ran on copper lines.

      Remember how there was a choice of ISPs and DSL providers due to line sharing requirements under Title II? I do.

      Once companies stated switching to cable and fiber things started to collapse. On the positive side, these technologies are MUCH faster, but for some reason our wonderful leaders decided to classify cable and fiber lines doing the exact same function as copper lines as information services and NOT telecommunication services, so they lost the title II designation, and the line sharing provisions no longer applied.

      Cue monopolies everywhere and heavy lobbying to keep competition scarce and prices high.

    18. Re: No worries... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Translation: Anybody with a differing opinion I don't like must be a racist, mysoginist, russian shill, etc.

    19. Re:No worries... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

      > handled fine
      In the case of Netflix vs. Comcast, nothing was "handled fine." Netflix ended up paying Comcast to stop throttling. This opened the door and soon every ISP would be extorting every content provider. If NN hadn't come in 2015 (in part because of this), we would be living in a much different, content restricted world. The ISPs need to replace the revenue stream from cord cutters. They will start extorting money from Netflix and others. Guess who will subsidize that?
      https://consumerist.com/2014/02/23/netflix-agrees-to-pay-comcast-to-end-slowdown/index.html

    20. Re:No worries... by tsstahl · · Score: 1

      Mod parent up, and give a cookie.

    21. Re: No worries... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Net neutrality is not the reason we have locally granted monopolies. There isnâ(TM)t a broadband alternative for most consumers.

    22. Re:No worries... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Netflix throttled themselves.

    23. Re:No worries... by JackieBrown · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I think the bigger problem is allowing local and state governments to block new entries to the market.

    24. Re:No worries... by houghi · · Score: 1

      I could see a reason for the companies to do that. (Not that I think that they actually will). That way when the shit hits the fan, the fault would then be with the then current ruling clkass and will not blame those who actually did it. If this will be the Dems or some other POTUS or the person who comes after the idiot Pai has his new job at Comcast is irrelevant.

      You do not want to shit on the people you bribed, That is bad for business.,

      Before it is repelled, it will take some time and then the bosses in power then will already have received their golden parachute. So it is a win-win for them.

      --
      Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
    25. Re: No worries... by ArchieBunker · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Freedom of speech means hearing things you may not agree with.

      --
      Only the State obtains its revenue by coercion. - Murray Rothbard
    26. Re:No worries... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Everything was fine, huh?
      --
      Remember when AT&T blocked facetime on Apple devices?
      Link: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/12/att-says-it-never-blocked-apps-fails-to-mention-how-it-blocked-facetime/
      --
      The internet wasn’t broken before 2015 and ISPs don’t block or throttle

      Internet providers have attempted to throttle traffic by type or by user (Comcast in 2007), have imposed arbitrary and secret caps on data (AT&T 2011-2014), hidden fees that had no justification or documentation (Comcast in 2016), and tried to give technical advantages to their own services over those of competitors (AT&T in 2016). These attempts were only revealed in retrospect once they were discovered and lawsuits filed. If the deterrents those lawsuits provided eventually had been part of preemptive rulemaking then these practices would never have been attempted at all.

      2015 wasn’t some magic year, either: the FCC and Congress had proposed net neutrality rules going back more than a decade before then. It’s only in 2015 that they made them stick.
      Link: https://techcrunch.com/2017/05/19/these-are-the-arguments-against-net-neutrality-and-why-theyre-wrong/
      --
      And another:
      Lie: Everything was great back before 2015.
      The original net neutrality rules didn’t come out of nowhere. In fact, there were several rather important things that happened before they were put in place.

      Perhaps the biggest issue happened in 2014 when Level 3, a telecommunications company that helps ISPs connect to the Internet, found major ISPs throttling internet speeds on services like Netflix.

      In 2012, AT&T blocked users on its lower tier services from using Apple’s FaceTime video chat feature, a move that caused huge public outcry.

      When Google announced its Wallet app, mobile providers tried to block it for competing with their own solutions.

      AT&T tried blocking Skype to cut down on competition with its own services,

      Or, look to the parts of the world. KPN, a telecom company in the Netherlands, tried to apply an extra tariff on messaging apps force people into buying texting plans that worked on the cellular network. The move was blocked by the government.
      Link: https://www.popsci.com/net-neutrality-lies#page-4

    27. Re: No worries... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      For Christ sakes why do we have to go over this every fucking time this comes up.

      Facebook does not OWE you a platform. They can police whatever speech they want to. They are not the government.

    28. Re: No worries... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A repeal will not change this outcome.

      I don't even get people like you. I really dont.

    29. Re:No worries... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Local monopolies are a very big problem. More competition allows people a choice when ISP A decides to do something unfair.

    30. Re:No worries... by Pfhorrest · · Score: 2

      Things were fine without NN regulation in the beginning because of two factors: ISPs didn't own the last mile of telephone wire that they operated on top of, and so competition was much easier, and competition kept the ISPs playing nicely with consumers; and that last mile of telephone wire was sold to consumers as telephone service, and so regulated under Title II as common carriers.

      When the phone (and cable) companies became the ISPs, all of that changed. Now the owners of the last mile, who thus had little to no competition, were directly selling something that was not telephone service and so was not regulated under Title II.

      Little surprise, in due time they started trying to abuse that unregulated monopoly power. Only then were laws passed trying to curtail that behavior and restore the status quo ante.

      Those laws were eventually repealed with the justification that as internet service was not classified under Title II, there was no requirement that it be treated like a common carrier, the way it always had been in the beginning but ISPs no longer wanted it to be.

      So in 2015 Obama's FCC classified internet service under Title II, justifying the laws requiring that things be kept the same as they had always been.

      What's happened now is that that classification has been repealed, once again overturning the laws that require that ISPs behave the way they always used to, giving them free reign to go ahead and change things for the worse.

      This whole decade-plus battle has been a fight to keep things the way that they always were. So far we the consumers have been winning that fight, which is why it wasn't just shit until 2015: the 2015 decision was just the latest victory over those who wanted to turn it to shit.

      Now it looks like we the consumers are losing. That means things can turn to shit now, unless this latest attempt is once again defeated somehow.

      If congress passes a law overturning this decision, it will be a law ordering the FCC to classify ISPs in a way that requires them to behave the way they always used to. Net Neutrality is not a change to the internet, it's the way it always used to be, that the big monopoly ISPs are trying to change away from, that they have thus far (until perhaps now) been unsuccessful at doing.

      Saying that that net neutrality laws are unncessary because the internet wasn't shit before is like saying sending the army to defend from invaders is unnecessary because we haven't been overrun by invaders before. No shit, when you haven't been invaded yet you don't need to send the army to defend yourself. But now that the invaders are at the door, you either send the army to turn them back, or prepare to have your way of life changed.

      --
      -Forrest Cameranesi, Geek of all Trades
      "I am Sam. Sam I am. I do not like trolls, flames, or spam."
    31. Re:No worries... by Rakarra · · Score: 0

      Netflix throttled themselves.

      Much the same way as when you grab someone's fist, hit them with it, and say "stop punching yourself!"

      The only throttling Netflix has done themselves was for Verizon and AT&T customers who had data caps, switching to lower quality streams to prevent those customers from going over their caps.

    32. Re:No worries... by Kulahan · · Score: 5, Informative

      Is that a joke? I mean everything was fine until 2015 when this whole concept took root, so you expect that it will rock along fine until November 2018 and then we are all dead?

      2005 - Madison River Communications blocked VOIP services. The FCC put a stop to that.

      2005 - Comcast denied access to p2p services without notifying customers.

      2007 - AT&T blocked Skype and other VOIPs because they didn't like the competition for their cellphone services.

      2011 - MetroPCS tried to block all streaming except YouTube. They actually sued the FCC over this.

      2011 - AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon blocked access to tethering apps on the Android marketplace, with Google's help.

      2011 - AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon blocked access to Google Wallet because it competed with their own payment apps.

      2012 - Verizon demanded Google to block tethering apps on Android because it let owners avoid the $20 tethering fee. This was despite guaranteeing they wouldn't do it as part of a winning bid on a airwaves auction. They were fined 1.25 million over this.

      2012 - AT&T tried to block access to FaceTime unless customers paid more money.

      2013 - Verizon stated that the only thing stopping them from favoring some content providers over other providers were the Net Neutrality rules in place.

      2016 - Comcast instituted a mandatory data cap on all services with a $50 fee to get unlimited data. This allowed them to slow the bleeding of cord cutters, trapping them with fees from trying services like Sling or DirecTV Now.

      2017 - Time Warner Cable refused to upgrade their lines in order to get more money out of Riot Games (creators of League of Legends) and Netflix.

      ISPs already have proven that without rules in place, they will behave in a way that can dictate how you use your internet connection.

    33. Re:No worries... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      switch providers then

    34. Re:No worries... by bobbied · · Score: 1

      None of this says "we need NN" to me.

      Understand what I am trying to say. I'm not saying providers don't do bad/stupid/immoral things, they do and will, what I'm saying is the FCC can deal with these issues as they arise.

      By the way.. The MAJOR issue with internet providers is they have no competition on that critical last mile. How'd that happen? Oh, we have a bunch of government regulations that grant them a local monopoly. You have no choice but to put up with their garbage because you don't have any option. If everybody had options, the market would regulate itself and limit these issues. So, the solution you propose is MORE regulations? Um.. Just a thought, why don't we try LESS and see what happens... Regulate away that last mile monopoly, give competition a chance.

      --
      "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
    35. Re:No worries... by Howitzer86 · · Score: 1

      Yeah I experienced some of that - major throttling of YouTube and Netflix under Comcast. At the time, I used my work VPN to get around it (until I was told not to). As a cord-cutter I will be signing up for a commercial VPN within days.

      I only watch a couple channels anyway. I get them on Sling and saved $50 a month even considering the cost of the new service. I can probably save more if I downgrade my internet to just above the requirements of HD video streaming.

    36. Re:No worries... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Again, just because you haven't been fucked (yet) doesn't mean it isn't happening.

      You are such a great example of blind ignorance. If your house isn't on fire then why do we need a fire department?

      If you are under 25 you get a pass, I didn't care about anything but me until I was older.

      But if you are over 25, you need to be less ignorant because you are now a citizen who's choices and knowledge directly impact EVERYONE in the country, not just you, but with longer-term impact. It's hard to get into your head, I know from experience, but ignorance of an issue, while a valid position, is fundamentally destructive via atrophy.

      If you are over 50, how the fuck do you even feed yourself?

    37. Re: No worries... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's hilarious how people like you have that attitude, but when you're faced with a comment like

      "AT&T does not OWE you a network. They can police whatever packets they want to. They are not the government."

      you shit your pants and prattle on about 'net neutrality'.

    38. Re:No worries... by microbox · · Score: 1

      The interent was under defacto net neutrality since its inception. (Under telecommunications laws, the telecom companies cannot discriminate traffic.) The only thing that happened in 2015 was that the FCC created a guideline. Now that guideline is repealed, we've ALSO repealed the defacto net neutrality that previously existed. We're in a whole new world, where the cable companies are protected from competition by the massive barriers to entry (the cost of laying cable.) To add insult to injury, the tax payer paid for most of the cable that the internet service providers own.

      Simple game theory and basic economics predict that the cable companies will abuse their position at about the level of the cost for competitors to enter the market. That's a MASSIVE amount of abuse. And experience from around the world shows that this is indeed the case.

      --

      Like all pain, suffering is a signal that something isn't right
    39. Re:No worries... by microbox · · Score: 1

      Haha, really? The biggest problem for starting a cable company is the cost of the last mile of cable that you have to lay. And then Comcast et al. will just run you out of business. Look up "natural monopoly" in any standard economics textbook.

      --

      Like all pain, suffering is a signal that something isn't right
    40. Re:No worries... by Thomas+Charron · · Score: 1

      While your eating your memberberries, also recall how DSL never evolved to provide faster connections over those copper wires? Yup. Common carrier. It's easy to pass a law that says 'Anyone can access', but once you do? No new development of technologies.

      --
      -- I'm the root of all that's evil, but you can call me cookie..
    41. Re:No worries... by bobbied · · Score: 1

      The interent was under defacto net neutrality since its inception. (Under telecommunications laws, the telecom companies cannot discriminate traffic.) The only thing that happened in 2015 was that the FCC created a guideline. Now that guideline is repealed, we've ALSO repealed the defacto net neutrality that previously existed. We're in a whole new world, where the cable companies are protected from competition by the massive barriers to entry (the cost of laying cable.) To add insult to injury, the tax payer paid for most of the cable that the internet service providers own. Simple game theory and basic economics predict that the cable companies will abuse their position at about the level of the cost for competitors to enter the market. That's a MASSIVE amount of abuse. And experience from around the world shows that this is indeed the case.

      And you don't think the FCC can effectively regulate this as it happens then? I think they can. NN was a pre-emptive, everything including the kitchen sink, approach to a set of real and imaginary problems. One would be naive to think it wouldn't have caused issues with unintended consequences. NN was like dropping a total OS rewrite into a new language on existing hardware without being able to test and debug it first.

      Remember, the FCC still has the ability to regulate the internet and fix issues as they arise and come to their attention. The public is free to bring any issues to their attention. They receive such complaints online, on the phone and in person. Feel free to report any issues you see to the FCC...

      --
      "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
    42. Re:No worries... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      If it's a natural monopoly, then regulate it as one. Don't pretend it's a competitive market and when someone suggests we do something to increase competition, turn around and say "oh, actually, it's a natural monopoly."

    43. Re:No worries... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Look up sanctioned by your local government. Your local government is the problem.

    44. Re: No worries... by Marxist+Hacker+42 · · Score: 1

      Well, for that matter, there won't be net neutrality as long as TCP/IP protocol allows individual routers to prioritize data packets.

      --
      SJW: a person who perceives an injustice, and while correcting it, commits a greater injustice.
    45. Re: No worries... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There is the library.

