I think we have to look at what happened today without the commentary.
Let’s say you and I both pay $80/mth for AT&T internet. What the FCC did today was rule that I can’t pay $90/mth for faster internet speed at the expense of YOUR service.
Similarly, the FCC ruled that ISPs can’t charge Netflix more because of their successful business model! And they sure as hell can’t shake them down like Comcast did to Netflix in late 2014!
And that’s not just for Netflix...that’s for Amazon, eBay, MSNBC, Drudge Report, Rushlimbaugh.com, Etsy, Google, Facebook, Tumblr, etc.
The whole “shutting down websites” because of content is a red herring. BUT!!! But, if the FCC didn’t act, ISPs COULD drastically SLOW your service to websites they felt as offensive...or that took too much of their bandwidth.
Although that too is a red herring because it hasn’t happened.
You think the marketplace isn’t capable of solving those issues?
Don’t you think if it were possible, those companies would have tried doing those things a long time ago?
Fine with me if the ISPs want to charge more for higher bandwidth. Is there some principle that says they shouldn’t be able to do this? Or is it a social justice thing where it just sort of feels unfair. The fact is that allocating finite resources according to market mechanisms doesn’t always feel pleasant. But it’s a better way than having the government step in and do it with all the potential for unintended consequences, unseen opportunity costs, and future encroachment and abuse that that brings.
As for the ISPs versus the content providers, let them battle it out.