http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/netneutrality/ en-us Sun, 16 Nov 2008 07:34:24 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2132950/posts Network neutrality means less technological innovation — and less freedom, too. By Phil Kerpen Following the nationalization of investment banks, Fannie and Freddie, consumer banks, and private insurance companies, taxpayers are likely asking: What’s left for the federal government to nationalize? How about the Internet? Network neutrality, or net neutrality, is the beneficent-sounding name for sweeping new government regulatory power that would prohibit Internet service providers from innovating in their own networks. This could lead to much less broadband investment by private companies, and could potentially force government subsidization, control, and outright nationalization of the Internet. The implications of this... National Review http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2132950/posts#comment Sun, 16 Nov 2008 07:34:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2130125/posts ...Picking the New US CTO Now, typically a spot like this would go to a big contributor or backer who would screw around for a couple of years before being replaced by someone else who wanted the title and responsibility. But I'm hoping Obama will break this trend and instead pick someone that could make a huge difference in how technology is used in this country. ... I ended up with four potential candidates: Al Gore, ... Ecommerce Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2130125/posts#comment Tue, 11 Nov 2008 17:21:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2126562/posts Now that President Elect Barack Obama has won the popular and electoral votes to become our next President, We are all faced with the likelihood of a resurrected fairness doctrine to be forcefully pushed by a democratic controlled congress. Once again we will witness the democratics ironically offer yet another undemocratic policy to oppress the freedom of descent which they readily protected during the 2004 Presidential Campaigns. Though this is not an unusual position for the democrat party to take, it is an unfamiliar doctrine to many Americans who were not born prior to it's dismissal in August 1987. Democrats... vanity http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2126562/posts#comment Thu, 6 Nov 2008 01:23:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2126363/posts President-elect Obama, The campaign is over. It is now time to focus on where our nation will go from here. We disagree on many things, but if we are to take you at your word, we agree in the fundamental importance of encouraging open and honest debate in a Democratic society. There are those in Congress, who do not seem to feel this way. We believe this to be the case due to the recent calls for reinstating the so-called 'Fairness Doctrine'. The Fairness Doctrine, is far from fair, it lies a great distance from liberty. It will be used... iPetitions http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2126363/posts#comment Wed, 5 Nov 2008 21:50:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2111656/posts The alternative-media revolution of the last twenty years has smashed the liberal monopoly over news outlets and created a true marketplace of ideas. Rather than fight back with their own beliefs, today’s liberals work relentlessly to smother this new universe of political discourse under a tangle of campaign finance reform and media regulations. Bestselling author Brian Anderson and Adam Thierer examine the crucial place of free political speech in our nation’s history, from the feisty polemics of Revolutionary-era pamphlets to the explosion of new media in the twenty-first century. Today, shockingly, freedom of political speech in America is facing sustained... manhattan-institute http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2111656/posts#comment Tue, 21 Oct 2008 23:52:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2097566/posts US presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama have released their technology policies, differing on whether "Net neutrality" rules should be imposed on telecommunications companies and on the breadth of their aspirations for the American public. Mr Obama said Net neutrality rules – which would prevent telcos giving priority to certain types of Internet traffic over others – were needed to ensure freedom of expression on the Internet and to prevent "a two-tier Internet in which websites with the best relationships with network providers can get the fastest access to consumers". The debate over Net neutrality has international implications, pitting... Red Orbit http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2097566/posts#comment Sat, 4 Oct 2008 20:23:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2061418/posts Behind the attempt to regulate the Internet is an attempt at destroying our God given constitutionally guaranteed rights of free speech and an attempt to suppress the spread of opinions, news, and ideas. For the Multi-national corporations and it's leftist CEOs there is a need for greed and to limit our choices they way they do with Television. The chance to monopolize the Internet and the video games industry is met with the support of none other than RINOS as well as the far left. Hillary Clinton, John Mccain and to some extent even Obama have expressed support for regulating... mainestategop blog http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2061418/posts#comment Wed, 13 Aug 2008 22:08:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2061142/posts ""There’s a huge concern among conservative talk radio hosts that reinstatement of the Fairness Doctrine would all-but destroy the industry due to equal time constraints. But speech limits might not stop at radio. They could even be extended to include the Internet and “government dictating content policy.” FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell raised that as a possibility after talking with bloggers at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C. McDowell spoke about a recent FCC vote to bar Comcast from engaging in certain Internet practices – expanding the federal agency’s oversight of Internet networks. " Business and Media Institute http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2061142/posts#comment Wed, 13 Aug 2008 14:48:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2061351/posts There’s a huge concern among conservative talk radio hosts that reinstatement of the Fairness Doctrine would all-but destroy the industry due to equal time