Ignorant. Google is literally being prevented pole access.
Google.
The notion that setting up an ISP is beyond the means of smaller companies is proved wrong all the time as well as smaller ISPs operate just fine until they're ordered to close by court order.
I suspect you lack the integrity to admit you were wrong, I am not an idiot, and you were until I corrected you an unwitting ignorant dupe... but his post should make it clear what you are...
Fast lanes have already been a thing for a long time.
At no point did NN actually stop them.
Take the communications enjoyed by New York investment computers for the larger trading houses that do high frequency trading.
Think there aren't fast lanes there?
NN stopped nothing. What it is all about is distracting people from the real issue which is Right of Way access to poles and conduits.
Google is having trouble laying fiber. That is how f'ed up access to poles and conduits is right now. One of the most powerful companies in the world can't breach the franchise agreements that lock out alternative ISPs.
And in that environment, people are surprised that there is monopolistic behavior from the duopoly? Why? What gives you the right to be surprised that if you forbid anyone to compete with the reigning providers that there would be corruption and arrogance?
You don't have the right to be surprised with any credibility. That this would happen and will continue to happen until Right of Way is granted is obvious.
The prioritization is mostly in last mile since that is where comcast has relevance. Why is comcast relevant in the last mile? Because no one but the big ISPs are allowed to lay cable to the last mile.
The solution has and will continue to be ensuring Right of Way access to Poles and Conduits for alternative infrastructure providers.
to prove this is a shit show, examine that even Google... one of the richest and most powerful companies in the world frequently cannot lay last mile cable.
Think about that.
They have the resources.
They have the connections.
They have the ability to do the paper work and the regulations.
But they can't get access to poles and conduits to lay last mile cable.
Why?
And if they can't, what chance does a smaller company have to compete? It has NOTHING to do with net neutrality. It has everything to do with corrupt franchise license agreements that lock out everyone but the local duopoly.
People need to stop clapping like trained seals and see what is actually been going on all along. Rather than fixate on NN, focus on ACTUAL Right of Way access to poles and conduits for alternative service providers.
Do that and Comcast and say or do whatever they want. Worst case they'll make themselves poor service providers and will lose market share.
I'm fine with that so long as "infrastructure" = poles and conduits. I am not okay with it if that means "wires, routers, etc".
I trust the government or your socialized monopoly to be able to provide poles and conduits. I want Right of Way for small companies to lay cable. Naturally have REASONABLE licenses to ensure things are done in an orderly manner that respects shared space on the poles and in the conduits.
However, if someone wants to run cable along poles and through conduits where there is room... then with a uniform fee that every agency that runs that much cable through that much space pays... allow them to run their cable.
What I want is competition. I do not want monopolies created by the government simply because it is the most effective way to obtain graft and bribes. This is not in the public's interest. The monopolies only serve the interests of large lazy corporations and corrupt politicians.
I want competition in last mile service. And saying "it can't happen because cost/logistics" is an interesting argument when companies are being legally forbidden to do it. If it were so problematic via cost and logistics then the corrupt political deals that have been struck wouldn't need to forbid the practice by other means. Market forces all by themselves would stop it.
But market forces are not stopping it. Try to run cable in name the city... you will get your permits denied... and if you ignore that... you'll get arrested. That is what is stopping it. And that is what needs to stop.
Then consider the irony of this guy talking about profits and corruption.
Regardless, the solution is not VPNs but rather last mile competition. It is what it has been from the start and it will continue to be that.
Look at the trouble Google Fiber is having getting Right of Way to the poles. If one of the largest and best capitalized and most politically connected corporations in the history of the planet is having a hard time... what chance does the small guy have?
The corruption is evident. its mostly state and city corruption but its consistent and national.
Either that gets dealt with... or the entire discussion is just hot air.
A republic requires an informed electorate. This discussion we are having right now is fundamental to having any kind of agency in our society.
If the notion is that people are just too stupid to process anything then prepare to be ruled.
Let us try to avoid that and simply address the actual issue. Playing into the hands of powerful interests that want to monopolize the internet is not helpful. And NN won't stop that. It enshrines it. The notion from the NN people is that the government will save them despite the fact that the current problem was CAUSED by government corruption. Its mostly state and local corruption but it is corruption nonetheless.