    46. Re:No worries... by JackieBrown · · Score: 1

      Sure. While I look that up, look up the obstacles Google has faced trying to launch their own internet service.

    47. Re:No worries... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This. Capitalism is great for creating wealth, and the absolute worst at giving up on an outdated business model.

      So corporate America goes rent seeking, asking for tax breaks, asking for regulations that prevent competition, and get freaks like Pai into positions of power so they can continue to milk Americans.

      I love Capitalism, it's been good to me, but for all the good it's done it's also screwed all of us over and over again, whether most people know it or not.

      Capitalism needs rules, without rules you no longer have Capitalism. Pai is deleting the rules which encourage competition.

    48. Re: No worries... by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 1

      AT&T got a largely free ride on infrastructure from the government, which means your taxes helped pay for it. So, yes, AT&T do owe you (and a lot of other US taxpayers) something in return, don't you think?

      --
      Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
    49. Re: No worries... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Then let me just use my right to free speech to say:

      You fucking ignorant, neck bearded, incel, basement dwelling, sub-human slime mould. You truly are god-dammne stupid. The first amendment does not require private companies to give you a platform with wish to spew your ignorant drivel.

      You continue to think you're a smart person when you really are fucking stupid. Every time you post you show your ignorance. Your life might improve just a little if you come to understand you are a fool and try to be a bit more humble and learn a little bit.

    50. Re: No worries... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      AT&T is basic infrastructure, facebook is not.

      Your argument is like saying the electric company doesn't owe you electricity if you're going to use it to run a computer to connect to the internet and post speech they don't agree with. They are a public utility and would never get away with that.

    51. Re:No worries... by Actually,+I+do+RTFA · · Score: 1

      Those were handled fine by the FTC. Why did the FCC have to be involved

      Because in 2015 the Supreme Court said the FTC wasn't allowed to handle those issues, and the only government agency allowed to was the FCC.

      --
      Your ad here. Ask me how!
    52. Re:No worries... by Actually,+I+do+RTFA · · Score: 1

      You also left out that pre-NN from the FCC, the FTC could regulate ISPs. The FCC stepped in after the Supreme Court told the FTC they weren't allowed to regulate the ISPs any more (but the FCC could).

      --
      Your ad here. Ask me how!
    53. Re:No worries... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Until 2015 it wasn't an issue because businesses weren't looking at implementing fast and slow lanes yet. They actively were looking at introducing it though so the rules were brought in to prevent it. Now there's nothing to stop them. Don't assume that post-2018 will look the same as pre-2015.

    54. Re:No worries... by Pfhorrest · · Score: 1

      The last mile problem is the big problem there. Even ignoring the competition-prohibitive costs of just physically running the wiring, you effectively need the government's cooperation to do it, because you need the local government's authority to let you run wire across public land, and eminent domain to run it across a whole lot of private parties' land. And the people of an area aren't going to want a zillion different set of wires crossing their land, which is why networking like this (and roads, and sewers, and natural gas, etc) are natural monopolies. So that last mile is either a public utility, in which case you have the government involved there, or it's a private monopoly, which gets you exactly the problems we're fighting now, unless the government regulates it.

      This is basically the exact conundrum that faced telephone service, and the solution to that conundrum was Title II. The internet was built on top of the telephone network and so inherited that last-mile neutrality, and the otherwise free competition between the last miles enforced neutrality there. Now the internet providers are the last-mile owners and because the internet isn't built on top of telephone service anymore (the other way around, in fact; telephone runs on the internet now), the old Title II solution isn't in effect. All the 2015 decision said was to put it back into effect by acknowledging that internet service today is the same type of thing as phone service always was, and so should follow the same rules.

      FWIW, way the hell back a decade or two ago there were lots of people here on Slashdot, when the ISPs first started dicking around and new laws were being passed to stop them, saying "Why is this even an issue? Why the hell isn't internet service just regulated as a common carrier like phones are?" Well now they are. Or were, between 2015 and today.

      --
      -Forrest Cameranesi, Geek of all Trades
      "I am Sam. Sam I am. I do not like trolls, flames, or spam."
    55. Re: No worries... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually they are private companies and can refuse service to whomever they please.

      Live more than a few metres from the nearest road? They won't sell you service until you pay thousands to install poles and wires.

    56. Re:No worries... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Plus even if you say 'the FCC / courts handled those fine with light touch regulation'... in the process customers were harmed for days/weeks/months before the complaint being raised, and then there was a lengthy legal process to get them sorted. With NN in place almost all of them would never have been attempted in the first place. With NN gone there are likely to be multiple cases impacting your experience at the same time so the FCC will be playing whack-a-mole.

    57. Re: No worries... by ArchieBunker · · Score: 1

      Your dedication to calling me names is admirable. You really are projecting now.

      --
      Only the State obtains its revenue by coercion. - Murray Rothbard
    58. Re:No worries... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Understand what I am trying to say. I'm not saying providers don't do bad/stupid/immoral things, they do and will, what I'm saying is the FCC can deal with these issues as they arise."

      If the FCC ( before Pai ) felt that they could deal with those issues, why did they seek this set of rules?
      Post Pai, they want the problem, because that allows telecoms to rent seek.

      "Regulate away that last mile monopoly, give competition a chance."

      How do you propose to regulate away that last mile monopoly?

    59. Re:No worries... by Jerry · · Score: 1

      "Cue monopolies everywhere and heavy lobbying to keep competition scarce and prices high."

      I had been using TW's Internet service for years. The local price started at around $5/1Mb/Mo For the last several years I had been paying $30/mo for a 30Mbps connection. Then, a msg in my bill said my "promotion rate" would end next month. The next month my bill for 30Mbps jumped to $70. One month later it jumped to $120 for 30Mbps, with about 18Mbps download and 6Mbps upload. That's when I started looking around for something else. There was nothing available. No competition. I called them up and told them it was outrageous to jack the bill that way. The worker bee couldn't do anything except read the script he was given, which was to offer me a 60Mpbs connection for $65 as a "promotion". With no choice I took it. However, a fiber optic company located in my state made a proposition to the city fathers offering them 1Gbps connections to all state gov buildings, libraries and schools for "free", in exchange for access rights on state right-of-ways. The state accepted and within a year I had fiber optic to my house. I opted for the 100Mbps for $65, with a static IP for an additional $5/mo. The speed is symmetrical. Spectrum felt the competition and began offering 100Mbps for the same price, but their service is still asymmetrical. To compete the fiber optic company merely increased my connection speed to 300Mpbs for the same money. The copper wire cable company was already using maximum compression on their antiquated structure and couldn't compete at the high speeds so they are going cheap at the low end. Competition is good.

      --

      Running with Linux for over 20 years!

    60. Re:No worries... by novakyu · · Score: 1

      No problem. I already cut the Netflix "cord", because with the content owners giving Netflix the squeeze, there was nothing good to stream on their website any more.

      If you are worried about small players like Netflix (small compared to Apple and Google) getting squeezed, the pipe isn't the biggest problem; the copyright monopoly (and lack of compulsory licensing for video content) is.

    61. Re:No worries... by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 1

      I also recall a few years ago when one of the big US ISPs blocked Skype. And not only did they block communications between Skype users, they also blocked incoming POTS calls via SkypeIn to their telephone customers.

      --
      Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
    62. Re: No worries... by serviscope_minor · · Score: 1

      Yeah and freedom of speech means that if you're being a misogynist racist piece of crap you will have to deal with people calling you that. For some reason the noisy "advocates" seem very much in favor of free speech when it involves spewing deal but much quieter when it involves getting called out on it.

      --
      SJW n. One who posts facts.
    63. Re: No worries... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      My local government offers Fiber at 10 gig speeds. I don't have a problem with mine.

      If yours is a problem, deal with it and do not bother me.

    64. Re:No worries... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's not always financially possible for multiple entrants to enter an industry. Take roads for example. Privatizing them and requiring competitors to build parallel networks would be a disaster.

      A few large cities can support numerous wired ISPs. Most suburbs could probably support two. Rural areas are lucky to have one.

      There is a solution to this: separate the physical hardware from the service. Let third parties connect to the network and sell the service to the customer.

      We already have such a situation for cell phones: Mobile Virtual Network Operators. They sell access to the big four carriers at usually lower prices. In fact, Comcast/Xfinity has its own cell service via this system (they use Verizon's towers).

    65. Re:No worries... by Sir+Lurkalot · · Score: 1

      You need to check your spelling, to have weight with your comment...

    66. Re: No worries... by nmb3000 · · Score: 1

      Net Neutrality has absolutely nothing to do with Quality of Service, and you know it. Stop beating on this strawman -- it just makes you look like an astroturfing assclown.

      --
      "What do you despise? By this are you truly known." --Princess Irulan, Manual of Muad'Dib
      /)
    67. Re: No worries... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why wouldn't they be quiet? Being quiet means they're letting you have your freedom of speech.

      If they objected, it'd look like they're trying to censor your speech, which would make them hypocrites.

      What they usually do is instead respond with their own speech, not calling for you to be silenced, but try to have a discussion, if not with you then with people who want to listen.

      Turns out there are plenty of people who listened to them, and that's how we got Trump (and Brexit and the rise of the right). People who throws slurs and insults like you didn't really stop them, if not emboldened them

      But hey, if you want to repeat the same thing and expect a different result, that's your... freedom

    68. Re: No worries... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sure, however if your property already has service and they are the only provider in the area they are required to sell you power.

    69. Re: No worries... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      By that measure, so did Facebook. So suck it, hypocrite.

    70. Re: No worries... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Translation: I'm a Russian troll.

    71. Re: No worries... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Jesus. "I'm rubber you're glue?" Seriously?

    72. Re: No worries... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      All of you infighting cunts need to get the fuck off Slashdot and put into a cage where you can fight one another to the death. And the 'winners' should be shipped to a gulag.

      Join or Die.

    73. Re: No worries... by kenh · · Score: 1

      Bullshit.

      AT&T got a largely free ride on infrastructure from the government,

      Define "largely free ride" - you mean the government paid for all those switches and fiber runs and routers, or do you mean - just like every other business in America - AT&T got to deduct capital expenses from revenues, lowering their tax obligation?

      When UPS buys a truck, they get to deduct the cost from their taxes - does that mean UPS owes everyone free shipping?

      When The corner pizzeria buys a new pizza oven they get to deduct that cost from their taxes - does that mean free pizza for everyone?

      --
      Ken
    74. Re: No worries... by kenh · · Score: 1

      I don't see how they won't be effectively dealt with by the FCC as necessary.

      Actually, Ajit Pai's position is that the Federal Trade Commission should handle network providers that treat customer data improperly, not the FCC.

      --
      Ken
    75. Re: No worries... by kenh · · Score: 1

      Psi thinks the FTC, not the FCC, is the right agency to handle those problems.

      It's interesting to note that all those corporations that benefited greatly from a 'light-touch' FCC now suddenly insist that all startups need to suffer under a 'heavy-touch' FCC, an FCC that will impose requirements and regulations on internet companies that wish to compete with the Facebooks and the Googles of the world, but will struggle under an increased regulatory burden.

      --
      Ken
    76. Re: No worries... by kenh · · Score: 1

      To add insult to injury, the tax payer paid for most of the cable that the internet service providers own.

      Bullshit. Simply saying that doesn't make it true. Subscribers "paid for most of the cable that the internet service providers own." Being able to deduct business expenses isn't a subsidy, and at best it only subsidizes a capital investment at a percentage equivalent to the applicable tax rate the company might otherwise have paid.

      --
      Ken
    77. Re: No worries... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Dude it's so scripted. The little minds being played. Dimocrats and republicans alike

    78. Re: No worries... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you care about att paying you back why not those sob banks from 2008 who got bailed out by taxpayers at the command of obama and his CONgries. Yea you dumb two faced clowns.

    79. Re: No worries... by reanjr · · Score: 1

      It totally does though. It might not be intentional, but laws are written by lawyers, not technologists.

    80. Re: No worries... by mapkinase · · Score: 1

      Thanks. Excellent reminder.

      --
      I do not believe in karma. "Funny"=-6. Do good and forbid evil. Yours, Oft-Offtopic Flamebaiting Troll.
    81. Re: No worries... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'd prefer if they took the leftist Antifa route and killed you.

    82. Re: No worries... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      free ride prob refers to the billions of dollars in subsidies they've been given

    83. Re: No worries... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      before 2015 NN regulation, NN was already the status quo...

    84. Re: No worries... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Agreed. Slashdot comments are just an off topic sh!tshow. It's gotten 10x worse since the acquisition.

      Crazy thing is, I would actually like to see commentary on the articles for some new viewpoints but when it ends up Trump this Liberal that off topic garbage I just go elsewhere.

      This bookmark gets clicked less and less unfortunately and its totally a fixable situation. The mods should have auto -1 for flame language keywords and a 24 hour ban for people trying to game them. But alas, the mods typically want to inject political rhetoric where it doesn't belong so I don't see any changes in the near future.

    85. Re: No worries... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's not about agree or disagree... it's about off topic name calling that details a perfectly capable news platform into a red vs blue sh!tshow.

    86. Re: No worries... by Marxist+Hacker+42 · · Score: 1

      Who said anything about Quality of Service? I'm just pointing out that technically, net neutrality is impossible.

      --
      SJW: a person who perceives an injustice, and while correcting it, commits a greater injustice.
    87. Re:No worries... by KingBenny · · Score: 1

      yay for democracy , huzzah for plebs now sports

      --
      Free speech was meant to be free for all... how can anyone grow up in a nanny state ?
    88. Re:No worries... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Guess who will subsidize that?

      Um, the people who actually use Netflix? That's the whole fucking point, shitforbrains.

  2. Finally! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Now I can get my free AT&T TV over my AT&T cell service. Screw you, Obama!

    1. Re:Finally! by Lisandro · · Score: 2

      Now I can get my free AT&T TV over my AT&T cell service.

