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 ...
That’s the senate that’s rolling over. Typical gang of 12 BS.
Here are the six “principles” of today’s ruling. Once the FCC’s lawyers get through with it, they can mean anything they want them to.
1) Transparency. Consumers and innovators have a right to know the basic performance characteristics of their Internet access and how their network is being managed.
2) No Blocking. A right to send and receive lawful traffic. This prohibits blocking of lawful content, apps, services, and the connection of non-harmful devices to the network
3) Level Playing Field. A right to a level playing field. A ban on unreasonable discrimination. No approval for so-called “pay for priority” arrangements involving fast lanes for some companies but not others.
4) Network Management. An allowance for broadband providers to engage in reasonable network management. These rules don’t forbid providers from offering subscribers tiers of service or charging based on bandwidth consumed.
5) Mobile. Broadly applicable rules requiring transparency for mobile broadband providers, and prohibiting them from blocking websites and certain competitive applications.
6) Vigilance. Creation of an Open Internet Advisory Committee to assist the Commission in monitoring the state of Internet openness and the effects of our rules.
The courts and Congress have both said that the FCC must not do this....the three RATS on the FCC today thumbed their noses at Congress and the judiciary.
The new GOP Congress will control the purse strings....they should COMPLETELY defund the FCC until this bullcrap is repealed.
That is a very good question wl and I believe the FCC has overstepped their authority. A quick search of FCC court rulings indicates that the courts have recently determined this as well:
“The fight over net neutrality landed in lawmakers’ laps Tuesday when a court decision stripped the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) of authority to regulate the Internet.”
http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/90909-ruling-on-fcc-hands-congress-a-tough-task
We are quickly becoming a dictatorship with reps from Congress to the Executive flaunting law that they do not agree with and choose to ignore. See also - Gerald Walpin firing, “Illegal Immigration”, offering bribes to Sestak, etc.
Please note that undocumented migratory workers will be exempt from all bans associated with this bill.
Ain’t that the truth. The GOP play pudgeball.
Democrats and republican politicians are both guilty. Their political system of socialist oligarchy and financial enslavement is a virus within
change you can belive in
ARE YOU SERIOUS? THE INTERNET IS MADE UP OF BILLIONS OF PEOPLE AND 5 PEOPLE COME ALONG AND SAY BTW WE CONTROL YOU NOW?
The time for "pitchforks" is quickly coming to an end. I predict that the time for firmer measures will be upon us within the next 2 years ... if we wish to retain any semblence of freedom. However I suspect that it will be forced upon us in any case
All yur innernets are belong to us.
we are so screwed because generations have been spoiled by affluence and lulled into submission we are being exploited and enslaved by taxes and debt by a small elitist group of very powerful whimps
think about it though, it is only about 1,000 out of shape limpwristed silver spoon fools in suits that completly rule our lives and seize nearly half of our paychecks to feed their fat soft bellys so that they can write more laws to control us
think about it though, it is only about 1,000 out of shape limpwristed silver spoon fools in suits that completly rule our lives and seize nearly half of our paychecks to feed their fat soft bellys so that they can write more laws to control us
Given that they were warned, I’d say one of the first things the republicans in the house need to do is to de-fund the FCC.
Make an example out of them, that the EPA would do well to observe.
Well, there goes the neighborhood. I better dig up my old BBS software and get used to paying long distance phone charges again. Here decades after underground BBS stuff goes away we enter a new century and it looks like anything that doesn't touch the Internet will be the next generation of free speech like it was prior to the Internet. Anyone else remember the raids on BBS sites back in the eighties? Those couldn't be regulated, either, but the distributors of evil software could be "taken down" by the Feds and they did so with gusto. JMHO
The ISPs are going to filter the content of the internet, say bye-bye to netflix, youtube, streaming as you knew it. You want to get to THAT site? Sorry, not on our ISP. Streaming? you need to pay big $$$. The morphing of the internet will come quicker and with much worse results with the telco's foaming at the mouth to monetize everything on the internet.
Again, the House has no authority over treaties. I'm amazed at how many times that has to be explained.
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