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 ...
“Ideas are more powerful than guns. We would not let our enemies have guns, why should we let them have ideas?”
Joseph Stalin
Dude,,, thank you for posting that quote.
The House doesn’t get a say on START.
By trying to keep the internet free from prioritization, the legislators are killing it how exactly? When your ISP says you have to have the highest tier internet package to stream ANYTHING, you’ll realize how foolish you are.
I’d love to see the look on your face when you call up your ISP and try to get some answers as to why you can’t get to freerepublic anymore. Only to hear - We don’t support that site, we suggest you go to democraticunderground instead, they have priority data flow on our network.
And you figure the only thing Comcast can be threatened with is a single, specific, already shot down issue? Do they pay taxes? Do they buy property? Do they have infrastructure? Do they employ anyone? Come on, you're being deliberately dull on this and you know it. The FCC will find a way to get what they want whether they're the ones weilding the club or some other branch of government is.
I’d like to know on what authority the FCC plans on doing this. They have been shot down in court on this already I guess they like getting spanked by the judges.
Define insanity... Repeating the same process over and over and over again and expecting different results.
Uh, you were the one who said the FCC would go to the Courts to avoid obeying the Courts.
Yes, and in the free market, you have a choice. In the world of ISPs, you often have no choice, or a choice of two. The telco's have treated the internet as net neutral up to this point. You are enjoying the benefits of net neutrality today. When the telco's start breaking the internet into tiers, banning sites, downgrading service, charging more - all simply because they CAN - You might begin to understand how HORRIBLE it is for businesses to do what you are suggesting.
Basically, big businesses have been giving you the drug for "free"(simply price of your internet package today), now it's time for them to charge you big $$$$$$.
And they will, just not over they issue that’s been shot down.
“The lack of communication will reduce the liklihood of a coordinated defense against the fascist’s next action.”
The speed and power of TEA mobilization scared them. They know that it was only *a hint* of what will mobilize against the steps they still have planned. They have to control the internet.
Healthcare, banking, housing, retirements, education, college loans, guns, etc,,, we are being lead straight into a dictatorship.
“But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government,,,,”
Hey guys,,I think i see a design
Our Government Masters simply cannot resist the impulse to fxxx around with everything under the sun, invariably making things worse than before.
Why are we paying Congress? Let's disband the "representatives" of the people and there staffs and save some money.
Why are we paying Congress? Let's disband the "representatives" of the people and their staffs and save some money.
You are dead wrong. This is like dictating to guns and ammo magazine that they may not refuse to print pro-gun control articles. A private infrastructure, administering it’s medium as it best sees fit.
If you are correct, then why are the statist democrats the sole ones pushing for this? Can you point to any other Democrat policy that is designed to advance free speech? Does it strike you as odd that the people who bring you speech codes, fairness doctrines, advocacy for pulling licenses of stations carrying Rush, regulating internet content for accuracy, etc are SUDDENLY worried about the free flow of information?
Last, the flow of service providers is a rush to the bottom, price-wise. If some provider goes too far in a tiered price scheme, that give their competitor a chance to undercut them with a better deal.
Last, please explain how you believe the FCC derives power to regulate a private infrastructure of an internet service provider? Do you similarly believe they should be able regulate what movies are allowed access to HBO? Do you believe a newspaper should be forced to carry content it finds unprofitable?
The only “free drug” here, is the one that lets the FCC “fix” their first internet problem. This establishes the precedent that the FCC can regulate the net.
After that, content control is only a vote away. You’ll love having your ISP having to go through FCC licensing like a TV or Radio station. Carry those lame public service announcements, have community activists able to challenge the licenses, regulation of content like TV.
Yeah,, that free drug of using the FCC to “fix” the internet is some goooood stuff! Wait till they collect from you,,,, You really think that will statisfy them? How can you not recognize the very first event bringing the FCC into a new realm?
Poll: People can’t live without high-speed Internet
Excerpt:
High-speed Internet has had the greatest technological impact on society over the past decade and is the technology most people say they cannot live without, according to a new poll.
http://chicagobreakingbusiness.com/2010/12/poll-people-cant-live-without-high-speed-internet.html
Wrong, it’s about power for the (strike liberal) elites.
Doesn’t matter which rat bastards they are or what letter comes after their name.
This is about control of information flow, which is key to government control. We the people cannot refuse to be ruled if we don’t know what they are doing to us or planning to do to us. Information is power and more important that ever in the US as we no longer truly have a free press, but a propaganda machine. They have the press, the education system, a lot of religious organizations. If we can’t get the truth somewhere they will rule us much easier than they now do.
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