      Oh, you innocent, sweet summer child.

  3. Classic Republican projection by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    "He also criticized Senate Dems and others for spreading misinformation during net neutrality debate"

    Like using bots to spam comments in your favor, or fake a DDoS attack to stop people petitioning against you?

    1. Re:Classic Republican projection by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Go away, troll.

    2. Re:Classic Republican projection by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Why do you hate America and our free market system? We've saved the world twice and frankly I don't know if I'm inclined to do it again after listening to all your bullshit.

      I think you owe France at least one for you know ... supplying you with a fuck ton of ships and arms to help with your independence from the British.

    3. Re:Classic Republican projection by Luthair · · Score: 1

      Or lies about historical regulation.

      Or lies about how the internet was built & evolved

      Or lie about the impact of regulation of telco's profits

      Or lies about impact of regulation on rollouts.

    4. Re: Classic Republican projection by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Funny that our president is trying to get the world to destroy itself so he can be the 'savior' .. go read Bannon and his shiny about the 4th turning. That's the plan

    5. Re:Classic Republican projection by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      We'll make sure and thank the French King for his support! Of course, ever since you Frogs tossed your monarch, you've done shit-all on the world stage. It takes someone with balls to actually make decisions on a global scale, and when you got rid of your King, you lost them. The Kaiser then the Fuhrer - and now rag-head Mohammedians - have ensured your balls are kept locked away...

    6. Re:Classic Republican projection by datavirtue · · Score: 1

      Mod this shit up!

      --
      I object to power without constructive purpose. --Spock
    7. Re:Classic Republican projection by john.r.strohm · · Score: 1

      It seems to me that the US repaid that debt, with interest, on June 6, 1944, on the beaches at Normandy.

    8. Re: Classic Republican projection by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Mod this shit up.

    9. Re:Classic Republican projection by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 1

      Why on Earth would anyone want to mod up something that is, as you point out, shit?

      --
      Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
    10. Re: Classic Republican projection by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 1

      Bannon is a traitor to his country, to freedom, and to humanity in general.

      --
      Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
    11. Re: Classic Republican projection by kenh · · Score: 1

      Pretty sure we paid the French government, and I believe we returned the favor around the time of WW2.

      --
      Ken
    12. Re: Classic Republican projection by kenh · · Score: 1

      Who lied about 'if you like your doctor...'

      Who lied about 'if you like your insurance plan...'

      Who lied about 'average families will see savings of $2,500/family'

      Who lied about 'shovel-ready jobs'

      I could go on, but those are some of the world-class whoppers from just the last administration.

      --
      Ken
  4. Back and forth by SirMasterboy · · Score: 4, Insightful

    And when the political power flips again in the future, the new administration will bring back the regulations.

    This is why Internet regulation shouldn't be run by the FCC in the first place with their 5 votes. It's always going to flip flop based on which party controls the president.

    I'd like to see congress pass some Internet regulations and let the FTC enforce it.

    1. Re: Back and forth by timrod · · Score: 1

      The problem is that Congress won't. One of the main GOP talking points around net neutrality is the idea that any government regulation is going to lead to conservative voices being censored, so they're never going to vote for it or allow it to be voted upon. The Democrats would be more receptive, but it's also not a legislative priority for them - compared to immigration and trying to keep the Affordable Care Act together it barely even registers on their radar. The best solution would be a Democrat-led FCC reinstating the rules and then Congress taking away their authority to change the classification away from Title 2 until such time as Congress can come up with a better resolution.

    2. Re: Back and forth by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why does the GOP care about censoring conservative voices? If anything, that would be in Republicans' favor since they're left of Democrats on most issues.

    3. Re:Back and forth by Freischutz · · Score: 3, Insightful

      And when the political power flips again in the future, the new administration will bring back the regulations.

      This is why Internet regulation shouldn't be run by the FCC in the first place with their 5 votes. It's always going to flip flop based on which party controls the president.

      I'd like to see congress pass some Internet regulations and let the FTC enforce it.

      What on earth makes you think the Republicans control Trump?

    4. Re: Back and forth by SuperKendall · · Score: 2

      The problem is that Congress won't.

      Then work on that problem, not on the "problem" of what actions the FCC does or does not take. Sorry it's harder, but shouldn't passing laws that affect an entire country be somewhat difficult and not in the hands of five people?

      --
      "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    5. Re:Back and forth by Maritz · · Score: 0

      It's always going to flip flop based on which party controls the president.

      The All-Russia People's Front? Hopefully they'll only have control of the FCC this one time. But you never know, you've a lot of very fucking stupid rednecks over there.

      --
      I do not want your cheap brainburning drugs. They are useless for work. And I am a working man today.
    6. Re:Back and forth by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Agreed.

      But they don't ACTUALLY want 'neutrality'.

      But they do want the fcc 'standards and practices' to apply to the internet when needed.
      Get rid of that nasty racist frog for example. End 'fake news' that makes you look bad.

      That's what it's really about.

    7. Re:Back and forth by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 1

      You've likely seen primaries in your own State by now, so then you're seeing the beginnings of the 'political power' flipping already; our government, in it's current state, is incredibly and horribly out of balance. A correction is forthcoming, and as stated above you're likely already seeing that correction happen. The political needle is currently slammed all the way over to the right and is bending against it's stop; starting with this year, it will start to slowly move back towards the center, which is where it belongs. We are not a one-party nation, and our government, which is ostensibly by the people and for the people, is supposed to represent the interests of all it's citizens, not less than half of them. Democrats will likely take back the House of Representatives, which will go a long way towards restoring the balance. In 2020, Trump will not be re-elected, and unless we somehow end up with someone worse (hard to imagine) the country will breathe a collective sigh of relief, as some sanity is restored. Meanwhile the Mueller investigation is rooting out the corruption, and I wouldn't at all be surprised if some Trump appointees (Pai, Pruitt, Sessions, I'm looking at you) get forced out.

      ..and now, having spoken my mind, I will no doubt be insulted to within an inch of my life by the pro-Trump people, LOL.

    8. Re: Back and forth by Rakarra · · Score: 1

      The problem is that Congress won't.

      Then work on that problem, not on the "problem" of what actions the FCC does or does not take. Sorry it's harder, but shouldn't passing laws that affect an entire country be somewhat difficult and not in the hands of five people?

      The problem that we have in the US is that almost everyone LOVES their congressional representative. And they universally dislike all of the other congressional representatives. So their there is a real contempt of Congress, but the makeup of Congress rarely changes because their rep brings home the bacon.

    9. Re:Back and forth by nmb3000 · · Score: 1

      What on earth makes you think the Republicans control Trump?

      Trump might spasm around a bit on the Republican talking points and agenda, but at the end of the day he knows that without Congress's backing he won't actually get anything done (except a disturbing number of inappropriate and celebrity pardons). He's also no doubt been told that congressional mid-terms are just around the corner and if his party loses many seats in the house or senate then he's pretty much screwed.

      Trump might be singing off-key and marching like a drunkard, but he's still singing and dancing to the Repub theme song.

      --
      "What do you despise? By this are you truly known." --Princess Irulan, Manual of Muad'Dib
      /)
    10. Re:Back and forth by Freischutz · · Score: 1

      What on earth makes you think the Republicans control Trump?

      Trump might spasm around a bit on the Republican talking points and agenda, but at the end of the day he knows that without Congress's backing he won't actually get anything done (except a disturbing number of inappropriate and celebrity pardons). He's also no doubt been told that congressional mid-terms are just around the corner and if his party loses many seats in the house or senate then he's pretty much screwed.

      Trump might be singing off-key and marching like a drunkard, but he's still singing and dancing to the Repub theme song.

      True, but Trump also commands the loyalty of a large portion of the Republican base which has come to loathe the guts out of the Republican establishment. John Boehner put it rather well the other day: "There is no Republican Party. There's a Trump Party, The Republican Party is kind of taking a nap somewhere". If Trump puts his mind to it he can easily channel that loathing of the Republican establishment into splitting the Republican party. That would create an interesting situation in a country with two parties each of whom has a relatively firm control of about 45% of Congress and where control of Congress depends on the vagrancies of a small number of swing voters.

    11. Re: Back and forth by kenh · · Score: 1

      I'd like to see congress pass some Internet regulations and let the FTC enforce it.

      That's exactly what Chairman Ajit Pai wants, he's even quoted saying that in the /. Summary.

      --
      Ken
  5. It's okay by davidwr · · Score: 1

    Changes of administration bring changes of executive branch policy.

    Until this is codified by statute or case law one way or the other OR one "side" concedes to the other politically, businesses and industry should be prepared to have their chains yanked every time the White House changes parties.

    Not just with Net Neutrality but by any other issue with an active political tug-of-war. Health care, environmental rules, trade and tariffs, the list goes on.

    --
    Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
  6. NN is not what you're being told by Train0987 · · Score: 0

    If Google and Facebook are in favor of it then be very suspicious.

    1. Re:NN is not what you're being told by pem · · Score: 1

      Obviously they want to keep their bandwidth costs low. Yeah, they make lots of money, but margins could easily evaporate in a bad regulatory climate.

      But their large financial stake in this (and their other well-known issues) don't make them wrong in this.

    2. Re:NN is not what you're being told by iCEBaLM · · Score: 3, Informative

      You say this as if there's some conspiracy going on. Anyone can read the laws. Google and Facebook are in favor of it because they don't want to be charged twice by ISPs.

      What more do you think it is?

    3. Re:NN is not what you're being told by jythie · · Score: 1

      I think it isn't just bandwidth costs, but legal ones. Under NN, Netflix/Facebook/whoever only really needs to negotiate with the ISP they get their access from (plus any they want to put in additional dedicated connections),.. without NN they have to negotiate with every little ISP that wants to make accessing their customers difficult. That is a lot of deal making and a lot of contracts to keep together.

    4. Re:NN is not what you're being told by DirkDaring · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      NN was more about kicking sites off the net that the Govt didn't agree with. That was its true intentions, had very little to do with bandwidth being 'neutral'.

    5. Re:NN is not what you're being told by NoNonAlphaCharsHere · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Nonsense. Did Faux News tell you that? The purpose of Net Neutrality is to prevent the Comcasts of the world from going to the Netflixes of the world and saying "That's a nice business you got there. It'd be a shame if Something Bad happened to it...".

    6. Re:NN is not what you're being told by DirkDaring · · Score: 1

      Wrong, that wasn't the purpose of it at all. You believe what the left wing media tells you to believe.

    7. Re:NN is not what you're being told by NoNonAlphaCharsHere · · Score: 1

      When your Netflix bill goes up because the national ISPs are extorting them, remember what I said.

    8. Re:NN is not what you're being told by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wrong, that wasn't the purpose of it at all. You believe what the left wing media tells you to believe.

      These days, the sure sign of an idiot speaking is bitching about the massive conspiracy of the left wing media to provide facts and logic versus your feels and beliefs.

      There is no left wing media conspiracy, just morons who can't reconcile reality with their beliefs and want to blame someone else for it.

      Just because people in the left-wing echo chamber believes something, doesn't make it true.

      The dumb shit you believe is a problem with you. Reality is just fine, you clowns just refuse to accept that fact.

      Fuck off, nazi.

    9. Re:NN is not what you're being told by Thomas+Charron · · Score: 1

      Actually, our Netflix bills went up 4 times during Net Neutrality.. :-P

      --
      -- I'm the root of all that's evil, but you can call me cookie..
    10. Re:NN is not what you're being told by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      People who just distrust some MSM/government, which is the only thing he says, are not necessarily nazis.
      In fact, nazis were the ones who believed the MSM/government of the time.
      Apart from that, I don't see him say anything else.
      If you call your opponent a nazi, you only let them know you don't know shit about them (unless they actually want to exterminate jews etc).
      The "nazi" meme is just a left-wing equivalent of the "fake news" meme; both are seemingly quite effective in keeping you americans divided and weak against your common enemy.
      It's easy to see what's wrong on the other side, now dare to look honestly at your own brainwashing for a change.
      "But he is still just plain wrong", yeah so inform him of that, without being wrong yourself, it might even lead to you being believed every once in a while.

    11. Re: NN is not what you're being told by kenh · · Score: 1

      If costs go up, who can better afford the increased costs, Google/Facebook/Netflix, or the small startups looking to eat their lunch. Major Corp. can absorb compliance costs much better than under-funded startups.

      --
      Ken
    12. Re:NN is not what you're being told by iCEBaLM · · Score: 1

      That's precisely what I said....

  7. WooHooo! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm AT&T shareholder! Between this and the ruling tomorrow on the Time Warner merger by a George W. Bush appointed judge (Gee, I wonder how a Republican appointed judge is going to rule? For the corporations or the consumer? Hmmmmmmm.), I'll be sittin' pretty!

    Crony capitalism for the WIN!!!

    Hey, I got student loans and a retirement to consider! Don't like it, turn off the streaming and pick up a book!

    Oh, THANKS TRUMP!!!

    1. Re:WooHooo! by JackieBrown · · Score: 2

      I'm AT&T shareholder! Between this and the ruling tomorrow on the Time Warner merger by a George W. Bush appointed judge (Gee, I wonder how a Republican appointed judge is going to rule? For the corporations or the consumer?

      This one must be very conflicting for you since the Trump administration is against the merger.

  8. Re:This is America by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Ireland enjoys the EU's equivalent of Net Neutrality. As well, South Korea has its own equivalent of Net Neutrality regulations, and in fact fosters competition by helping fund last-mile development.

