Posted on 02/26/2015 6:46:30 AM PST by shove_it
(Reuters) - U.S. regulators are poised to impose the toughest rules yet on Internet service providers, aiming to ensure fair treatment of all web traffic through their networks.
The Federal Communications Commission is expected Thursday to approve Chairman Tom Wheeler's proposed "net neutrality" rules, regulating broadband providers more heavily than in the past and restricting their power to control download speeds on the web, for instance by potentially giving preference to companies that can afford to pay more.
The vote, expected along party lines with Democrats in favor, comes after a year of jostling between cable and telecom companies and net neutrality advocates, which included web startups. It culminated in the FCC receiving a record 4 million comments and a call from President Barack Obama to adopt the strongest rules possible...
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
“Making internet a utility places it under their control. They will be able to claim that the “critical information needs” of this or that “community” is not being served “properly”, that this or that website is “biased”
And anyone who is a little too vocal in their resistance will find themselves immersed in lawsuits for past comments that are considered “racist”, “homophobic”, “islamophobic”, etc. Free speech died a long time ago. How many people have lost their jobs because of speaking their minds on some of these subjects on social media? It used to be okay to have a point of view, even if it was abominable to most people.
Actually, Netflix is one of the most vociferous backers of net neutrality. In fact, they’ve called for much heavier government regulation.
I understand your concern, but they will be replaced by a non moonbat company
My cable bill goes up about 10% a year. Now it will get even worse.
So, Netflix breaks into a number of sections sufficient to add up to the access they need.
I have no cable, and I put my kids into Christian school at personal expense. Anything is worth it to keep them out of the jaws of socialism. Next step is war.
I know what you mean. My nephew is pretty savvy and aware of what’s happening to this country. My niece on the other hand is oblivious, and has no concern about her kids being indoctrinated in the schools, or awareness that her kids will be living in a country no different than Mexico or Venezuela or Ukraine when they’re grown up. All the bounty and blessing of America has been thrown away like trash. The lights really ARE going out.
These are such sad days for the USA. Our founding fathers would be so sickened by what we’ve let happen.
Netflix calls Comcast’s pricing a “toll”. Why shouldn’t Comcast charge more for greater consumption?
Netflix, like Comcast, wants the government to interfere. Both want the government to control others so that they may have a business advantage.
This is right out of Atlas Shrugged.
Virgin, Qualcomm Invest in OneWeb Satellite Internet Venture
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3259543/posts?page=2
No doubt both would like government to give them an advantage.
I think Netflix mostly cares if Comcast charges more for Netflix streaming bandwidth than they do for Comcast (or Comcast business partner) streaming bandwidth.
None of this would be an issue if everyone had access to multiple sources of high speed internet but for various historical reasons there’s a de facto monopoly in many places.
Netflix worries about the bandwidth provider also being a content provider and favoring their content.
And here I thought Congress was the legislative branch of government and the FCC was for oversight.
Silly me.
I agree.
I get my web access through my apartment house network.
It used to be very fast.
Unfortunately, many of the residents here are contract software engineers, many of them Asian, and they use wireless routers.
Our administrator used to be able to isolate and block the worst bandwidth offenders.
Now, apparently the routers are so sophisticated, they disguise themselves, and the admin is never completely sure which apartments are sucking up all the bandwidth.
For the last month, I’m lucky to get a 250KB download average.
I’m not sure net neutrality can make my connection any worse unless it shuts me down altogether.
No government really wants free speech. Remember John Adams, the founding father, locked people up for speech including Benjamin Franklin’s nephew.
People in power, any power from elected official to a typical workplace, do not like to be questioned or made fun of. There are whole fields of study focused on information management that boils down to “How do we shut that guy up?”
How many EO’s have been repealed? And do you really thing a GOP president will want to give this up?
Bless you! Your children and those who are fortunate enough to have parents like you might just be the ones to forge something that is great again out of the ashes of this country.
So 5 unelected political appointee bureaucrats get to decide for a country of 300 million.
Is that how republics work?
Fake crisis, fake solution.
Precisely correct.
However, these rules van come back to haunt the cable companies under a reasonable court interpretation.
For instance, Comcast delivers prioritized traffic now on the local distribution network...it's known as cable TV. 300 channels, all of which are prioritized above "other internet traffic" on the local loop.
I would expect Netflix and others to file suit asking that to be stopped immediately. That arrangement between the content providers (NBC et al) and Comcast is ILLEGAL under these new rules.
Proper interpretation would require that Comcast make every internet site available without preference, and without Quality of Service metrics being applied to ensure good fidelity.
The very same interpretation can, and should, be applied to Voice services on the same local loop.
Yes, it destroys hundreds of business models and billions annually are at stake...but we MUST insist on equal application.
4M phone calls. What a pantload.
Probably the same 4M calls that said we need Amnesty.
The only people I know who complain about the Internet is that its NOT fast enough.
Dump DSL and problem is fixed
4 Million comments on a new policy no one has seen?
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