This is a wild overreach of the FCC’s original mandate. The FCC was originally created to manage a scare resource: the radio frequency spectrum. They allocated chunks of spectrum for different uses (TV, radio, maritime, law enforcement, air-traffic-control, etc). And since it’s a limited resource they can regulate over-the-air TV stations since they are only stewards of a scare resource. That is how the ‘family hour’ was mandated back in the 1970s, where all programming had to be kid-safe until at least 9 p.m. local time.
The Internet’s bandwidth is potentially infinite. Except for WiFi and cell phones (which use spectrum and thus can be legitimately regulated) there is absolutely NO justification for the FCC’s power grab of wired communication.
The FCC is using the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (amendment to 47 U.S.C. §151) is to “make available so far as possible, to all the people of the United States, without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, or sex, rapid, efficient, Nation-wide, and world-wide wire and radio communication services with adequate facilities at reasonable charges... for the purpose of promoting safety of life and property through the use of wire and radio communications.”
See how they slipped in ‘wire’ like that? (It’s to prevent discrimination, you see, /sarc)
Before 1996 wired communication was under the jurisdiction of Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC), which owned ICANN and ran the top-level Internet DNS servers as a benign agency with minimal interference.
But of course Obama is now in the process of transferring ICANN to an international body.
This must be stopped. That said, I doubt any of those quisling buffoons in DC have the stones to do just that!
How the heck can there be only one Repub on the FCC board?
As in the Affordable Care Act is affordable to chosen people, but not the average middle class citizen, and maybe not anyone in the long run.
Obama’s favorite website for NAMBLA will now be assured to get the same treatment Netflix receives for web traffic.
There is nothing good that will come from this.
Outstanding!
Progressives can go to Hell where they belong.
No (Marxist) Net Neutrality!
Well, I guess we can't expect someone who can't spell their own name correctly to actually be literate.
It's implied, there, "Chriss".
Look for the growth of “outernet” to take off!
Why not simply act on violation of 1st amendment rights in
the so called secret document itself.
“balanced content”
It hit me yesterday, this is the fairness doctrine for the internet.
This is the left’s big gambit to control the internet once and for all like they do with all cable and network TV.
I'll ascribe that to ignorance rather than Communist/Statist Malice. At least until they demonstrate otherwise.
EFF opposes it,...
Net Neutrality
https://www.eff.org/issues/net-neutrality
...but there’s more.
Huge Win for the Open Internet! FCC Officially Embraces Title II
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2015/02/huge-win-open-internet-fcc-officially-embraces-title-ii
What they really need to do is abolish all monopolies (at all levels of government from local on up) on cable and phone line access. Once there are multiple lines available at any given address, competition will take care of the problem of (for example) Comcast deciding that FR is a “hate site” and cutting off its bandwidth.
Is this what you moderates wanted so badly?
A complete government takeover?