  9. how unfortunate. by fish_in_the_c · · Score: 1

    I hate having to choose between rupuklicans and deomancrates when it comes to our general election.
    I would really like a candidate who believed in laws that discouraged the centralization of wealth and power with a few individuals and who thought it should be accomplished with laws that create fair competition rather then having the central government collect all that money a redistribute it. Right now we basically get to choose between a party that believes the rich elete should control society and a party who believe the government should control society and every aspect of our lives. Of coarse it is worsened because one party pays lip service to morality and the other party shows out right disdain for it, to the point of booing at the idea of mentioning God in tier parties platform. So we are stuck either voting for the worshipers of the worldly wealth, who slowly erode basic freedoms and make things hard for people of color because is serves better the almighty dollar or the worshipers of murder, and bestiality and sexual depravity and it is hard to tell which one is worse. Of coarse both of them contribute in there own way to the problems with 1 in 3 women being raped or attacked. The republicans by ignoring the problem and acting like the powerful can do no wrong and the democrats by promoting sex as toy and by proxies women as play things.

    The whole things reminds me that if there is no God, there is no hope because no human being or human action is going to save us from this mess.

    --
    âoeTolerance applies only to persons, but never to truth. Intolerance applies only to truth, but never to persons.
    1. Re:how unfortunate. by AlanBDee · · Score: 1

      I hate having to choose between rupuklicans and deomancrates when it comes to our general election.

      CGP Grey did a great video about that, it's a fun thought experiment. https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
      He did another video called rules for rulers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

      Seeing those helped me understand our elected officials and their decisions much better. Which has caused me to be less frustrated and angry about it. It's not simple and even those with the best of intentions can only do so much.

    2. Re:how unfortunate. by datavirtue · · Score: 1

      Unlike the McRib, "really liking," wanting, or hoping are not going to materialize a reformed government for you.

      --
      I object to power without constructive purpose. --Spock
  10. Age of hostility. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The internet now doesn't like you either.

  11. Go against Trump or against FB and Google? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You know, I donâ(TM)t know the details of the NN debate (though Iâ(TM)m sure there are lies on both sides) but I find myself tending towards being in favor of the repeal simply because Facebook and Google are against it.

    1. Re:Go against Trump or against FB and Google? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Of course they're against it. ISP's are now able to get in the advertising and analytics game now directly challenging Google and Facebook revenue sources.

    2. Re: Go against Trump or against FB and Google? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I thought that it was about monetizing packet priority and that they can already spy on you all they want.

  12. Re:This is America by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Before somebody wonders, the poster is being sarcastic. South Korea, Ireland and Finland are poster examples of countries with strong net neutrality regulations and very fast, affordable, and reliable internet access.

  13. That would be the Constitutional way by raymorris · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Agreed, the Constitution gives Congress the power to make law, not Ajit Pai. Pai's contention that the FCC doesn't have the authority to make NN laws isn't completely unfounded. There are arguments both ways, but any time it's unclear whether an unelected bureaucracy has the authority to do X, I'd rather them not do X. I get a chance to vote for or against my Congressman every two years. I don't get to vote on FCC commissioners.

    I hope whatever does get passed, whenever that happens, has a lot of input from people who really understand carrier-grade networks. One draft bill proposed in Congress would have actually made it illegal to block spam. "Treat every packet the same" would be disastrous, making VoIP virtually impossible. Some of the goals related to NN are certainly good, and I'd like to see them happen, but writing a law will be tricky because the technical details are very complex.

    1. Re:That would be the Constitutional way by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Agreed, the Constitution gives Congress the power to make law, not Ajit Pai. Pai's contention that the FCC doesn't have the authority to make NN laws isn't completely unfounded. There are arguments both ways, but any time it's unclear whether an unelected bureaucracy has the authority to do X, I'd rather them not do X. I get a chance to vote for or against my Congressman every two years. I don't get to vote on FCC commissioners.

      Congress has used the power of the Constitution to create laws that let that let Shit Pie create laws.

    2. Re:That would be the Constitutional way by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Huh?

      Ever heard of a little thing called QoS?

    3. Re:That would be the Constitutional way by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · · Score: 1

      It is disturbing to see government arrogating a large new power to itself via regulation without Congress mandating it to the agency.

      Just because Congress is supine doesn't change this any more than the president should able to initiate military actions since Vietnam without approval.

      "Sit and do nothing because if we do something and it fails that's much worse voterwise than if we do something and it works is a benefit." -- Clumsy Congressional motto on the back of the 2-dollar bill.

      --
      (-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
    4. Re:That would be the Constitutional way by datavirtue · · Score: 1

      ""Sit and do nothing because if we do something and it fails that's much worse voterwise than if we do something and it works is a benefit.""

      This is true of any politically charged environment. Ever try to get anything done in a corporation where everyone from the top down is fighting and wrangling for power? Super slow....and something is always left on the table to rot.

      --
      I object to power without constructive purpose. --Spock
    5. Re:That would be the Constitutional way by Brett+Buck · · Score: 2

      In fact, all the three-letter agencies work in a similar way. They ostensibly let "experts" in various areas generate regulation, rather that requiring congressmen and senators to be experts in any topic. Of course, it also removes any electoral accountability for their actions.

            The effect has to been to create a class of unelected regulators that serve the same purpose as the "civil servant" class in European/other socialist countries. The civil servants are the real power, and decide what happens, the elected officials are mostly figureheads who come and go. This class is the proverbial "swamp".

      The constitution was intended to prevent exactly this arrangement. It would be literally impossible for Congress to generate laws at this rate and volume, and that was intentional. It more or less worked until the New Deal, where Roosevelt, etc, took advantage of the panic and desperation to create this arrangement. The effect was to "not let a crisis go to waste" and it managed to extend the depression until an even bigger crisis came along (World War II).

    6. Re:That would be the Constitutional way by Thomas+Charron · · Score: 1

      Your obviously a special child, who isn't aware that QoS bits only apply to public networks, and not are meaningless over the internet.

      --
      -- I'm the root of all that's evil, but you can call me cookie..
    7. Re:That would be the Constitutional way by Thomas+Charron · · Score: 1

      "Treat every packet the same" would be disastrous, making VoIP virtually impossible. Some of the goals related to NN are certainly good, and I'd like to see them happen, but writing a law will be tricky because the technical details are very complex.

      Your VoIP UDP packets, right now, at this very moment, are treated the same as every other packet on the internet as a whole. I'm not sure why you have the impression that VoIP is treated any differently then your porn videos....

          QoS is only used by your private networks, to send QoS flagged packets out the router, but the internet? It could care less.

      --
      -- I'm the root of all that's evil, but you can call me cookie..
    8. Re:That would be the Constitutional way by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So you want senators, notorious for simply rubber stamping the worst most anti-consumer pro-corporate horse shit, to be making decisions about technology regulation instead of actual subject matter experts?

      No fucking thank you.

  14. Thinking with their wallets by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why would Google want to get into a bidding war against Microsoft for whose search engine gets a 'preferred connection' to not be throttled by an ISP?

    Why would Facebook want ISPs to block them if their users don't buy a 'Social Media Package' on top of their basic internet subscription?

    No restrictions to access means no money out of their pockets to ISPs an no lost users. Simple as.

    1. Re:Thinking with their wallets by Train0987 · · Score: 0

      Yes, heaven forbid they actually have to compete!

      The regulatory framework being abandoned actually served to lock out competitors of the big firms.

    2. Re:Thinking with their wallets by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Also, there is a God. Since we are making unsupported assertions, I wanted to join in.

    3. Re:Thinking with their wallets by iCEBaLM · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Uh, how do you figure that treating all traffic on the internet the same way locks out competitors?

    4. Re:Thinking with their wallets by JackieBrown · · Score: 1

      If throttling can seriously effect google's search engine, then they need to go back to their roots.

      I remember switching to google from yahoo when I was on dial up because I'd already be well into my search results while yahoo.com was still loading

    5. Re:Thinking with their wallets by datavirtue · · Score: 1

      This. Just wait until Netflix subscribers experience a few bufferings per show on a consistent basis. Political heads will roll.

      --
      I object to power without constructive purpose. --Spock
    6. Re:Thinking with their wallets by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      for instance a competitor who wants to tailor their service to specific use would be unable to do so.

      maybe in my locality there would be a normal ISP that would serve everything and a competitor that would not serve or would throttle netflix/torrenting/whatever. i would choose the latter because i do not use those services and I would get a better price because the latter ISP would have, presumably, lower traffic demands.

    7. Re: Thinking with their wallets by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That is like expecting the water company to install a filter for your home, and somehow charge you less for it. Unless you admit that isp's are hugely overcharging consumers. And your willing to take a price break for them to serve you "filtered" content.

    8. Re:Thinking with their wallets by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This. Just wait until Netflix subscribers experience a few bufferings per show on a consistent basis. Political heads will roll.

      AT&T already started doing this to me the past few weeks. Somehow my non-shared 12 mbit line can't support lo-def netflix video like it could before? And I get at least 2 junk mailings per week telling me how great AT&T phone and TV service is and how happy I'll be if I would only upgrade to a plan that costs 4x as much for crap I don't want? Uh huh...

      I think it's a great time to cut the cord even more. I ditched cable TV and the land line telephone years ago. Haven't missed it. I guess the combined greed of the Comcasts and AT&Ts of the world has finally convinced me that I don't really need landline internet either.

      At the end of the day, I doubt any of the bought and paid for "political heads" could care less, let alone roll anywhere.

    9. Re:Thinking with their wallets by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're much more likely to pay less to an ISP that has higher traffic consumption than to one that only has low traffic customers. The internet service provider business is massively tilted in favor of big ISPs. A low traffic ISP still has to amortize the hardware, and if the low traffic is from filtering high traffic protocols, then that is a higher cost because filtering at line speed is expensive. Traffic costs on the other hand increase roughly by a factor of two for ten times the traffic. But if one high traffic user pays twice as much as a "web and mail" user, then that pays for at least a hundred times as much traffic, because the actual traffic costs are only a very small part of the total bill. ISPs would like you to believe that all that external data traffic is expensive, but it really isn't: Global transit is offered in increments of 10Gpbs and one such port costs roughly $1000/month at major internet exchanges. In practice, demanding users subsidize the casual users, and if you shoo away the people who pay more for more, you end up with high fixed costs and higher per Mbps traffic costs. That is a recipe for disaster in a price sensitive market.

    10. Re: Thinking with their wallets by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wow thanks, basically the same thing I said but you have actual data to back you up. I'll admit I hasn't researched that part. But it was logical, as filtering data is about as hard as a word search. And which is easier handing you a word search or solving the word search then handing you the answers.

      So when we pay an isp for filtered content we are paying for not just the internet and all the hardware/software needed for it. But also for all the additiomal hardware and software for the rather complex task of reading, interpreting, then filtering of all of our data.

      Isp's want you to think all the hardware for the Internet is expensive, because then they can charge you more for it. But if you think about it you can easily create your own Internet by simply plugging a router and a bunch of switches together, which is what many businesses do. And for most people who have a wifi router, all of that is contained in your router, and probably cost you less than $100. $200 if you went with an expensive one. And you can upgrade to the same capabilities as business grade by simply installing a custom firmware on it. (like ddwrt)

      Remember the Internet was designed back in the 70's amd 80's. Using hardware less powerfull than many 4 function calculators we have today. If in all that time prices have not gone down then, the world has gone crazy.

      So yes, your being overcharged, for subpar service, with subpar support. And some of us are so ignorant they not only think it's fine, they want to enable isp's to charge us more.

    11. Re:Thinking with their wallets by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If competitors offer lower rates due to restricting traffic to services I dont personally use, that could be a win for me.

  15. Re:Meanwhile, Dems screw Sanders - again by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Pretty much, it's almost as if the party is suffering from some sort of brain damage that prevents them from understanding that the voters don't actually have to vote for their candidate.

    It's astonishing to me that not that many years ago the GOP was more or less on the ropes. What they were doing wasn't winning elections and was showing no signs of improvement. Then the Democrats decided to bail them out by behaving like feckless morons that couldn't conceive of the fact that you have to offer more than vague platitudes, you have to promise to improve things for the voters and actually follow through on it.

    Right now I don't see much point in voting as the Democrats have made it quite clear that they aren't going to do a damned thing to help the voters out and the GOP is even worse.

  16. Ajit Pai by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Is it just me or when people say his name I always hear "A Shit Pie". Which is strangely appropos because it usually makes sense in the context of the rest of the sentence.

    1. Re: Ajit Pai by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Just racists like you.

    2. Re: Ajit Pai by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 1

      There are plenty of reasons why Pai is worthy of our contempt. Not a one of them has anything to do with his ethnicity.

      --
      Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
  17. Home of the free. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    America, fuck yeah!

  18. At the very least... by MadCat221 · · Score: 1

    At the very least, it gives challengers to Republican incumbents who are against Net Neutrality another vector to assail the general Republican complicity in the Trumpster Fire.

  19. Excellent! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    US technology has always been an example for other countries, and with this repeal it remains an example. We will all watch and learn from you. Now bring out the popcorn.

  20. Take a deep breath and see what happens by mnemotronic · · Score: 1

    So many people have predictions of doom-and-gloom or rainbows-and-roses. I'm willing to give it some time and see what actually happens. I'm no fan of Pai but I'm also not a fan of US Govt intervention. I've seen too many past instances of the "Modified Midas Touch" where govt involvement turns everything to s**t.

    --
    The Russians have won. They have made the world a cesspool of distrust, greed, fear and hate.
    1. Re:Take a deep breath and see what happens by Lisandro · · Score: 1

      Net Neutrality was in place precisely to prevent anything from happening. The floodgates are now open for ISPs to selectively block or throttle content - it will eventually happen. The financial incentives are just too big.

      I really wonder what was so broken under the existing NN laws in the US that required nuking them altogheter.

    2. Re:Take a deep breath and see what happens by AlanBDee · · Score: 1

      I often ask myself which is worse; the bureaucratic incompetence of the government or the greediness of corporations? Which is worse seems to depend on the level of competition. Google's sudden exit from rolling fiber and the proposed speeds of the upcoming 5G wireless technology make me think we will likely see an increase in competition for internet service. I'll even wager the 4 major mobile carriers will have an edge over Comcast because they can bundle home internet with the mobile phone package.