You want to open with an insult? Nice. Well, then let us see if your post is just another desperate plea for attention and relevance from a basement dwelling failure. Eh? Haven't read any of your post thus far... but quid pro quo, let us start with an insult.
As to charging content providers, if they don't pay they get service cut which leads to the content not being provided which... gets us to the same place.
Imagine if Comcast blocked or severally degraded Netflix etc... it wouldn't be acceptable.
That is a null complaint as the distinction between X and Y is nil.
As to the problem with competition is that someone wins and thus drives out everyone else. I can go through a large series of industries where that didn't happen and there was no government regulation stopping it from happening.
Generally speaking you get this problem not from markets but from government intrusions into markets. Due to regulation, licensing, etc it is made illegal to compete with someone.
If you disagree, cite an example and I'll either show you the competition that exists there or the government regulation that is forcing that situation.
What you're asking for is more poison to cure the disease.
We have another example in this Slashdot article of my point. You have competition coming in and it gets forbidden.
Turning a blind eye to that doesn't make you more informed. It makes you willfully ignorant.
And please, in the future, refrain from starting your posts with stupid insults. It doesn't make you sound more intelligent or incline anyone to talk to you. I did so in the likely vain hope that you'll realize that is in poor form and actually make an effort to not be a degenerate in the future.
and the fewer companies are there the easier collusion is... and really... its all about the government locking out competition to make it possible.
That's all it is... Open it up and the corruption doesn't do anything. It will only make corrupt companies bad service providers which will make them lose market share as customers vote with their wallets.
But don't give them choices and people can't fix it.
It has nothing to do with NN. Its all about the competition the government shuts down.
And again... its mostly at the local and state level. But it is pervasive and national.
Not talking about the actual problem is not helpful.
The more people talk about NN, the less they understand about the problem. In fact, I WANT the monopolies to abuse their power because only that will probably wake people up to the real issue here.
You say "but the locals"... shine a flash light on it. Because if local competition were allowed, the whole issue would be moot.
As to shopping around, you can't blame people for not shopping around when they have no choices.
As to people are not well informed so we need to allow monopolies to drive up costs, retard investment in infrustructure, and then blame everything on federal regs that don't matter...
I disagree. talk about what is actually the problem instead of being a tool for big ISPs that WANT this solution because it means no one can compete with them for the low low price of doing what they're already doing.
NN is totally irrelevant. With or without it the internet will work exactly the same. They're not going to bill you extra for accessing certain websites... it would cause a riot. Verizon might be that dumb as they are proven to be very stupid when it comes to these sorts of things. But all the other ISPs are not that stupid.
All it does is give the Feds more leverage to regulate something that we all want to be free whilst at the same time ensuring our service will continue to suck by making competition less likely.
Its the option of Tools. Let us not be Tools. Let us not do this course of action... it is Toolish.
Its not NN that is important. That actually solidifies the monopolies. Ensure right of access to poles for other companies besides the big guys. And NN will be irrelevant.
No, de facto does not trump de jura. Otherwise right by conquest would not be a thing.
Country X has a law that says something... Country Y conquers them... Law in country X doesn't matter anymore because in FACT they are no longer sovereign in their area anymore. Conquest is a very good example of how FACT trumps LAW. A king can order the tide to come in... will it? Nope. The tide is breaking the king's law. The ocean apparently doesn't care. Fact trumps law. We can do this all day, I suspect it won't go anywhere because if you think law trumps fact... then you probably believe in elves, goblins, and other things that someone wrote down at one point but which don't actually exist. De facto... aka FACT trumps law... law is something you write down on a piece of paper. Fact is reality.
As you've literally forced me to explain why facts trump writing down things on paper... we are done. This is not productive. Devolve into whatever fantasy realm you desire where things written down supersede reality... I don't live there... and neither does anyone else. I am a human being on planet Earth. Not a space cadet in Narnia.
The article goes into how they have defacto exclusive franchises.
its right there, "pre-deployment barriers"... which can include literal bribery. This all by itself is going to prevent all but the largest companies in most cases. Citations were made to validate the position.
A quote from the article is: "The real bottleneck isnâ(TM)t incumbent providers of broadband, but incumbent providers of rights-of-way. "
That lines up rather nicely with my point. You can say that they technically don't have exclusive franchise licenses... but again, technically the imperial gardens are on the market for a trillion dollars.
de jura =/= de facto Why does everyone on the internet think that "argumentum ad autism" is a valid rhetorical ploy? Its baffling.
