Posted on 12/21/2010 10:40:28 AM PST by Red in Blue PA
WASHINGTON -- The Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday approved a plan to regulate the Internet despite warnings that it could strangle industry investment and damage an economy that is still struggling to recover.
The 3-2 vote fell along partisan lines with Democrats capitalizing on their numerical advantage.
The rules would prohibit phone and cable companies from abusing their control over broadband connections to discriminate against rival content or services, such as Internet phone calls or online video, or play favorites with Web traffic.
Lawmakers in both parties have been arguing for months that Congress, not the Obama administration, should take the lead role in deciding whether and how much to police the web. But despite a brief backing-off earlier in the year, the FCC has pushed ahead with its new regulatory plan.
FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski secured the three votes needed for approval, despite firm opposition from the two Republicans on the five-member commission.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
“Can Congress overturn this? How does the FCC have this authority?”
In this article, Obama is working with an international group for cybersecurity.
http://www.acus.org/program/international-security
INTERNET TAKEOVER – WHO IS PRESIDENT OBAMA WORKING WITH?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2646108/posts#21
Marsha Blackburn
Freedom Watch 12/03/10: FCC’s Net Neutrality
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UogrD13z1do
We have a Constitution that is intended to protect us from the “pro” side.
They can posture all they want. They are unamerican weasels who need to be treated as traitors.
The problem I am currently having? None, as both you are I are enjoying the many benefits of Net Neutrality today. The problems I will be happening if the telco's monetize every bit&byte on the internet are manifold.
For example ...
1. No more netflix or streaming of any kind.
2. degraded service compared to what I experience today
3. No more internet gaming.
4. No more video conferencing for work without my employer paying top dollar.
5. No more video chat with the family while I'm traveling for work, unless I pay top dollar
The list could go on and on. AGAIN, I said that I do not like what has been proposed, it's as if you are not listening. But SOMETHING is needed so that neither the FCC, nor the telcos are able to filter by content. Obviously other laws come into play - child porn, terroristic threads, etc...
The problem I am currently having? None, as both you are I are enjoying the many benefits of Net Neutrality today. The problems I will be happening if the telco's monetize every bit&byte on the internet are manifold.
For example ...
1. No more netflix or streaming of any kind.
2. degraded service compared to what I experience today
3. No more internet gaming.
4. No more video conferencing for work without my employer paying top dollar.
5. No more video chat with the family while I'm traveling for work, unless I pay top dollar
The list could go on and on. AGAIN, I said that I do not like what has been proposed, it's as if you are not listening. But SOMETHING is needed so that neither the FCC, nor the telcos are able to filter by content. Obviously other laws come into play - child porn, terroristic threads, etc...
The FCC gave us the MSM.
For the record, then.
You trust the FCC more than you do the cable companies and the telcos?
And you are comfortable allying yourself with all the folk (Soros, Jay Rockefeller, etc, etc) who are pushing this thing?
Is that accurate?
The FCC is all about any technology market it can get its grubby hands on.
“I am sorta treating this as if I were hearing a story that the FCC voted to regulate the newsprint industry.
Meh.”
Yes, the best course of action is to stick your head in the sand and ignore it. Especially with this administration, with all their communist czars and Mao worshippers and stuff.
/s
Just in case it hasn’t occured to you, Netflix, Hulu, YouTube and hundreds if not thousands of other such websites have grown and thrived for years without this new FCC “neutrality” policy. It’s the FCC and other heavily government-regulated technologies up to now that customers are gradually abandoning.
The first time this was said we had the American revolution, ( we won) the second time was the civil war( we lost) . Hopefully Americans north and south, east and west will stand together once more to oppose the “government “ that we have now, before it’s too late.
>>Yes, the best course of action is to stick your head in the sand and ignore it.<<
I’ll do the latter. After all, they have not yet done anything that can even been challenged.
I can stand on my rooftop and say I am king of my city. Now, if I try to actually perform kingly duties, I may get resistance.
No, it is about TAXES. If there were no way to tax blogs, Tor/Freenet users, Freepers, they wouldnt even try as there would be no profit for them.
Then again, they will probably just make it illegal to use Tor or Freenet to begin with. FreeRepublic will probably be "allowed" to stay online, as long as they don't espouse "hate" speech (i.e. the zot thread a few days ago).
I trust neither. I know what the internet will be like with the telco’s in charge. I like for the telco’s to follow the same model they have to date and for NEITHER to get involved in filtering content.
Why can’t there be a better solution. Why do YOU want the internet as we know it destroyed? Because that WILL happen if telco’s can do whatever they want.
True, though most freepers (judging from past threads) are color blind in regards to ISP abuse (i.e. throttling/capping/choking/censoring). They always cry about govt censoring, not realizing their isps do the exact same thing. Imagine if this site had streaming HD video. Sooner or later the ISP would start charging customers more for access here. Never fails.
So it looks like we are double-cluster f'cked. Either Govt will screw us over, or the ISPs will. What we need is some kind of revolutionary new tech that allows us to rid ourselves of the govt and isp teets altogether, yet maintaining the Internet...how and when that will be, God only knows.
I simply do not agree with your hypothesis. So far the internet has done nothing but get better ever since it exploded in popularity in the mid 90s. Faster speeds, better service, much more content available - every year, year after year.
And yet all this was done without the FCC touching it.
Now all of a sudden, because the Marxists and the FCC says so, it's all gonna come unwound.
Nope, I just don't believe them at all.
Throughout the recorded history of mankind, it hasn't been the private sector which has tried to censor speech - it has been government.
Licensing of printers, throttling electronic broadcasters, prior restraint on newspaper publication - ALL done by government and not done by individuals or done by private entities.
And now all of a sudden history is going to reverse itself? I don't think so.
I’m very torn on this one. The regulation is good. It’s essentially a copy of what telecom companies are already regulated by, and it’s a good thing. Otherwise AT&T (for example) could simply not allow customers to call competitors phones, or charge a premium if they do.
On the other hand, this is the territory of the legislature, not the bureaucracy. Letting the FCC assume too much power is a bad thing.
Well, they’ve got their foot in the door! Obama seems to be getting ‘most’ all that he wants!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.