      My local Centrylink DSL can only handle 20Mbps and that's enough to regularly stream down to two devices before the image starts to degrade. Granted my DSL line gets a very solid 20Mbps speed, not the "sometimes, up to" speeds that most wireless and comcast promise.

    3. Re:Take a deep breath and see what happens by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The ISPs have been reading cyberpunk novels for decades and realized that they weren't legit megacorps yet, and current regulations were getting in the way of achieving their dreams. Luckily, Tom Wheeler is gone, and Pai is all too happy to give the green light to his former company to start fucking the internet with a rusty knife.

    4. Re:Take a deep breath and see what happens by datavirtue · · Score: 1

      Fuck innovation. I'm going to Washington!

      --
      I object to power without constructive purpose. --Spock
    5. Re:Take a deep breath and see what happens by Ogive17 · · Score: 1

      I've also seen the telecom companies abuse their near monopolies and act in collusion with the "competition" to milk every last available penny from consumers.

      This is one industry that does not deserve unfettered control of the market. Taxpayers built their infrastructure - for that we get predatory business practices.

      The days of dial-up were nice, even my small town of 25k people had 3 viable local options and of course national options such as AOL. Now I have Time Warner.. and.. uh.. I think that's it now.

      --
      "Action without philosophy is a lethal weapon; philosophy without action is worthless."
    6. Re:Take a deep breath and see what happens by Actually,+I+do+RTFA · · Score: 1

      I'll even wager the 4 major mobile carriers will have an edge over Comcast because they can bundle home internet with the mobile phone package.

      And yet Comcast is already doing this. They use everyone's home WiFi hotspots to create a WiFi everywhere (urban) network, and have giant transmitters making up some of the holes. Of course, they have (probably a block buy from one of the four major ones) airtime on mobile. But they seem to bank on wifi for most of he data.

      --
      Your ad here. Ask me how!
  21. Re: Praise King Trump! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

    seriously though the time is coming when you actually will be asked to kneel for him. how americans respond to that request will determine the future of this democracy.

  22. Re:The Chicken Littles are wrong again by blackomegax · · Score: 1

    And here we have the prolific "useful idiot" serving at the behest of the corporatist propaganda they've been brainwashed with.

  23. Voting on Party by nowwith25percentmore · · Score: 1

    I prefer to vote for political candidates on their individual merits. However, I think I'm going to have to start voting straight Democrat until this net neutrality thing is fixed.

    1. Re:Voting on Party by JackieBrown · · Score: 1

      LOL - I'm sure.

      Because this is the most important issue facing our country right now.

      If there are lots of issues causing you to vote democrat, than just be honest about it. Don't act like the republicans switching to a pro-neutrality vote is enough to make you consider voting Republican. If it's that easy for you to discount an entire party over this issue, some other issue would just pop up to give yourself an excuse to keep voting democrat.

    2. Re:Voting on Party by datavirtue · · Score: 1

      Put the knife down.. Don't do it!

      --
      I object to power without constructive purpose. --Spock
    3. Re:Voting on Party by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Thanks i just spit my drink all over my monitor. You think that's the most important issue facing the country right now? The democratic party is lost.

  24. Get the most out of your connection then by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

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    APK

    P.S.=> Enjoy - it's better vs. the Windows model on many fronts (speed & efficiency, mostly (plus a new merge feature))... apk

  25. Obama? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Obama hired Ajit in the first place, geniuses. Don't take my word for it, it's there for everyone to see on Wkipedia and elsewhere. I support net neutrality, but let's not pretend this just appeared out of nowhere. Sigh. I guess we'll see how it shakes out.

    1. Re:Obama? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Pai was designated chairman of the FCC by Trump in Jan 2017, you fucking dolt.

    2. Re:Obama? by Train0987 · · Score: 2

      He was first appointed to the FCC by Obama. It's not like he gets an extra vote for being Chairman.

    3. Re:Obama? by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

      He was first appointed to the FCC by Obama. It's not like he gets an extra vote for being Chairman.

      The chairman determines the agenda, and he was the minority Republican member with two demoncraps. So now you control the agenda, have a built in two to one vote, and you really think he has no power? Let's chat about 3 to 1 margins. So yeah, he kinda does get the automatic majority.

      But hey, I get it.... "HER EMAIL!!!"

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    4. Re:Obama? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      buttery male?

    5. Re:Obama? by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

      buttery male?

      Slippery shiny he-dolphin?

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
  26. Content & user censorship is a bigger problem by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I travel extensively, and thus get to use a lot of ISPs and network providers. While some are better than others, neutrality hasn't generally been a problem. I can use the web, check my email, and so on, regardless of which provider I'm using.

    What has been a problem, however, is the censorship that happens at discussion websites like Reddit, Twitter and even this website. I see this happen to other people constantly on such platforms. Users get banned, or their content is deleted, or even more insidiously the content is hidden or made harder to view by default (like here).

    It's sad: the discussion websites where commenters have made the biggest fuss about the importance of net neutrality end up being the websites that engage in some of the least-neutral and least-impartial behavior that I've seen online.

  27. Registered /.ers opinions of the Win64 model by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Your software is just fine - well written, functional... I'm going to continue using the Host File Engine by mmell February 17, 2017

    (APK's work), I've flat out said it's good by BronsCon February 11 2016

    his hosts program is actually pretty good by xenotransplant August 10 2015

    his hosts tool is actually useful for those cases in which one does indeed want to locally block stuff outright while consuming minimum system resources by alexgieg September 25 2015

    I like your host file system by Karmashock September 09 2015

    I do use APK's host file on all my systems at home by OrangeTide December 01 2017

    I personally use a HOSTS file blocker produced from a genius called APK by 110010001000 October 27 2017

    * See subject: Best part is this Linux 64-bit model is faster & more efficient (does 2x the work in 1/2 the time, literally)!

    APK

    P.S.=> Enjoy a faster/safer/more reliable internet... apk

  28. How laws actually work by sjbe · · Score: 5, Informative

    Agreed, the Constitution gives Congress the power to make law, not Ajit Pai.

    You fail to understand how laws are actually made. There are in broad strokes three kinds of law. Statutes, regulations, and case law. Regulations ARE laws. Congress passes statutes which then delegates the authority to the administration (the FCC in this case) to make regulations which are the details about how the law is to be implemented and they have substantial discretion in doing this in most cases. Congress doesn't have the expertise to fill in all the details so they leave much of the heavy lifting up to the executive branch. Regulations ARE laws so the FCC has (within their mandate from Congress) the power to make law. Since Ajit Pai is in charge of that particular agency he has been delegated law making power from Congress.

    Now a judge or Congress can constrain his actions through further statutes or case law, but otherwise the FCC absolutely can make laws and does so routinely every time they make a regulation.

    1. Re:How laws actually work by datavirtue · · Score: 0

      Fuck the judicial "branch" and their rewriting of laws. They have no place and no value in our society. Lame ducks.

      They are supposed to be independent but they are extremely cognizant of and affected by political circumstances....and because they are "independent"--just like the Federal Reserve--they are very careful about what they get themselves involved in because they do not want the people looking at them or questioning the value of those institutions (which means they lose power).

      TLDR; Judicial branch will only make controversial decisions/rulings if it feels they can politically survive them. Useless.

      --
      I object to power without constructive purpose. --Spock
    2. Re:How laws actually work by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They have passed the ball to executive tyranny because conducting oversight and writing comprehensive statue would be too much like real work.

  29. Re: Praise King Trump! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

    The only people forcing others to kneel are Democrats and BLM. President Trump has made it quite clear that he's against kneeling. He would rather see Americans stand tall as proud, productive, independent and free individuals.

  30. Wouldn't the solution be by rsilvergun · · Score: 1

    to stop sending a party to Washington that opposes Net Neutrality? You're talking about the Whitehouse, but it seems to me the entire country flips every decade. But more importantly the country's been moving to a right wing, pro-corporate politic since Clinton. So even if the other party's in charge it's not like it matters if they act exactly like the Republicans when push comes to shove.

    --
    Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
  31. Voting is for Chumps by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Voting is for chumps. Want change, lobby.

    With lobbying, you can rent a ROTUS or SOTUS of either HOTUS, or even a SCROTUS that sits on the SCOTUS and Interprets the COTUS for the POTUS.

    Even the POTUS can be rented for a much higher nominal fee. Even JOTUSES of the lower COTUSes have their price.

    Lobbying is fully TAX DEDUCTIBLE, your vote on the other hand, requires service.

    Even Felons can join a lobbyist group to rent a SOTUS, ROTUS , SCROTUS or even the POTUS, and it's fully TAX DEDUCTIBLE.

    1. Re:Voting is for Chumps by omnichad · · Score: 1

      Has the POTUS ever had COITUS with the FLOTUS?

    2. Re:Voting is for Chumps by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, also with the SLOTUS, and TLOTUS. Trump is brining polygamy back again, because I only believe in traditional marriage, but the bible does allow concubines and polygamy, so why not.

      Also, numbering the women is a good idea. the First though third ladies of the yada-yada-yada need to know their place.

  32. Re:This is America by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 1

    And also much, much smaller than the USA.

    --
    #DeleteFacebook
  33. Meglomania factory by edris90 · · Score: 1

    You know both his parents are Mormon? He was raised Mormons Trump's parents. And his grandparents. Mormons believe that women cannot make it to the highest level of Glory in the afterlife unless attached to a man. I also believe that every male has the potential to come the god of his own Universe one day. Now if you look into Financials. Mormon church owns and operates many llc's which Avast are forbidden from revealing who their Master is. Well we know businesses you hide information for up to no good. And businesses that conduct business ethically don't give a damn who knows what because it doesn't affect their bottom line. He learned everything from Mormonism. I grew up Mormon. Study unit in detail is what actually got me to give it up. I said I want to be a balanced person not a person who can only find security in inappropriate control of other people's money and actions.

    1. Re:Meglomania factory by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Crazy fuck. Neither of Trump's parents are Mormons. You mad, bro?

      Go jump off a fucking bridge, asswipe.

  34. Re: Praise King Soros! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

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    nazinal . . l

    PaRTY! PARTY! PaRTY! PARtY! pARTY!
    PaRTY! PARTY! PaRTY! PARtY! pARTY!

  35. Re:Content & user censorship is a bigger probl by NoNonAlphaCharsHere · · Score: 1

    So, in other words, you haven't a clue as to what Net Neutrality is.

  36. Re:This is America by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Before somebody wonders, the poster is being sarcastic. South Korea, Ireland and Finland are poster examples of countries with strong net neutrality regulations and very fast, affordable, and reliable internet access.

    Um... you can probably scratch off "affordable" for Ireland.

  37. Re:Content & user censorship is a bigger probl by MightyMartian · · Score: 2

    They're private companies that use the Internet for connection. Net neutrality is about the connectivity. You seriously think that every website on the Internet with a public forum should have to accept every single post that they get? There's no expectation that newspapers have to publish every letter to the editor, so why is it you want to force Reddit, Twitter et al to keep up every post? If you don't like their TOS, then start your own website.

    --
    The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
  38. Re:This is America by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Are you trying to argue for something? What?

  39. Re:This is America by MightyMartian · · Score: 2

    The majority of Americans live in urban centers, so yes, while it sucks to be out in the backwoods of Montana and not have great service, it doesn't really apply to the majority of Americans, so this really is an absurd counterpoint.

    --
    The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
  40. democracy by p51d007 · · Score: 3, Informative

    Need to go back and get a refund on your education. We don't now, or ever have lived in a democracy. And, you better PRAY we never do!

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

      You're an idiot of course we live in a democracy. Wh have a Republic which is a TYPE of democracy.

  41. Re:Content & user censorship is a bigger probl by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If you don't like their TOS, then start your own website.

    Oh wait...you can't because the incumbents might have paid any ISP with a significant market share to maybe have...let's say minor connectivity problems...when dealing with their competition's content.

  42. Funny, I thought Congress made laws by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Not the FCC. All of these 3-letter agencies are effectively making law without repercussions. See NSA, CIA, etc. If you want some kind of real, permanent regulation to satisfy your content providers then Congress needs to do it.

  43. Free speech by p51d007 · · Score: 0

    Then, start your OWN website and make up your own rules. Just because people THINK you have freedom of speech...you actually DON'T. It doesn't mean YOU are free to say anything you want. It just means GOVERNMENT cannot place restrictions on speech etc (but they do all the time). If a private website, wants to impose rules, however misguided some might be, unless you are paying the private website, then you are free to build your own website and say whatever you want. "What has been a problem, however, is the censorship that happens at discussion websites like Reddit, Twitter and even this website. I see this happen to other people constantly on such platforms. Users get banned, or their content is deleted, or even more insidiously the content is hidden or made harder to view by default (like here)."

    1. Re:Free speech by Jerry · · Score: 1

      "Then, start your OWN website and make up your own rules."

      Were it that simple.

      Google's management decides that they don't like your content and your site isn't listed in any search listing or its on the 30th page. Might as well be on a sign planted on the Moon.

      Besides Google, those that created their own website to express their own views without censorship find that their hosting company CEO decides unilaterally that he/she doesn't like what they see on the site so they delete its domain name and IP.

      Strangely, though, most of the blocking, shadow banning, or account deletions are with those whose views are anti-"Progressive", i.e., Marxist. Just a causal examination of tweets and youtube accounts immediately shows the difference.

      --

      Running with Linux for over 20 years!

    2. Re: Free speech by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Then start your own ISP and stop bitching about net neutrality.

  44. Re: Praise King Trump! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Right. Just like Obama was going to round us all up and put us in FEMA camps. And how Dubya was going to declare a state of emergency and cancel elections.

    Dumbass.

  45. Re: Get the most out of your connection then by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    APK for FCC Chair!