I gave you a link... you can ignore it and end the discussion with you sticking your fingers in your ears singing... or continue the discussion by looking at it.
Sure and you can buy the imperial gardens in Japan for a trillion dollars too... and other things which written on paper but aren't true in fact.
When it comes to franchise agreements they often require that you commit to roll out service in a larger area than you wanted to roll it out. Sometimes the entire city. That means you can't have a local ISP in a city unless you're willing to provide service to the ENTIRE city. This puts the venture beyond the capital reserves of anything but a multi billion dollar corporation. And that all by itself will limit competition.
True Comrade, choices and excellence in Soviet Union were all the product of excellent regulation by the glorious Communist Party./s
My man, choices are what everyone was born with... Excellence is what happens when competition demands it.
Regulation doesn't create excellence or choices. There are many situations where there is lots of regulation and neither excellence or choices.
I'm not disparaging all regulation. These hyperbolic arguments out of you people. Its either total domination by the ISPs or you suggest I want anarchy.
Why would you think that?
Is it a dichotomy? Can it only be total domination or total anarchy? Obviously to suggest as much would be f'ing stupid. Obviously. It was sadly your argument. Sad.
Can I please have competition opened up to locally created ISPs that will compete side by side against the big national players without drooling fools like you suggesting that even asking for that means I am uneducated?
I don't know where you come from, but you're not doing your home team proud. Try harder.
Because the only alternative to one extreme is another?
Have a little class, license people to do it... I mean I would even be fine if only the stupid government could actually climb the pole and hang the wire if that makes a difference to you. Because the government doesn't screw up as often as anyone else, right?
As it stands, it is the big ISPs or no one.
I am not suggesting we go to some BDSM mad max all leather mowhawk anarchy here.
Imagine if only the local cab company were allowed to drive on your roads. And if someone said "other people should be allowed to drive on the roads" you then suggested that we'd have just random people getting in cars with no licensing or training... basically going on insane murder rampages on the streets.
its not reasonable.
I am not suggesting anarchy. I am suggesting competition.
Do not respond to that before you've given yourself time to think.
Just be still with that as an idea in your own mind.
NN is only an issue because there is no competition. And there is no competition mostly because only the big ISPs are allowed to do last mile service. A small mom and pop ISP could offer last mile internet to a LIMITED number of people. Just as a mom and pop sandwich shop can offer less coverage than McDonalds.
Fiber is cheap. The backbone providers are happy to connect ANYONE to the backbone that gets to them.
So why can't we run fiber? Because the big ISPs have exclusive franchise licenses that preclude anyone else from competing against them.
And if you try... you will get arrested.
THAT is the issue. Not NN.
We could all have gigabit fiber. The backbone is happy to supply the bandwidth at a price so low it isn't even worth treating like it exists. its all but nothing in your monthly ISP bill.
ISPs will not improve service or care about you without competition.
So no, do not treat it like a government utility.
Equality sounds nice unless you understand how Soviet and grim "equality" can get. I don't want equality. I want choices and excellence.
It doesn't matter because none of the arguments matter.
Google has created a hostile politically charged corporate culture that will drive talent away. The full scope of the problem may ultimately be fatal in time. So any defense of their behavior doesn't really matter. I mean, who cares if it does that? That sits on top of the real estate problem in SV that is making even the sky high tech job salaries irrelevant because all the money goes to rent.
James' argument doesn't matter because no one that disagrees with him is listening and no one that agrees with him needs to be told. The politicos are going do what they want and consequences are going to happen. This DoL dispute is interesting, he may win a lawsuit. But winning the lawsuit won't change anything unless the fines get very high. Absent getting fined a couple hundred MILLION minimum... google just won't care. Given that that seems unlikely... the market will have an effect, not James... whatever his intentions or the validity of his arguments. It just doesn't matter.
The Mary Sue's position also doesn't matter... the whole Rad Fem perspective is not even widely embraced by most women much less the general population. Its the pink haired fat chick with an eyebrow ring. Sorry if the stereotype seems "insensitive" but statistically that is the demographic that takes this seriously. And those sorts of people generally excel at whining and little else. They don't write books people care about. They don't create companies people care about. They don't invent anything. I can go on... they don't matter. They excel at making a nuisance of themselves.
