So, thanks to the FCC (3-2 vote), Net Neutrality is gone.
Gotta say, this is absolute rubbish. This is a bipartisan issue and if I was an American, I'd be contacting my local representative and doing something about it.
I'm happy to not be an American as this is a bad thing. I'll contact my own government officials in Canada to try to ensure we don't follow the US lead.
Audacity!
Every day I know less about WWII because every day I realise there is more to know!
Luckily, I think there is quite a bit of bi-partisan support for net neutrality and many states are planning on banding together to sue to have this overturned. It's unfortunate how pro-corporate this administration is; there needs to be a balance between consumer and business interests. They're both important!
I'm not ready to light my hair on fire over this (if I had any). I'm willing to take a wait and see approach. I'm confident that if this is a bad decision, it will be reversed in the future.
I don't believe in the good altrustic nature of large corporations. I also believe that people don't really understand what has made the internet successful, when stating that losing Net Neutrality is not a big deal.
Post by Solomiranthius on Dec 20, 2017 21:26:46 GMT
There is no winning for consumers here. Most places have one major/viable telecommunication option for high speed internet. They cannot free market out of that situation. (Sounds kind of like utilities...) What that company does is what you get.
Even when there are options, we face companies squashing our choices in favor of profits and their own products. Take Amazon v Google. Neither can be argued as needing greater profits. Yet they battle and we pay. I have an Amazon Firestick recently purchased. Because Amazon refuses to sell certain competing Google products, Google is removing YouTube from Amazon products starting in January. If I want YouTube i have to spend more money and buy a new device.
My options are now limited because the companies want to promote their own brand over others. Sure that is life in certain areas, but what reason do we have to believe the repeal of Net Neutrality will be any different? The internet is (and should be) open to all--content providers and consumers.
"You like ships. You don't seem to be lookin' at the destinations. What you care about is the ships, and mine's the nicest." ~ Firefly ~
This is what we get for having government-enforced (or government-endorsed) monopolies. We have it for utilities, and we have had it for the internet. Someday, people will realize that the problem is a system that encourages "crony-capitalism" for both parties and politicians. Neither side is innocent.
Will voters wake up?
Großadmiral Swizzle
Browncoat by fandom; Cossack by blood; American by birth; Virginian/Husband/Father by wife; Libertarian by choice; Human by race; Christian by grace.
Post by Solomiranthius on Dec 21, 2017 19:58:26 GMT
That is a separate issue. But the solution is not deregulation of those monopolies to allow them to filter our access to the internet. Indeed greater regulation is needed to get rid of monopolies.
"You like ships. You don't seem to be lookin' at the destinations. What you care about is the ships, and mine's the nicest." ~ Firefly ~
Sigh... Net Neutrality is a necessity. Actions by the big telco's shows that governance is needed to guard against their moves to remove net neutrality.
To say that the President didn't direct anyone doesn't mean that there wasn't any problem with the decision. I hope you aren't misreading what the statement from the IG says.
I'm a pretty simiple guy about these things, I basically don't trust the government and would prefer less of it. However, I do want the government to step in when there is a problem with fairness. I'm willing to give these new regulations time to see if that is necessary.