  46. Re: This is America by triffid_98 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    You clearly don't know what you are talking about. Throttling was indeed a thing in areas with perfectly good pipes in the past. There were lawsuits by some, payoffs by others. Now that "rent seeking" behavior is all back on the table

  47. Comcast could block Cloud Gaming unless you buy tv by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Comcast could block Cloud Gaming unless you buy an tv package just like how ATT blocked facetime on some plans.

  48. Re: Praise King Soros! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I already joined the Nazi...I mean Liberal party.

  49. Finally by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Now the ISPs are finally free to improve their networks and offer us service on par with the rest of the developed world. It was that pesky net neutrality that was holding them back, right guys? ...guys?

    1. Re:Finally by datavirtue · · Score: 1

      They will improve it by throttling and offering innovative new social media access plans. They will try, it will blow up in their face.

      --
      I object to power without constructive purpose. --Spock
  50. Re:This is America by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Cheer up, that's still cheaper than in the US, though maybe not when put into relation to average or median incomes: Comparison Table. The data might also be outdated, though. Nowadays 100 Mps are the low standard, at least in my country.

  51. Any legislation with the words... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    'freedom, liberty, or patriot' in its title is bad for us.

  52. Re: Praise King Trump! by datavirtue · · Score: 1

    Nah. But he sure would have given us an elegant teleprompter speech to make us feel good about the round-ups.

    --
    I object to power without constructive purpose. --Spock
  53. Re: Praise King Trump! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Interesting

    > forcing others to kneel

    got a cite for that? i don't see anyone being "forced" to kneel, I see patriots using their free speech rights (and in honor of our veterans) and being attacked for it by the likes of you. republicans regularly attack veterans like john mccain and anti-veterans like YOU support them for it.

    republicans are not only against freedom of speech, they are also anti-veteran.

  54. Good by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Let's shit on nerds. See them rage and rave. See them foaming at the mouth. See them waving their pudgy little hands, double chins dribbling, mumbling incoherent and empty threats. Truly nerd rage is the funniest rage.

  55. Right.... by sjbe · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I'm just guessing here.. But it seems to me that returning to a pre-NN regulation environment won't be a huge issue even then.

    I'm sure companies like AT&T and Comcast are fighting hard against Net Neutrality with no further goals and only the most altruistic of intentions. I'm sure that Comcast will be thrilled to compete fairly against Netflix and Google and countless tiny companies.

    1. Re:Right.... by bobbied · · Score: 1

      I'm just guessing here.. But it seems to me that returning to a pre-NN regulation environment won't be a huge issue even then.

      I'm sure companies like AT&T and Comcast are fighting hard against Net Neutrality with no further goals and only the most altruistic of intentions. I'm sure that Comcast will be thrilled to compete fairly against Netflix and Google and countless tiny companies.

      Citation please...

      Oh, wait, you are being sarcastic...

      So, your reasons for thinking that the FCC cannot deal with any issues that arise? Remember, I'm not saying providers won't misbehave, I'm saying the FCC is free to fix any issue that come up with a smaller set of targeted regulations. I'm also saying that if you have any complaints about your ISP, you are free to bring the issues to the FCC's attention either online, by phone or in person.

      --
      "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
  56. Since the Net is no longer neutral by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Then there will be war. Lines will be drawn. Knives will come out. Blood will be spilled.

    They will learn it is terrible, and grow unfond of it.

  57. Re: Praise King Trump! by Sperbels · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I see "patriots" forcing people to stand for the national anthem and pledge of allegiance. Forcing one to stand or kneel...whatever, it's basically the same thing.

  58. You contradict yourself by raymorris · · Score: 1

    > regulations, which are details about how the law is to be implemented

    That's the way that comports with the Constitution. Congress makes laws, the executive *implements* the law passed by Congress. Which includes details of *how* the Congressional law is implemented. How, not *what* the law is.

    > the FCC has ... the power to make law.

    The Constitution, and common sense, disagree with you on this. IF Congress passed a NN law, we could discuss at what level of detail Congress should act and what level the can legitimately leave to the FCC. In fact Congress chose NOT to make NN law. Therefore the FCC cannot possibly be implementing NN law, since there is no such law. If and when Congress passes a NN law, the FCC can implement it, so long as the FCC is making determinations of HOW it's implemented, not unilaterally deciding WHAT the law is.

  59. Sure, Fine by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    As long as they also repeal their common carrier status. I have to go attach a wire to the pole outside of my house now...

  60. Re: Praise King Trump! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Sad you still cling tight to your racism. Let it go whitey. It won't serve you in the after life.

  61. Re:Registered /.ers opinions of the Win64 model by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    No Zontar the Mindless, Khyber, or Ol Olsoc in this thread so instead you just spam it.
    Why don't you include full quotes instead of taking them out of context?
    I know, it is because you don't want people to see what they actually said about you being a stalker, asshole, that you over state your abilities, that you over state hosts capabilities, and that at best you manage to generate a properly formatted hosts file. Too bad that isn't a great accomplishment as you started with properly formatted hosts files from other people.
    Instead you will likely make demands like the mentally ill street person you are.

  62. Re: Content & user censorship is a bigger prob by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Then stfu and support net neutrality.

  63. Checks and balances by sjbe · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Fuck the judicial "branch" and their rewriting of laws. They have no place and no value in our society. Lame ducks.

    So let me get this straight. The judiciary is granted by the Constitution the power to interpret laws and decide between conflicting opinions regarding those interpretations. This is a vital part of the checks and balances in our government but you are uncomfortable with that fact. So you are effectively saying we should not have a Judiciary with the power to keep the Legislative and Executive branches in check or to correct Congress when they make laws that are contrary to the Constitution.

    Yeah... let's just say I don't agree with you.

    1. Re:Checks and balances by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Please point to the part of the Constitution giving the judiciary that power. hint: you can't, its not there.

      The Supreme Court gave themselves that power in a decision they made. Its generally been respected, and for the most part the court doesn't abuse its power, but Congress and president could pass a law removing that self appointed power without the need of an amendment.

      I understand you won't believe this, but at some point you really should look it up. Its funny what leftists think is in the Constitution vs what is ACTUALLY in the Constitution.

    2. Re:Checks and balances by Astro+Dr+Dave · · Score: 1

      Congress cannot abrogate the power of another branch of government, and you are overstating the importance and controversy of Marbury v. Madison .

      The Supreme Cout's power of judicial review arises from Article III section 2:

      The judicial Power shall extend to all Cases, in Law and Equity, arising under this Constitution, the Laws of the United States, and Treaties made, or which shall be made, under their Authority;—to all Cases affecting Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls;—to all Cases of admiralty and maritime Jurisdiction;—to Controversies to which the United States shall be a Party;—to Controversies between two or more States;—between a State and Citizens of another State;10 —between Citizens of different States, —between Citizens of the same State claiming Lands under Grants of different States, and between a State, or the Citizens thereof, and foreign States, Citizens or Subjects.

      A dispute over the interpretation or legality of a provision of law (regulation, statute, whatever) is a "Case in Law and Equity". The idea of judicial review was not novel to the founders.

    3. Re:Checks and balances by datavirtue · · Score: 1

      So yeah...they gave themselves that power. More like an "oh crap" moment after which there was little anyone could do within the current framework. Stability was paramount and that was not a threat at the time. I really don't get why so many people stroke the "judicial branch" so much on slashdot. Perhaps it is the love of logic and policy/procedure inherent to geeks. Repugnant.

      --
      I object to power without constructive purpose. --Spock
    4. Re:Checks and balances by datavirtue · · Score: 1

      Watch every controversy that stirs within the "high court." They drag everything out to create a distraction where they can safely slip out of the room...dropping a well crafted, weaselly letter on the foyer table. Absolutely disgusting. There is so little for them to do within the legislative domain that it is not worth the overhead and politicized virtue signalling.

      --
      I object to power without constructive purpose. --Spock
  64. "I'm sorry but I don't want to be an emperor" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    See subject & take a GOOD listen to the great Charlie Chaplin who influenced the direction of MY life w/ this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8HdOHrc3OQ/ & this worlds needs HIS VIEWS now, more than ever... so here I am doing what he said "BUILDING MACHINES" (engines).

    YOU THE PEOPLE HAVE THE POWER!

    * :)

    ( God Bless America )

    APK

    P.S.=> ... & what a beautiful day it is here weather-wise too... apk

  65. Re: Praise King Trump! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    the only thing forcing the NFL, a private institution, to act is their dwindling viewership. Go figure that when you inject politics less people like it. Especially when your core viewership is politically against you.

  66. Regulations = Laws by sjbe · · Score: 3, Interesting

    That's the way that comports with the Constitution. Congress makes laws, the executive *implements* the law passed by Congress. Which includes details of *how* the Congressional law is implemented. How, not *what* the law is.

    That's a distinction without a difference. Any decision on a means of implementation (a regulation) de-facto IS a decision about what the law is. Congress delegated law making power. If Congress does not like a particular interpretation of the law they are empowered to pass legislation to clarify the powers they are delegating to the legislative branch or to give them further constraints. Congress is empowered to be as specific as they like with how they want a federal agency to behave. But in the absence of specificity from the Legislative branch federal agencies can and do write laws in the form of regulations on a daily basis within whatever mandate they are granted. Regulations ARE laws. Whether Congress writes a detailed law itself or delegates that authority to the Executive branch (which they do most of the time) has exactly the same effect at the end of the day. There is NO difference.

    The Constitution, and common sense, disagree with you on this.

    You would fail Constitutional Law 101 with that opinion. You're not arguing with my opinion and whether or not you think it sensible is irrelevant because that is how it works. I suggest you educate yourself on this point because it's important.

    IF Congress passed a NN law, we could discuss at what level of detail Congress should act and what level the can legitimately leave to the FCC.

    The FCC has already been granted powers by Congress. We can debate whether those powers extend to regulating Net Neutrality or not (the Judiciary has held that they do thus far) but the fact is that the FCC like all other federal agencies is granted substantial power to interpret the laws via regulations and to enforce those regulations. EVERY federal agency has the power to write laws via regulations. Regulations ARE laws whether you like it or not. That is how it works whether you like it or not.

    In fact Congress chose NOT to make NN law.

    That does not matter if the powers Congress already granted the FCC are broad enough to permit them to create (or remove) regulations surrounding Net Neutrality. It appears that the FCC does indeed have powers that broad as the Supreme Court has issued a ruling supporting the FCC's authority to write (or not) such regulations back in 2005. There have been other federal rulings that similarly affirm the FCC's authority to make such regulations under their existing authority. If Congress wishes to change this state of affairs they are empowered to do so.

  67. Great! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The repeal of Net Neutrality. The action no one asked for, no one wanted, and meanwhile other important business is neglected*. Also the culture of Net Neutrality made the Internet one of the most important and vital communications systems in history so let's kill the Goose that Laid the Golden Egg!

    (*) I'll consider the wishes of the Moneyed ISPs, lobbyists and the 1% sufficiently small, and sufficiently against that of 99% of actual citizens, to carry no sway here.

    So much Winning.

  68. Somehow Martin Shkreli Pai is still an official by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Nt

  69. Maybe for you peons, but not in the West by WillAffleckUW · · Score: 1

    Fairly certain Net Neutrality is the Law of the land in the West (CA,OR,WA) and Canada.

    So, maybe you're slow, but we aren't.

    --
    -- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
  70. You have their names & dates... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    See subject: Folks said EXACTLY what I state & others even know it (want more? Ask) https://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=12199712&cid=56751026/ so go ask your "God" SATAN why you're so full of hate & SHIT too, lol... ok?

    * Say "In the name of Jesus Christ, SATAN get thee behind me" ok - you need it (& I won't ALLOW You or "your kind", do-nothing hating themselves for being losers, to put "your god" into me, by the GRACE OF GOD - you lose (but it's ALL you & your kind KNOW how to do due to wasting your lives & it's YOUR FAULT, not mine or anyone elses)).

    Per Kanye West (A great self-made man I respect) It's a BIGGER PLAN (God's plan) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfAAS96g6eQ/

    APK

    P.S.=> Lastly, I truly have NO TIME LEFT FOR YOU (great song by Grass Roots iirc) & this is what I say to "your kind" https://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=12218294&cid=56765902/ take a listen, improve yourself. Me? BY comparison I'm one of the "SHINY HAPPY PEOPLE HOLDING HANDS" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYOKMUTTDdA/ ... apk

  71. Re:My Internet Still works by Rakarra · · Score: 1

    Yeah yeah, I know, you're just trolling. But just to clarify:
    1) You wouldn't have seen any changes yet because the rules are still in place. They expire today.
    2) The repeal of Net Neutrality is extremely unpopular outside of the corporate boardrooms. As a previous Slashdot story pointed out, ISPs will wait until we're not paying attention as much before they really screw you over. It would be an absolute PR nightmare for them to pull this crap on Day One, so they'll play it safe for awhile, say "see? Nothing to worry about after all" before pulling shit like throttling web sites who pay for their bandwidth but don't give the ISPs additional kickbacks.

  72. Re:Comcast could block Cloud Gaming unless you buy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    then stop paying or find a competitor

  73. Re:This is America by Rakarra · · Score: 1

    Before somebody wonders, the poster is being sarcastic.

    The poster is definitely running afoul of Poe's Law! It's difficult to tell, sometimes. He wasn't exaggerating the opposition argument at all, just playing it very straight.

  74. Everybody Celebrate! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I celebrated this momentous occasion by voting with my wallet: calling up AT&T, waiting on hold for 45 minutes, and cancelling my home internet service.

    Fuck you AT&T, along with all the politicians and regulators you own too.

  75. where's the special investigator for this? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    fuck pai.

    the media has already uncovered enough to get his sorry ass dismissed from his job and probably thrown in jail so where's the special investigator and grand jury for him?

  76. Google vice Yahoo by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You then don't understand the difference in algorythims between Google and Yahoo which is why the produced different results.

    1. Re:Google vice Yahoo by JackieBrown · · Score: 1

      You must be too young to know what I'm talking about.