And me saying this here and now... doesn't matter. Everyone that agrees with me doesn't need to be told. Everyone that disagrees won't be persuaded. And everything that was going to happen before will still happen that way whatever I said here...
This is all just... noise.
And that is what most of this political shit is... it is pointless bullshit.
US tax code is about 72,000 pages... its complication upon complication. And not helping the situation is that "income" is a complex concept that is very hard to describe. Its similar to profits in that it is implied to be a remainder. Some gain minus some loss... leaving an income. And what counts for gain or loss is arbitrary.
Making it worse, what is and is not a gain or loss changes depending on context, how much money you're making... and a whole series of other issues that have given rise to all kinds of professionals that do little more than navigate the tax and regulation code.
It won't be simplified because the only compromise we have at this point is to make it so complicated that smart people can get what they want and dumb people get screwed.
That is the current compromise.
A better one in my opinion would be to simplify the code and offer a tax rate we can all generally agree is reasonable.
Sadly what happens when we simplify is that people start rubbing their hands together to jack taxes up now that the system is too simple to evade. Thus loopholes spring into form immediately... and we're back to complexity. Leaving the tax happy people nailing stupid people and the smart people skipping out on the whole thing.
There is no better solution. Literally what we're doing now is as good as its going to get. The tax happy people won't stop being silly... so make it complicated and at least the smart people can evade it.
Its sad... but all other attempts at compromise have failed.
Slashdot Mirror
Ignorant. Google is literally being prevented pole access.
Google.
The notion that setting up an ISP is beyond the means of smaller companies is proved wrong all the time as well as smaller ISPs operate just fine until they're ordered to close by court order.
Here:
https://www.wired.com/2013/07/...
I suspect you lack the integrity to admit you were wrong, I am not an idiot, and you were until I corrected you an unwitting ignorant dupe... but his post should make it clear what you are...
Fast lanes have already been a thing for a long time.
At no point did NN actually stop them.
Take the communications enjoyed by New York investment computers for the larger trading houses that do high frequency trading.
Think there aren't fast lanes there?
NN stopped nothing. What it is all about is distracting people from the real issue which is Right of Way access to poles and conduits.
Google is having trouble laying fiber. That is how f'ed up access to poles and conduits is right now. One of the most powerful companies in the world can't breach the franchise agreements that lock out alternative ISPs.
And in that environment, people are surprised that there is monopolistic behavior from the duopoly? Why? What gives you the right to be surprised that if you forbid anyone to compete with the reigning providers that there would be corruption and arrogance?
You don't have the right to be surprised with any credibility. That this would happen and will continue to happen until Right of Way is granted is obvious.
Because I'm sure someone will foolishly argue against the obvious:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2...
The prioritization is mostly in last mile since that is where comcast has relevance. Why is comcast relevant in the last mile? Because no one but the big ISPs are allowed to lay cable to the last mile.
The solution has and will continue to be ensuring Right of Way access to Poles and Conduits for alternative infrastructure providers.
to prove this is a shit show, examine that even Google... one of the richest and most powerful companies in the world frequently cannot lay last mile cable.
Think about that.
They have the resources.
They have the connections.
They have the ability to do the paper work and the regulations.
But they can't get access to poles and conduits to lay last mile cable.
Why?
And if they can't, what chance does a smaller company have to compete? It has NOTHING to do with net neutrality. It has everything to do with corrupt franchise license agreements that lock out everyone but the local duopoly.
People need to stop clapping like trained seals and see what is actually been going on all along. Rather than fixate on NN, focus on ACTUAL Right of Way access to poles and conduits for alternative service providers.
Do that and Comcast and say or do whatever they want. Worst case they'll make themselves poor service providers and will lose market share.
I'm fine with that so long as "infrastructure" = poles and conduits. I am not okay with it if that means "wires, routers, etc".
I trust the government or your socialized monopoly to be able to provide poles and conduits. I want Right of Way for small companies to lay cable. Naturally have REASONABLE licenses to ensure things are done in an orderly manner that respects shared space on the poles and in the conduits.
However, if someone wants to run cable along poles and through conduits where there is room... then with a uniform fee that every agency that runs that much cable through that much space pays... allow them to run their cable.
What I want is competition. I do not want monopolies created by the government simply because it is the most effective way to obtain graft and bribes. This is not in the public's interest. The monopolies only serve the interests of large lazy corporations and corrupt politicians.
