Posted on 11/10/2014 8:05:10 AM PST by driftdiver
President Obama has come out in support of reclassifying internet service as a utility, a move that would allow the Federal Communications Commission to enforce more robust regulations and protect net neutrality. "To put these protections in place, I'm asking the FCC to reclassifying internet service under Title II of a law known as the Telecommunications Act," Obama says in a statement this morning. "In plain English, I'm asking [the FCC] to recognize that for most Americans, the internet has become an essential part of everyday communication and everyday life."
"The decision is still up to the FCC"
There's been a growing battle around protecting net neutrality the principle that all internet traffic, no matter what it is or where it came from, should be treated equally ever since the FCC's original protections were struck down in court earlier this year. Those protections were able to be struck down because the commission didn't make those rules in a way that it actually had authority over, so it's been trying to create new rules that it can actually enforce. It hasn't chosen to use Title II so far, but net neutrality advocates, now including President Obama, have been pushing for its use.
(Excerpt) Read more at theverge.com ...
“In plain English, I’m asking [the FCC] to recognize that for most Americans, the internet has become an essential part of everyday communication and everyday life.”
So what if it has. So has television, automobiles, super markets and drug stores and many other things. By the dictator’s argument you could classify every industry a public utility.
then so is a printing press...
Funny how cable tv is NOT covered by the FCC but the internet SHOULD be.
Funny, that...
Here is a bit from the article you linked:
"The thinking is that technology interferes with creativity and young minds learn best through movement, hands-on tasks, and human-to-human interaction. Students at this school are gaining math, patterning, and problem-solving skills by knitting socks. They arent exposed to fractions through a computer program. Instead they learn about halves and quarters by cutting up food."
I don't know about the knitting of socks, but it sounds like these big tech execs are admitting that homeschooling is the best way to educate kids. We homeschoolers use these methods of instruction all the time.
What the ISPs want to do would be like the power company deciding what you can use electricity for (outdoor lights? no, no, no because the power company has a contract with the city to provide all outdoor lighting) instead of just charging for the total amount of energy and contracting a maximum instantaneous power (equivalent to total bytes per month and maximum bandwidth).
If most locations had more than two potential broadband suppliers this wouldn't be a problem, especially if some started to explicitly state that they wouldn't pick and choose which websites get priority.
Maybe as a middle ground the government could just require ISPs to make explicit any prioritization they do in order to put market pressure on them to not do it.
Obama will do anything that harms America
This seemingly obscure issue is HUGE with his Millenial voter base. They don’t want to have to pay extra for the fast lane to download their Netflix and their games. The analysis is probably revealing that he scroooood-up by not proposing this before the election.
Venezuela has declared drug stores to be a public utility.
Ask them how that’s working out.
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