      I'd already be in the google search results while the yahoo home page was still loading

  77. I am glad that we did this by WindBourne · · Score: 1

    It is now time to destroy the monopolies since we are removing the regulations.
    At this point, we should require that all govs be allowed to build out their own networks. Likewise, we might want to consider the idea of requiring that all communication monopolies be outright dropped.

    --
    I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
    1. Re:I am glad that we did this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It is now time to destroy the monopolies since we are removing the regulations.

      At this point, we should require that all govs be allowed to build out their own networks. Likewise, we might want to consider the idea of requiring that all communication monopolies be outright dropped.

      The government is the biggest, baddest monopoly around, a monopoly on doing violence to others. Try creating a rival government? Try creating a structure which competes with the existing political system for creating and enforcing rules and raising the money to do this through your own system of taxes. Try having your group defend itself from the police with its own police.

      To promote greater government control of the internet in your region, to fight for Net Neutrality rules, is to call for more monopoly abuse, not less. I understand that some of you support the idea of top-down controlled internet (possibly on a global scale). All I ask is that you use terms correctly and phrase your desires more accurately.

      I stand on the pro-liberty, free-market side of the debate (against more government regulation). I call not for Net Neutrality but for a suspension of the special privileges the big ISPs are granted in some regions. Let's do less with violence and more with trade.

    2. Re: I am glad that we did this by WindBourne · · Score: 1

      Wow. You obviously did not read what I wrote. Let me try it another way. Drop the gov regulations AND monopolies. Allow free competition to come in. In addition, allow local gov to put in fiber networks if their citizens want it. Hopefully this helps with your reading .

      --
      I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
  78. Re:This is America by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Compare speeds and prices in those American urban centers to the speeds and prices in South Korea, Ireland and Finland.

  79. It's not fraud if they advertise the Netflix speed by rsilvergun · · Score: 1

    even if that's in fine print. And it won't be. It'll be a 'feature'.

    You can't just throw up your hands and say anything you don't like is fraud. If you don't want to be gouged by the cable companies you're going to have to actually do something about it. And that means voting for the kinds of politicians that will do something about it (we're a representative democracy after all). And that means kicking the Republican party out of power (and all the right wing corporate Dems while we're at it). Show up and vote in your primary.

    --
    Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
  80. Again, the Supreme Court says otherwise, anEnglish by raymorris · · Score: 2

    > You would fail Constitutional Law 101 with that opinion.

    You might want to educate the Supreme Court about that. The court says;
    "The legislative power of Congress cannot be delegated"

    United States v. Shreveport Grain & Elevator Co., 287 U.S. 77, 85 (1932).
    also Field v. Clark, 143 U.S. 649, 692 (1892).

    That makes perfect sense because a) the Constitution says legislative power is vested in the Congress, which is elected every two years. It does not say "the Congress, the FCC, the FBI, the CIA, and every government bureaucrat".

    Also see:

    Panama Refining Co. v. Ryan, 293 U.S. 388 (1935).

    61 A. L. A. Schechter Poultry Corp. v. United States, 295 U.S. 495 (1935).

    If "the legislative power of Congress cannot be delegated" isn't clear enough, John Locke gave a more lengthy explanation:
    --
    The Legislative cannot transfer the Power of Making Laws to any other hands. For it being but a delegated Power from the People, they, who have it, cannot pass it over to othersâ¦And when the people have said, We will submit to rules, and be governâ(TM)d by Laws made by such Men, and in such Forms, no Body else can say other Men shall make Laws for them; nor can the people be bound by any Laws but such as are Enacted by those, whom they have Chosen, and Authorised to make Laws for them. The power of the Legislative being derived from the People by a positive voluntary Grant and Institution, can be no other, than what the positive Grant conveyed, which being only to make Laws, and not to make Legislators, the Legislative can have no power to transfer their Authority of making laws, and place it in other hands.
    --

    What CAN Congress legitimately grant to departments?
    SCOTUS has ruled it "constitutionally sufficient if Congress clearly delineates the general policy, the public agency which is to apply it, and the boundaries of this delegated authority", "only if the statute delegating the power provides definite standards or proceduresâ.

    Here Congress did NOT "clearly delineate the general policy" of network neutrality. In fact, they considered doing so and decided NOT to. They decided that is NOT the general policy.

    The 2005 ruling is that the FCC has the authority to decide a factual matter - whether or not a specific service meets the definition of "information service" that Congress put in the law. That's a determination of fact, with Congress having created the law, the definition.

    Further reading:

    State v. Union Tank Car Co., 439 So. 2d 377 (La. 1983)

      In re Judgment & Sale of Delinquent Properties for the Tax Year 1989, 167 Ill. 2d 161, 177 (Ill. 1995)

    ACT-UP Triangle v. Commission for Health Servs., 345 N.C. 699, 707 (N.C. 1997)

    Citizensâ(TM) Util. Ratepayer Bd. v. State Corp. Commâ(TM)n, 264 Kan. 363 (Kan. 1998)

  81. Really? The sky hasn't fallen yet.... by argStyopa · · Score: 1, Insightful

    ...I was promised the GÃtterdÃmmerung of the internet as every carrier was poised like a sprinter behind their lobbyists to charge me *BILLION$* for my fast internet connection, and that all my packets would suddenly come with a price tag, or be routed into a USB drive carried from house-to-house on a pigeon.

    Or, it's going to be pretty much the internet ala Jan 2015, before NN even existed.

    --
    -Styopa
  82. Except it was a lie by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Except, of course, that you lie. A) Obama's "Net Neutrality" would not have prevented the abuses you claim they would have. The most famous, Netflix v.s. Comcast, was not at all impacted by Obama's NN, as it wasn't "throttling", it was selecting L3 providers and the location and connections of colo's. B) The FTC took care of almost all of those cases under existing law.

    You got lied to by the Obama administration, what Pai repealed was a poorly written incumbent protection act under the guise of a populist maneuver.

  83. Worth the cost of admission... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    How much would it cost to depriortize Ajit Pai's traffic with every carrier? I'll start the kickstarter...

  84. Re:Comcast could block Cloud Gaming unless you buy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    competitor???? Concast cable is my only choice other then 3 MEG DSL.

  85. Re:Praise King Trump! by Marxist+Hacker+42 · · Score: 1

    "enacted" is a funny word for a non-enforcable policy that isn't law because it never went through Congress. Whether you are talking Emperor Obama or Emperor Trump, isn't the *real* problem having executives who legislate without a legislature?

    --
    SJW: a person who perceives an injustice, and while correcting it, commits a greater injustice.
  86. Re: Praise King Trump! by Darinbob · · Score: 0

    No one really cares about that except Trump, who's still bitter and angry and not being able to buy into the franchise. He's the president of a major world power, he needs to stop focusing on television ratings and viewership numbers. Popularity games are fine in high school but need to stop once one enters the real world.

  87. An issue by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I agree with Trump on most issues, but this is one I don't agree with him.

  88. Re:Comcast could block Cloud Gaming unless you buy by Howitzer86 · · Score: 1

    We'll do that too.

    Though Comcast is my only option, I'm prepared to give up home internet if things get much worse. The neat thing about streaming, cloud DVRs, and such is the fact that you don't really need internet at home, nor an expensive unlimited cellular plan to enjoy it. Just sit in a coffee house for the hour or two you want to watch a show, then go about your business.

    It might even be better for us physically and spiritually to remove ourselves from that always-on limitless distraction.

  89. Re: Praise King Trump! by reboot246 · · Score: 1

    Millions of NFL fans care and they showed how much they cared last season. Time will tell if the NFL can ever get them back.

    NFL players are on the job and whatever the bosses say is what they do. If they want to protest anything, they have plenty of free time to do so.

  90. No problem! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Just tell Trump that Twitter will be down all the time because of the repeal of NN. The NN regs will be back before you know it!

  91. Couldn't be further from the truth, thousands of p by raymorris · · Score: 1

    I've spent literally years studying traffic prioritization and queueing, in order to earn multiple certifications on the topic, including two from Cisco. For Cisco alone, I studied over 4,000 pages of material, because the topic is THAT complex.

    Here's a very, very basic gist of the problem:

    For VoIP, you have one major parameter you care about - jitter. You must have the lowest possible jitter, so that when you say "hello Bob", the listener doesn't hear "ob lloheb". Bandwidth isn't a concern, 64Kbps is plenty. Latency needs to be reasonable, but isn't as important as jitter. Reasonable packet loss is okay, and delayed packets must NOT be re-sent late.

    For Netflix, only bandwidth matters, and you want a lot.of it. You don't care at all about jitter, or about latency, because it's going to be buffered a few seconds anyway. 1000ms latency is just fine.

    Email or general web browsing has a different set of parameters you want. Delayed or lost packets MUST be sent, no matter how late, and no matter how many retries up to the window.

    The definition of a "good" connection for Netflix is the precise opposite of the "good" for VoIP. I may route the two across entirely different paths. A high bandwidth, long and congested route with large queues is perfect for your Netflix viewing. A low-bandwidth route with small buffers and queues is needed for your VoIP. If I treated your VoIP packets as if they were Netflix, your call would be mostly unintelligible.

    If your old enough, you may remember old news broadcasts where the correspondent was on location and there was a three-second delay between when the anchor asked a question and the correspondent in the field started to answer. The anchor would repeat back the answer because it was often somewhat garbled. The correspondent and the anchor were trained to anticipate the three-second delay and not talk over each other. That's what you get when you send voice packets without the special handling we use now.

  92. Re:Praise King Trump! by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 1

    I wouldn't have suspected you of all people of being an anarchist.

    --
    Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
  93. Not just stopping, but forcing. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Consider all the communities that wanted to install either local government or community funded ISP projects which got blocked at the state/federal level. I mean if America was land of the free, then coop-run ISPs should be just as legal as capitalist run ones, and the market would decide which organizational structure/revenue model was the correct one. But instead, our less than free market economy is allowing big players to quash little players in every market at every level, with very little effective pushback from community level organizations.

    The current model in America is the worse aspects of economical darwinism at work. Because in that model there can only be one fish by the end.

    1. Re:Not just stopping, but forcing. by JackieBrown · · Score: 1

      The more power you give government to regulate business, the more business will us that power to further itself.

      Now, regulations actually help larger corporations because they help keep the cost of maintaining or starting a business to high for smaller companies or start ups.

  94. Re: Praise King Trump! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You should write him a letter. I'm sure he'll be quite open to taking your advice.

  95. Re: Praise King Trump! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "Patriots" didn't make NFL players do anything. Their employers did.

  96. My internet connection broke at midnight. by Narcocide · · Score: 1

    This is the end. We're all fucking doomed.

  97. Ha. Ha. Ha. Where is your God now? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Told ya. I told ya but did you listen nahhhhh.

    Do you know what will happen now that net neutrality is officially gone?

    That's right nothing. Nothing will happen. No doom. No price gouging.

    Nothing.

    Except I'm pretty sure everyone here will still be whining like a bunch of babies.

  98. Re: Praise King Trump! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Lol uk still has a,queen l

  99. All I have to say is by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Fuck Trump and everyone that enables him and his cronies to blast our rights to hell.

  100. Sounds good by OrangeTide · · Score: 1

    Whatever makes my masters more money.

    --
    “Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
  101. Not a private organizations, but a hybrid by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    $6.8m in tax payer money given to NFL for changes like having players come onto the field during the anthem.

    Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 gives NFL special priviledges in negotiation that other "private" organizations do not have.

    The NFL does not pay taxes, because it is registered as a non-profit. Funny how many millions you can make running a non-profit. I guess having powerful friends to keep the IRS off your back helps. IRS code 501(c)6 makes special exemption for "professional football leagues".

  102. My Problem with NN by Spudboy2003 · · Score: 1

    What is legal content? Who gets to decide? Something tells me this would effect my internet experience.

  103. AT&T paid Trump attorney to repeal net neutral by najajomo · · Score: 1

    "The money came in four installments of $50,000, starting in early 2017 and ending in January 2018, right after Trump’s pick for FCC chair, Ajit Pai, rushed through the repeal of net neutrality, despite overwhelming outcry from across the political spectrum." ref

  104. Re:Meanwhile, Dems screw Sanders - again by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 1

    It's their party. If Sanders (or anyone else, for that matter) doesn't want to join, then he's free to join a different one, or start his own.

    --
    Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
  105. Re:Really? The sky hasn't fallen yet.... by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 1

    NN existed from the beginning, and was the default. Stop spreading lies. Thanks.

    --
    Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
  106. Hooray. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ** slow claps **

  107. Re: Praise King Trump! by l0n3s0m3phr34k · · Score: 1

    And yet that that's not really not how the NFL works. The players have very detailed contracts that outline exactly what they are paid to do; here is an article discussing how the NFL is probably in violation of their contractual agreements with the player's unions. The whole "kneeling" requirement was never negotiated with the players. When the Federal government (via Trump) gets involved in demanding a specific group of people do specific things against their will far outside of anything relating to the welfare of "the people" the First Amendment comes into play. Add in the blatant lies and disinformation spread by Fox News about the Eagles insinuating they knelt during the Anthem (when they were one of the only teams that did nothing like this the whole season), to the point of the Federal government is ranting about it...

  108. Re: Praise King Trump! by Darinbob · · Score: 1

    I'd also like to add that there is nothing unpatriotic about expressing free speech. Trying to shut up free speech is what is unpatriotic.

  109. No problem at all. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    To remind you and to inform those that didn't know, the law never stopped ANYTHING as it was never enforced, and it did nothing. You people are so afraid that you won't get something for nothing that you'll keep crying until mommy and daddy tell you it's okay.

    Well, "It's okay little ones. You are SPECIAL. You are LOVED. Things will be OKAY!!!". There. Now you can to back to your singing, dancing, and pornography.