I want competition in last mile service. And saying "it can't happen because cost/logistics" is an interesting argument when companies are being legally forbidden to do it. If it were so problematic via cost and logistics then the corrupt political deals that have been struck wouldn't need to forbid the practice by other means. Market forces all by themselves would stop it.
But market forces are not stopping it. Try to run cable in name the city... you will get your permits denied... and if you ignore that... you'll get arrested. That is what is stopping it. And that is what needs to stop.
https://www.wired.com/2013/07/...
Then consider the irony of this guy talking about profits and corruption.
Regardless, the solution is not VPNs but rather last mile competition. It is what it has been from the start and it will continue to be that.
Look at the trouble Google Fiber is having getting Right of Way to the poles. If one of the largest and best capitalized and most politically connected corporations in the history of the planet is having a hard time... what chance does the small guy have?
The corruption is evident. its mostly state and city corruption but its consistent and national.
Either that gets dealt with... or the entire discussion is just hot air.
A republic requires an informed electorate. This discussion we are having right now is fundamental to having any kind of agency in our society.
If the notion is that people are just too stupid to process anything then prepare to be ruled.
Let us try to avoid that and simply address the actual issue. Playing into the hands of powerful interests that want to monopolize the internet is not helpful. And NN won't stop that. It enshrines it. The notion from the NN people is that the government will save them despite the fact that the current problem was CAUSED by government corruption. Its mostly state and local corruption but it is corruption nonetheless.
As to starting conversations, actually I'm very happy to leave areas that don't care to their misery.
However, if and when people complain, I will point at what the problem is and they can deal with that or not.
Also, if people like the government option, we can just create a federal uniform code for how right of way to towers is addressed.
I'm sure it can be justified under interstate commerce etc. And there you go. Monopolies broken.
You want to open with an insult? Nice. Well, then let us see if your post is just another desperate plea for attention and relevance from a basement dwelling failure. Eh? Haven't read any of your post thus far... but quid pro quo, let us start with an insult.
As to charging content providers, if they don't pay they get service cut which leads to the content not being provided which... gets us to the same place.
Imagine if Comcast blocked or severally degraded Netflix etc... it wouldn't be acceptable.
That is a null complaint as the distinction between X and Y is nil.
As to the problem with competition is that someone wins and thus drives out everyone else. I can go through a large series of industries where that didn't happen and there was no government regulation stopping it from happening.
Generally speaking you get this problem not from markets but from government intrusions into markets. Due to regulation, licensing, etc it is made illegal to compete with someone.
If you disagree, cite an example and I'll either show you the competition that exists there or the government regulation that is forcing that situation.
What you're asking for is more poison to cure the disease.
We have another example in this Slashdot article of my point. You have competition coming in and it gets forbidden.
Turning a blind eye to that doesn't make you more informed. It makes you willfully ignorant.
And please, in the future, refrain from starting your posts with stupid insults. It doesn't make you sound more intelligent or incline anyone to talk to you. I did so in the likely vain hope that you'll realize that is in poor form and actually make an effort to not be a degenerate in the future.
and the fewer companies are there the easier collusion is... and really... its all about the government locking out competition to make it possible.
That's all it is... Open it up and the corruption doesn't do anything. It will only make corrupt companies bad service providers which will make them lose market share as customers vote with their wallets.
But don't give them choices and people can't fix it.
It has nothing to do with NN. Its all about the competition the government shuts down.
And again... its mostly at the local and state level. But it is pervasive and national.
Not talking about the actual problem is not helpful.
The more people talk about NN, the less they understand about the problem. In fact, I WANT the monopolies to abuse their power because only that will probably wake people up to the real issue here.
You say "but the locals"... shine a flash light on it. Because if local competition were allowed, the whole issue would be moot.
As to shopping around, you can't blame people for not shopping around when they have no choices.
As to people are not well informed so we need to allow monopolies to drive up costs, retard investment in infrustructure, and then blame everything on federal regs that don't matter...
I disagree. talk about what is actually the problem instead of being a tool for big ISPs that WANT this solution because it means no one can compete with them for the low low price of doing what they're already doing.
NN is totally irrelevant. With or without it the internet will work exactly the same. They're not going to bill you extra for accessing certain websites... it would cause a riot. Verizon might be that dumb as they are proven to be very stupid when it comes to these sorts of things. But all the other ISPs are not that stupid.