constraints. But speech limits might not stop at radio. They could even be extended to include the Internet and “government dictating content policy.” FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell raised that as a possibility after talking with bloggers at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C. McDowell spoke about a recent FCC vote to bar Comcast from engaging in certain Internet practices – expanding the federal agency’s oversight of Internet networks. The commissioner, a 2006 President Bush appointee, told... Business & Media Institute http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2061351/posts#comment Wed, 13 Aug 2008 20:01:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2060857/posts There’s a huge concern among conservative talk radio hosts that reinstatement of the Fairness Doctrine would all-but destroy the industry due to equal time constraints. But speech limits might not stop at radio. They could even be extended to include the Internet and “government dictating content policy.” FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell raised that as a possibility after talking with bloggers at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C. McDowell spoke about a recent FCC vote to bar Comcast from engaging in certain Internet practices – expanding the federal agency’s oversight of Internet networks. The commissioner, a 2006 President Bush appointee, told... Business & Media Institute http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2060857/posts#comment Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:05:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2060757/posts There’s a huge concern among conservative talk radio hosts that reinstatement of the Fairness Doctrine would all-but destroy the industry due to equal time constraints. But speech limits might not stop at radio. They could even be extended to include the Internet and “government dictating content policy.” FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell raised that as a possibility after talking with bloggers at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C. McDowell spoke about a recent FCC vote to bar Comcast from engaging in certain Internet practices – expanding the federal agency’s oversight of Internet networks. The commissioner, a 2006 President Bush appointee, told... businessandmedia.org http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2060757/posts#comment Tue, 12 Aug 2008 21:23:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2056969/posts As some of you may know, Obama supporters have been going around censoring blogs critical of Obama by marking them as Spam. Several blog hosts have recieved a slew of complaints from Bloggers and their supporters over the shut downs and have begun to investigate. I got word from the host of my blog that they have been correcting problems concerning blogs shut down due to being incorrectly marked as spam. I haven't had that problem since most of my blog has to do with Maine and exposing liberal corruption but they're getting the message. People need to continue to... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2056969/posts#comment Tue, 5 Aug 2008 19:07:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2033958/posts How Neutral is the Net? by: Rachel Paulk, June 20, 2008 When net neutrality first gained national attention several years ago, the discussion focused on ensuring equality for all sites from the differing internet providers. For example, Google couldn’t pay Comcast to load quicker than Yahoo; nor could the ISPs hold any type of censoring power on the types of sites users chose to frequent. James Gattuso of the Heritage Foundation stated that “Net neutrality… is probably the most talked about and least understood issue I’ve ever come across.” He credited the mystery shrouding the subject to the changing context... Campus Report http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2033958/posts#comment Fri, 20 Jun 2008 17:17:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2028216/posts Update: Bell Canada and TELUS (formerly owned by Verizon) employees officially confirm that by 2012 ISP's all over the globe will reduce Internet access to a TV-like subscription model, only offering access to a small standard amount of commercial sites and require extra fees for every other site you visit. These 'other' sites would then lose all their exposure and eventually shut down, resulting in what could be seen as the end of the Internet.... IPower http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2028216/posts#comment Mon, 9 Jun 2008 10:33:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2025079/posts NEW YORK (AP) -- You're used to paying extra if you use up your cell phone minutes, but will you be willing to pay extra if your home computer goes over its Internet allowance? Time Warner Cable Inc. customers -- and, later, others -- may have to, if the company's test of metered Internet access is successful. ADVERTISEMENT On Thursday, new Time Warner Cable Internet subscribers in Beaumont, Texas, will have monthly allowances for the amount of data they upload and download. Those who go over will be charged $1 per gigabyte, a Time Warner Cable executive told the Associated... AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2025079/posts#comment Tue, 3 Jun 2008 00:59:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2023233/posts Excerpt - Well, this should be interesting. Because of scheduling issues, Kevin Martin and Lowell McAdam will be interviewed at the same time. Will the two hit it off on issues of ‘Net neutrality, early termination fees, Open Access or none of the above? ~ snip ~ Pulling up a chart that showcases the lousy broadband situation in the states, Walt kicks the conversation off with a hardball question for Martin: “You’re the chairman of the FCC,” says Walt. “How did you allow this to happen?” Big applause. Martin tries to dodge a bit, suggesting that the chart shows penetration.... Wall Street Journal - All Things Digital http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2023233/posts#comment Thu, 29 May 2008 22:56:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2021601/posts Net Neutrality: Who's the Cop and What Type of a Stick Does He Carry? May 15, 2008, 12:00 - 1:30 PM U.S. Capitol Building, Room HC-5 The Internet Caucus Advisory Committee held a luncheon panel discussion featuring former Federal Trade Commission officials and Federal Communication Commission officials discussing how much authority, if any, those agencies have to police alleged "Net Neutrality" problems -- should they arise. The panel detailed