  110. Re:Couldn't be further from the truth, thousands o by Thomas+Charron · · Score: 1

    Yes, however, everything about managing the jittering of VoIP is based on the local and remote routers. The internet backbones themselves aren't doing what your talking about. While everything you've said is true, the special handling is NOT occurring outside of your own routers. Raw bandwidth is.

    --
    -- I'm the root of all that's evil, but you can call me cookie..
  111. Your guess is wrong. Reasonable, but very, very wr by raymorris · · Score: 1

    I can see why you might think so. In fact, we have entire TEAMS of network engineers constantly working to improve how different packets are queued and routed in order to match their needs bandwidth, latency, packet loss, and jitter. Some of our routers have a dozen different queues.

    Your local router can do very little about any of those. You have no control of which queues I put any of your packets in. You could have a SMALL amount of control with certain large contracts, but it's clear those are way beyond the scope of your experience. For your little home connection, you, via your local router, can only manage the tradeoffs of bandwidth, loss, jitter, and latency that occurs on your own home network - which is an insignificant part of it 95% of what can be done, we do, on the carrier network.

    Please don't keep saying our jobs don't exist - it only makes you look really stupid to keep saying that after you've been informed otherwise.

  112. MTORROOLNL by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Subject says it all (if rather obliquely...): moron and troll at the same time. Wish it rolled off the tongue better.

  113. Re: Praise King Soros! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Fuck off, you Russian tool.

  114. trade is perfect and has no flaws by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'll trade you all my customers in these three small towns and you trade me all yours in that city. Great, now we both have monopolies and can jack up the prices.

    You are clearly just trolling but I'll humour you.
    Let's deregulate violence, and let the free market sort it out. What could possibly go wrong...

  115. huge corporations always support regulation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I have never read the boring book called "fcc net neutrality rules" and i will never trust the press to tell me what those rules supposed to do, what those rules actually do and what are the implications of the repeal.

    Government enforced rule based system rarely work as intended.

  116. Sad day by TJHook3r · · Score: 1

    I think this is officially the day the utopian dream died. The internet didn't bring world peace after all, but cities are now building special lanes for zombies reading smartphones!

  117. Yee haw! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Score one for the bad guys!

  118. Re: Praise King Trump! by kenh · · Score: 1

    The players aren't fined, the team is, that is how they got around player contracts.

    --
    Ken
  119. Re: Praise King Trump! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Your definition of "forced" is fucking retarded.

    Nobody was forced to do anything, sit, kneel, or stand. They could do whatever they wanted. It's literally free expression.

    That doesn't free you from criticism, like you want however, you fucking imbecile.

  120. Best President since Washington. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    People suffering from TDS should seek prompt medical attention.

    1. Freed American Prisoners from North Korea, at no cost.
    2. Building world peace through put all of Asia.
    3. May be the salvation for All North Korean People, also saving lives by finally ending the Korean War.
    4. Pardoned Black Woman left to rot in prison by Obama.
    5. Finally getting Europe's hands out of Your tax paying pockets.
    6. Second Steel plant reopening.
    7. Gas drilling and coal mine reopening.
    8. Whole families saved because jobs have returned.
    9. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN
    10. 2020 TRUMP 2020

  121. On their knees, mouths open by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Kneeling is free.
    If Multi-millionaire sports players want to help people, giving a few million to set up tuition funds for poor urban athlete children would help them play for universities and cause real change.

    Kneelers are low budget cheap cowards that don't spend a dime helping black children.

  122. Re: No worries...STATES by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    States Laws are already swinging in to replace the repealed federal law.

    Without equal access, 'small time' websites will get crushed by the heavy hitters.

    It goes against American Values to snuff out the little guy.

    Otherwise, SEARS would have used it's power to drive AMAZON out of business on day one.

    K-mart would be the only allowed high speed shopping experience.

    (great deals blue light specials!)

  123. Jones ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ALEX,
    stop trolling Hillary.

  124. Too little and too late by sjbe · · Score: 1

    Oh, wait, you are being sarcastic...

    Ya think? ;-)

    So, your reasons for thinking that the FCC cannot deal with any issues that arise?

    Short version? No I don't think that under the current administration that they have ANY interest in dealing with "any issues that arise". This isn't the sort of thing you can deal with after the fact. By the time the FCC (or FTC) gets around to dealing with it the damage will already be done.

    Remember, I'm not saying providers won't misbehave, I'm saying the FCC is free to fix any issue that come up with a smaller set of targeted regulations.

    Net neutrality solves the problem neatly without the need for any reactive regulations which will inevitably be too little and too late. The ONLY parties that are against net neutrality are the big ISPs who I assure you do not have my interests close to their heart.

    I'm also saying that if you have any complaints about your ISP, you are free to bring the issues to the FCC's attention either online, by phone or in person.

    Seriously? You think a complaint by ME is going matter even a little bit? Comcast is a MONOPOLY where I live. I could complain until the cows come home and it wouldn't matter one bit. If Comcast decides to play favorites with my internet traffic there isn't a damn thing I can do about it. That's why net neutrality matters.

  125. Really? by Maury+Markowitz · · Score: 1

    From Pai's press release:

    "But then in 2015, the FCC chose a different course and slapped heavy-handed regulations from 1934 -- known as "Title II" -- on the internet. This was the wrong decision."

    Really? I have to ask because we did the same thing here in Canada about a decade ago. As a result, I can get my internet from any company over any wire that comes into my house. I have complete flexibility in choosing a provider, and there's actual price competition.

    So I call BS on that.

  126. implementation detail by nten · · Score: 1

    The current scotus case law is that the legislature can only delegate implementation details of the laws they make. The wording that clarifies the meaning of that phrase indicates that implementation details do not significantly impact the effect of the legislation. So if we see the presence or absence of NN changing the internet in any significant way, then per the current case law, NN is not an implementation detail and hence not in the purview of the FCC. I personally disagree with that case law, but my polling numbers for God-emperor are down lately so it will probably stay for the time being.

    --
    refactor the law, its bloated, confusing and unmaintainable.
  127. ftc by nten · · Score: 1

    Also not the purview of the FTC.

    --
    refactor the law, its bloated, confusing and unmaintainable.
  128. Good instincts troll AC, it's usually lies anyway. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Wow. You obviously did not read what I wrote

  129. Re:Your guess is wrong. Reasonable, but very, very by Thomas+Charron · · Score: 1

    Well, you should REALLY tell the rest of the internet that paying extra to ISPs to have them resepect QoS on ingress/egress routes is wasting their money I suppose. I mean, WHY exactly would people pay SO much extra money for such a thing, right?

    As for 'your local router', I challenge you to take a cheapo netgear, and a Ubiquity EdgeRouter, connect it to an xfinity gigabit connection, and go ahead and tell me that your local router doesn't matter.

    Oh, and for those small companies who are installing Cisco gear, might as well tell them their all wasting their money, since the router can't matter much, might as well just toss some cheap linksys's at them.

    Oh yea, and the #1 method used to reduce the jitter is the use of the playout delay buffer in the case of Cisco gear. Might want to give them a call and let them know, total waste of time, and you can handle all their jitter problems. I'm sure they would LOVE to hear from you.

    --
    -- I'm the root of all that's evil, but you can call me cookie..
  130. Re:Praise King Trump! by Marxist+Hacker+42 · · Score: 1

    Quite the opposite actually. I'm very much for rule of law- LIMITED TO THE WRITTEN LAW. I'm very against judges legislating from the bench by deciding what words mean on the spot.

    --
    SJW: a person who perceives an injustice, and while correcting it, commits a greater injustice.
  131. Re:Your guess is wrong. Reasonable, but very, very by raymorris · · Score: 1

    >Oh yea, and the #1 method used to reduce the jitter is the use of the playout delay buffer in the case of Cisco gear.

    Omg! Wow! I'm going to have to tell all my colleagues about this because my employer has been paying us $3 million / year to NOT no about basic features that were pretty helpful a decade ago!

  132. PS, doing it wrong by raymorris · · Score: 1

    PS, if you're sending all of your packets through the anti-jitter buffer, not distinguishing between different types of flows, you're Doing It Wrong. You wouldn't get past the interview here, but if you did, you'd get fired pretty quick treating all packets the same.

    1. Re:PS, doing it wrong by Thomas+Charron · · Score: 1

      Well now, wouldn't, based on your logic, the *carrier* be doing all this work? The entire *point* of this entire conversation is, that the public internet actively provides QoS capabilities on the internet as a whole, and that the carriers automatically perform free prioritization, and this is why VoIP can work on the internet at all.

      And obviously *YOUR* router performs flow control. But your carriers DON'T, unless you pay for that feature and are specifically routing between your own endpoints. Do you REALLY think that your home networks are doing active flow control? That Comcast Business connections are respecting your QoS bits on packets ingressing into their network? Your being idiotic. COMCAST DOES NOT SUPPORT QOS OF ANY SORT. As a matter of fact, MOST ISP'S DON'T. And their ALSO not performing flow analysis of your traffic. By all means, show me a single shred of evidence that a top 10 ISP utilizes ANY of the points your talking about.

      And if your employer is paying you 3 million a year, their obviously not getting their moneys worth, assuming, we are talking about the general internet here. And point to point tunnels do NOT count here, because THAT'S where the money is to provide that capability, and THAT'S not the internet.

      --
      -- I'm the root of all that's evil, but you can call me cookie..
    2. Re:PS, doing it wrong by Thomas+Charron · · Score: 1

      Oh yea, and ding-dong? You're not going to send all your packets thru the buffer, since it's a DSP thing. Your RTP packets have already gone thru the internet, and been delivered to the buffer, flow or not, you moron. And again, we're not talking abnout how YOU treat your packets IN YOUR OWN NETWORKS, we're talking about how your ISP treats your packets.

      --
      -- I'm the root of all that's evil, but you can call me cookie..
  133. Three kinds of not knowing by raymorris · · Score: 1

    There are three categories of knowing something;

    1. The person hasn't heard / seen it, ignorance.

    2. The person saw it or had it explained, but couldn't understand.

    3. The person saw it, it didn't match the guess they had previously made, so they actively choose to remain ignorant, rejecting the plain facts put before them.

    #1 is easily solved, a person can learn simply be looking up the relevant information.

    #2 may require some remedial education, or different methods of learning, in order to understand.

    #3 is doomed to live in everlasting ignorance.

    Here you're having a conversation with me, and still insisting that my co-workers and I don't exist. That's pretty special.

    1. Re:Three kinds of not knowing by Thomas+Charron · · Score: 1

      There is one super special kind of person who exists on the internet. This particular one who makes claims however provides absolutely no information to back up his claims. Furthermore, believes that somehow, his own positions are validated by making snide comments validates their own idiocy.

      Simply put, ISP's do not, without a special contract in place, shape your traffic. They also do not provide QoS on anything without a special contract, except for THEIR OWN traffic.

      https://www.ics.uci.edu/~sjord...

      Provide a link to a single ISP that provides QoS service on ingress/egress of their network. Just one major provider.

      --
      -- I'm the root of all that's evil, but you can call me cookie..
  134. Sure, okay, our department doesn't exist by raymorris · · Score: 1

    I really, really wonder how people who absolutely refuse to ever learn anything make it past first grade.

    No, I don't have the customer tell me, via QOS bits, how to shape and police traffic. That does not mean our $100 billion network is nothing but a dumb cable.

    Telling us how to shape traffic is not the customer's job.
      The customer's job is to act like a complete asshat moron on the web. It is our network engineers who decide how we route, queue, police, and shape traffic. You REALLY really still think ISPs don't have network engineers? We in fact have extremely well paid, expert network engineers, and our network management is far, far beyond you setting QOS bits.

    Of course, you can't accept that, because one day long ago you pictured the backbones as being simple cables. Since you got that picture in your head once, it HAS to be true, it must be perfectly accurate because you once imagined it. Changing your understanding, learning anything, would mean admitting your first guess was WRONG - that you weren't born knowing everything. Can't have that. So whatever you DID think when you were two years old must be correct!

    This will really piss you off - you know that picture you had in your head of Santa Claus? That's not real either. You were wrong about Santa Claus AND about the backbone networks being really, really long CAT6 cables.

    1. Re:Sure, okay, our department doesn't exist by Thomas+Charron · · Score: 1

      I really, really wonder how people who absolutely refuse to ever learn anything make it past first grade.

      No, I don't have the customer tell me, via QOS bits, how to shape and police traffic. That does not mean our $100 billion network is nothing but a dumb cable.

      Telling us how to shape traffic is not the customer's job.

      ISP networks are not dumb cables. But their also not user data centric either. Unless of course you propose that your super-network is performing SPI on all the user data (which your not, BTW). In a best case scenario, there is port based flow going on.

          And here's a little hint. When you say the end user routers don't matter? Their NATing all that traffic you pinhead. Those are the routers that are doing the bulk of the prioritization work.

          Oh, and I SO hope you work for Comcast, if anything, to point and laugh when ISP networks go down for hours at a time.

      --
      -- I'm the root of all that's evil, but you can call me cookie..
  135. Re:Again, the Supreme Court says otherwise, anEngl by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The FCC was given the power to classify businesses as either information services or telecom services. ISPs were listed as information services (Title I) until 2015 when they were reclassified as telecom services under Title II. Title II has powers in it that cover what is called Net Neutrality. The FCC absolutely has the right to enforce neutrality by classifying ISPs as Title II. There is no question on that matter.

  136. Re:Really? The sky hasn't fallen yet.... by argStyopa · · Score: 1

    Not as law, only as custom or practice that was established LONG before the interwebs were a vehicle for commercial traffic. I'd say that it's reasonable to assert that the context has changed from the internet of the 1970s and 80s.

    Stop spreading lies.

    Thanks.

    --
    -Styopa
  137. Oh, no! by eric_harris_76 · · Score: 1

    We're going to die of anthrax by the millions! Just like in the pre-Net Neutrality days, before Net Neutrality saved us all!

    --
    There's no time like the present. Well, the past used to be.