All it does is give the Feds more leverage to regulate something that we all want to be free whilst at the same time ensuring our service will continue to suck by making competition less likely.
Its the option of Tools. Let us not be Tools. Let us not do this course of action... it is Toolish.
Everyone is clapping along like harbor seals to the Net Neutrality narrative. However, is it the lack of competition that is the actual issue.
https://www.wired.com/2013/07/...
Its not NN that is important. That actually solidifies the monopolies. Ensure right of access to poles for other companies besides the big guys. And NN will be irrelevant.
https://arstechnica.com/tech-p...
More evidence you're wrong.
Cite names please.
Otherwise you might as well be talking about muppets.
No, de facto does not trump de jura. Otherwise right by conquest would not be a thing.
Country X has a law that says something... Country Y conquers them... Law in country X doesn't matter anymore because in FACT they are no longer sovereign in their area anymore. Conquest is a very good example of how FACT trumps LAW. A king can order the tide to come in... will it? Nope. The tide is breaking the king's law. The ocean apparently doesn't care. Fact trumps law. We can do this all day, I suspect it won't go anywhere because if you think law trumps fact... then you probably believe in elves, goblins, and other things that someone wrote down at one point but which don't actually exist. De facto... aka FACT trumps law... law is something you write down on a piece of paper. Fact is reality.
As you've literally forced me to explain why facts trump writing down things on paper... we are done. This is not productive. Devolve into whatever fantasy realm you desire where things written down supersede reality... I don't live there... and neither does anyone else. I am a human being on planet Earth. Not a space cadet in Narnia.
Yours.
The article goes into how they have defacto exclusive franchises.
its right there, "pre-deployment barriers"... which can include literal bribery. This all by itself is going to prevent all but the largest companies in most cases. Citations were made to validate the position.
A quote from the article is:
"The real bottleneck isnâ(TM)t incumbent providers of broadband, but incumbent providers of rights-of-way. "
That lines up rather nicely with my point. You can say that they technically don't have exclusive franchise licenses... but again, technically the imperial gardens are on the market for a trillion dollars.
de jura =/= de facto
Why does everyone on the internet think that "argumentum ad autism" is a valid rhetorical ploy? Its baffling.
I gave you a link... you can ignore it and end the discussion with you sticking your fingers in your ears singing... or continue the discussion by looking at it.
your choice.
Sure and you can buy the imperial gardens in Japan for a trillion dollars too... and other things which written on paper but aren't true in fact.
When it comes to franchise agreements they often require that you commit to roll out service in a larger area than you wanted to roll it out. Sometimes the entire city. That means you can't have a local ISP in a city unless you're willing to provide service to the ENTIRE city. This puts the venture beyond the capital reserves of anything but a multi billion dollar corporation. And that all by itself will limit competition.
https://www.wired.com/2013/07/...
have a look...
Its always a risk... I get burned for this one with some consistency.
We'll see what happens. I'm occasionally surprised by the sensibility of the community.
True Comrade, choices and excellence in Soviet Union were all the product of excellent regulation by the glorious Communist Party. /s
My man, choices are what everyone was born with... Excellence is what happens when competition demands it.
Regulation doesn't create excellence or choices. There are many situations where there is lots of regulation and neither excellence or choices.
I'm not disparaging all regulation. These hyperbolic arguments out of you people. Its either total domination by the ISPs or you suggest I want anarchy.
Why would you think that?
Is it a dichotomy? Can it only be total domination or total anarchy? Obviously to suggest as much would be f'ing stupid. Obviously. It was sadly your argument. Sad.
Can I please have competition opened up to locally created ISPs that will compete side by side against the big national players without drooling fools like you suggesting that even asking for that means I am uneducated?
I don't know where you come from, but you're not doing your home team proud. Try harder.
Because the only alternative to one extreme is another?
Have a little class, license people to do it... I mean I would even be fine if only the stupid government could actually climb the pole and hang the wire if that makes a difference to you. Because the government doesn't screw up as often as anyone else, right?
As it stands, it is the big ISPs or no one.
I am not suggesting we go to some BDSM mad max all leather mowhawk anarchy here.