and debated the scope of enforcement authority and remedies available to the FTC, FCC and, perhaps, public opinion. AUDIO LINK (MP3) Panelists: * Rebecca Arbogast , Stifel Nicolaus (Moderator) * Dan... The Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2021601/posts#comment Mon, 26 May 2008 22:08:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2005342/posts When economic stagnation gripped the country in the 1970s, I was an economics professor in my home state of Texas. Back then when I was teaching a class and needed a real-world example of how government overregulation harmed the economy and stifled innovation, I would point to any number of sectors in the economy. This was the era when making a long-distance call was a big deal. In the wake of the economic malaise of the 1970s, economists began to seriously look at deregulation as a way to enhance economic growth. Airlines, trucking, energy and telecommunications all were opened to... The Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2005342/posts#comment Tue, 22 Apr 2008 19:00:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2003746/posts There is a dirty little secret in the cable industry. Its being kept secret not by the cable distributors, but by the big cable networks. End this practice and the United States goes from being 3rd world by international broadband standards, to top of the charts and exemplary. Make this change and Net Neutrality becomes a non issue. There is plenty of bandwidth for everyone. What is the dirty little secret ? That your cable company still delivers basic cable networks in analog. Why is this such an important issue ? Because each of those cable networks takes up... blogmaverick.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2003746/posts#comment Sat, 19 Apr 2008 00:03:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1997150/posts If you haven’t been following the debate on net neutrality, you’re not alone. The details of the issue can lead into realms where only tech geeks and policy wonks dare to tread, but at root there’s a pretty simple question: How much control should network operators be allowed to have over the information on their lines? Most people assume that the Internet is a democratic free-for-all by nature — that it could be no other way. But the openness of the Internet as we know it is a byproduct of the fact that the network was started on phone lines.... The New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1997150/posts#comment Sat, 5 Apr 2008 14:12:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1993339/posts In the climactic scene of the Oscar-nominated film "There Will Be Blood," Daniel Day-Lewis's ruthless oil tycoon explains that he has drained all the valuable oil off a neighbor's land. "If you have a milkshake and I have a milkshake and I have a straw ... and my straw reaches across the room ... I drink your milkshake! I drink it up!" There could be no more apt analogy for the looming threat now facing our broadband infrastructure. Today, a few savvy Internet users - the bandwidth tycoons in this broadband Wild West - are effectively draining everyone else's Internet... The Daily Bulletin http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1993339/posts#comment Fri, 28 Mar 2008 22:04:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1988369/posts The man who spoke for Comcast at Harvard last month has told the Federal Communications Commission that the agency has no legal power to stop the cable giant from engaging in what it calls "network management practices" (critics call it peer-to-peer traffic blocking). Comcast vice president David L. Cohen's latest filing with the Commission claims that regulators can do nothing even if they conclude that Comcast's behavior runs afoul of the FCC's Internet neutrality guidelines. "The congressional policy and agency practice of relying on the marketplace instead of regulation to maximize consumer welfare has been proven by experience (including the... ars technia http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1988369/posts#comment Wed, 19 Mar 2008 21:04:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1976916/posts Excerpt - CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — Comcast Corp. on Tuesday acknowledged hiring people to fill seats before the start of a contentious federal hearing on how the company manages its broadband network, allowing its employees to take those seats when the filled-to-capacity hearing started. Many people were turned away before Monday's Federal Communications Commission hearing at Harvard Law School, leading critics to accuse Comcast of stifling debate over the company's practice of favoring some forms of Internet traffic over others. Comcast said it hired people to hold seats only after an advocacy group called Free Press urged its backers to... Associated Press (excerpt) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1976916/posts#comment Wed, 27 Feb 2008 06:52:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1971269/posts CFIF today voiced its opposition to the recently released "Net Neutrality" bill sponsored by Representatives Ed Markey and Chip Pickering. "If enacted, the dubiously-titled "Internet Freedom Preservation Act of 2008" would undo many of the framework policies that have fostered growth and innovation in telecommunications services in recent years," said CFIF President Jeffery Mazzella. "This legislation won't preserve Internet freedom. Rather, it will cripple a free and open market that continues to encourage unprecedented innovation and benefits consumers." "This legislation is nothing more than the heavy hand of government dictating the terms of service for the Internet," Mazzella continued. Center for Individual Freedom http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1971269/posts#comment Sat, 16 Feb 2008 03:39:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1969766/posts WASHINGTON -- As Sen. Hillary Clinton faces a money crunch, several of her top fund-raisers are considering using independent organizations to wage their own campaigns on her behalf. At least two sets of Clinton fund-raisers are speaking with lawyers to figure out how to create independent entities to support Mrs. Clinton in Ohio, Texas and other primary contests. Susie Tompkins Buell, the founder of the Esprit clothing company, says she is deciding whether to start her own entity to fund commercials for Mrs. Clinton, or whether to donate to existing groups, such as abortion-rights group Emily's List, that are already... NY Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1969766/posts#comment Wed, 13 Feb 2008 18:01:53 GMT