Imagine if only the local cab company were allowed to drive on your roads. And if someone said "other people should be allowed to drive on the roads" you then suggested that we'd have just random people getting in cars with no licensing or training... basically going on insane murder rampages on the streets.
its not reasonable.
I am not suggesting anarchy. I am suggesting competition.
Do not respond to that before you've given yourself time to think.
Just be still with that as an idea in your own mind.
Think about it.
NN is only an issue because there is no competition. And there is no competition mostly because only the big ISPs are allowed to do last mile service. A small mom and pop ISP could offer last mile internet to a LIMITED number of people. Just as a mom and pop sandwich shop can offer less coverage than McDonalds.
Fiber is cheap. The backbone providers are happy to connect ANYONE to the backbone that gets to them.
So why can't we run fiber? Because the big ISPs have exclusive franchise licenses that preclude anyone else from competing against them.
And if you try... you will get arrested.
THAT is the issue. Not NN.
We could all have gigabit fiber. The backbone is happy to supply the bandwidth at a price so low it isn't even worth treating like it exists. its all but nothing in your monthly ISP bill.
ISPs will not improve service or care about you without competition.
So no, do not treat it like a government utility.
Equality sounds nice unless you understand how Soviet and grim "equality" can get. I don't want equality. I want choices and excellence.
I want freedom to choose.
Isn't this America? I thought this was America?
It doesn't matter because none of the arguments matter.
Google has created a hostile politically charged corporate culture that will drive talent away. The full scope of the problem may ultimately be fatal in time. So any defense of their behavior doesn't really matter. I mean, who cares if it does that? That sits on top of the real estate problem in SV that is making even the sky high tech job salaries irrelevant because all the money goes to rent.
James' argument doesn't matter because no one that disagrees with him is listening and no one that agrees with him needs to be told. The politicos are going do what they want and consequences are going to happen. This DoL dispute is interesting, he may win a lawsuit. But winning the lawsuit won't change anything unless the fines get very high. Absent getting fined a couple hundred MILLION minimum... google just won't care. Given that that seems unlikely... the market will have an effect, not James... whatever his intentions or the validity of his arguments. It just doesn't matter.
The Mary Sue's position also doesn't matter... the whole Rad Fem perspective is not even widely embraced by most women much less the general population. Its the pink haired fat chick with an eyebrow ring. Sorry if the stereotype seems "insensitive" but statistically that is the demographic that takes this seriously. And those sorts of people generally excel at whining and little else. They don't write books people care about. They don't create companies people care about. They don't invent anything. I can go on... they don't matter. They excel at making a nuisance of themselves.
And me saying this here and now... doesn't matter. Everyone that agrees with me doesn't need to be told. Everyone that disagrees won't be persuaded. And everything that was going to happen before will still happen that way whatever I said here...
This is all just... noise.
And that is what most of this political shit is... it is pointless bullshit.
stoicism has its weaknesses as well... I prefer cynicism.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
General principles in a nut shell:
1. Keep a clear view of what is actually going on.
2. Let people be people and understand that everything has to operate according to human nature.
3. Foster self direction and freedom in people so they can do what they want to do without artificial barriers.
4. Encourage people to be individuals and not get trapped in hive minds. All this PC crap is group think garbage.
5. Sacred cows must be defaced until they are merely cows... valuable for what they actually are only.
US tax code is about 72,000 pages... its complication upon complication. And not helping the situation is that "income" is a complex concept that is very hard to describe. Its similar to profits in that it is implied to be a remainder. Some gain minus some loss... leaving an income. And what counts for gain or loss is arbitrary.
Making it worse, what is and is not a gain or loss changes depending on context, how much money you're making... and a whole series of other issues that have given rise to all kinds of professionals that do little more than navigate the tax and regulation code.
It won't be simplified because the only compromise we have at this point is to make it so complicated that smart people can get what they want and dumb people get screwed.
That is the current compromise.
A better one in my opinion would be to simplify the code and offer a tax rate we can all generally agree is reasonable.
Sadly what happens when we simplify is that people start rubbing their hands together to jack taxes up now that the system is too simple to evade. Thus loopholes spring into form immediately... and we're back to complexity. Leaving the tax happy people nailing stupid people and the smart people skipping out on the whole thing.
There is no better solution. Literally what we're doing now is as good as its going to get. The tax happy people won't stop being silly... so make it complicated and at least the smart people can evade it.
Its sad... but all other attempts at compromise have failed.