We never had any doubt that Comcast's
anti-net-neutrality court victory would prove to be more of a defeat in the long run, and that's exactly how it's shaping up: some 74 Democratic members of Congress have voiced concerns about the FCC's plan to
re-classify broadband as a more highly-regulated "telecommunications service" instead of as an "information service" in letter sent to FCC chairman Julius Genachowski today, and a group of Democratic senators and representatives are planning a series of meetings in June with the goal of revamping US telecommunications law in general. According to Senate staffers who spoke to the
Washington Post, the idea isn't to pre-empt the FCC's plan, but rather to bring the law into alignment with the modern market instead of trying to fit a round peg into a square hole -- our current telecom law was enacted in 1996 and is based on law written in 1934, so a more modern revamp could bring sweeping changes to the way broadband providers are able to sell and manage their services.
We don't know what the specific agenda is yet, but we'd bet the FCC's recent finding that
there's no "effective competition" in the wireless industry is sure to play a big part in these discussions, and we wouldn't be surprised to see some serious talk about cable providers and set-top hardware as well. Whatever happens, we'll be keeping a sharp eye on these meetings -- this is the first time we've seen the government take up the issue of modern telecommunications policy with this level of interest and momentum, and we've got a feeling some big things are afoot.
posted May 24th 2010 6:04PM
Hopefully they get rid of the useless and misappropriated USF.
Other than that, I doubt there'll be a lot of significant change by the time the lobbyists from Verizon, Comcast, et al do what they're paid for.
@LANjackal It's sad, there are very few if anyone, in congress that understands the internet.
@LANjackal
Free unlimited texting, minutes and data for women with more than 3 kids (all different dads) on welfare... HURRAAYYY!!!!!
oh, and all government employees get free cellphone service thanks to non-government employees YAAAYYYYYY!!!!
@LANjackal It probably won't happen, but I am seriously pursuing the idea of testifying at these meetings on behalf of consumers. Someone needs to do it!
@LANjackal
@LANjackal
Let's hope to get some general 'Rent A Movie' online store. Or Store for set up boxes! Giving you the choice to select the movie you want to see and then ask you where you want to rent it from: Amazon , ZuneStore, iTunes , Cable Company giving the different prices and quality they are available.
One store to rule them all !
@stabbytheicepic Like that one congressman/senator who admitted to never having used an ATM*? LOL.
*maybe he was referring to something else: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=ATM At least that's more believable.
@Nilay Patel Thats a great idea, I hope you'll do it!
@Mentat
Oh God thanks for expressing what everyone was thinking! More competition means giving cellphones away to poor people!
I'll take a rain check on your level of dementia for a day when Glenn Beck is president, thanks.
@Nilay Patel You really should, your law background and intuneness with us technophiles and "bandwidth hogs" makes you a perfect candidate to end the demonization of the consumer!
@Mentat
Competition is a fundamental aspect of capitalism. The million dollar question is why does the same party that beats on about capitalism never stand behind capitalistic measures? Like competition. They have no problem with one cable company or crapmart dominating a market.
Interestingly enough, there is much better competition in France than there is here.
@10nisman94 Thanks for pointing out that it's a super minority of you and your type (bandwidth hogs) that the government will try to give everything to for free!
Now THAT would be democracy at work wouldn't it! A few loudmouth socialists telling everyone else how they can spend everyone else's money! :/
@Nilay Patel PLEASE do it.
and politicians doing something that make sense? i never thought i'd see the day. hopefully they don't cave to the corporate lobbyists.
@dataninja I for got to use my sarcasm mark, my bad. My point was that Nilay would be the perfect person to dispel the myth of the "bandwidth hog" and present real insight into consumers' plight, is that better? (I never said free, stop putting words in my mouth)
@dataninja
The point of net neutrality isn't us getting something for nothing. Its that we want what we pay for. And if we pay for unlimited high speed internet, I want just that. Whether I'm torrenting, downloading porn, or trying to get cheat codes for the latest Grand Theft Auto, I should be able to get the information I want WITHOUT my ISP throttling my connection or otherwise forbidding it.
@Joe the Plumber
You obviously dont remember the Dblock of the last spectrum auction... the one that offered low income households free wireless internet?
I dont blame you, communists don't have a longterm memory
@Nilay Patel
That is EXACTLY what Congressional committee hearings are for!
I'm a government teacher, and one of the purposes of committee hearings is to give the public the chance to speak. We are not allowed on the floor of the House or Senate, but we can put our opinions into the Congressional Record via committee testimony.
The House Subcommittee on Communication, Technology, and the Internet is chaired by Rep. Rick Boucher of Virginia, http://www.boucher.house.gov/
The similar Senate committee is chaired by Sen. John Kerry.
These are people to keep in touch with to schedule time to testify.
@LANjackal
Watch out for the RIAA and MPAA trying to poke their DRM proboscises into this.
@Nilay Patel Let me know if you need a ride, I live right outside DC and sadly know DCA like the back of my hand.
@Nilay Patel
if it ever gets that far, please do. U are a very intelligent man, and stand as a pillar for the rest of us. Is there anything the average person can do to help the cause?
@stabbytheicepic Sadly, majority of them don't have any idea how it works. Hopefully, this will change once the 1GB broadband plan of google surfaces. http://j.mp/googlee-isp
@Nilay Patel The only concrete outcome of all this will be even more telco & cable money funneled into the coffers of GOP candidates for the off-year elections - after which, nothing will happen for the next two years (and things will be even worse after that).
@Nilay Patel You have our support.
We need net neutrality or we can kiss the internet as we know it goodbye.
@stabbytheicepic
really? last I checked every time the government has made a life changing decision for its people, only the tax payers lost.
Look at the bailout- we now have a 10%+ unemployment rate.
Look at the USPS- one of the most utilized "companies" in the world and has not posted a profit EVER!!!
Healthcare?- unless you are part of the lowest 10% earners you dont qualify for the US's government healthcare (Obama said it not me)
@Mentat
shut up you idiot
@Mentat
Just an FYI, a quick google search shows that the post office has made profit quite often.
http://multichannelmerchant.com/news/USPS_profit_120705/
@Mentat
Okay so you do not like government monopolies but enjoy private ones. Spoken like a true Tea Party/ Libertarian.
What may with your mindset fail to grasp is that in most other countries, the citizen comes before profit. You know: 'We the People'. Which means, competition first.
@Mentat
"Look at the bailout- we now have a 10%+ unemployment rate"
And just imagine what it would have been without the bailouts. Remember, companies like AIG don't just employ their employees. They also have numerous businesses that rely on them to stay in business.
Same thing with the LOANS that were given to GM. Imagine if part suppliers who's number one customer was the GM factories. The dealerships who are exclusively GM dealerships. All those people suddenly without a job.
Had the loans not been given, I'll bet you ten to one the same people compaining about a "waste of money" would be complaining about how the government didn't do anything while these companies failed.
Don't get me wrong, these companies should never have been in this situation. They should have been able to recognize they were in problematic times and take action themselves. But what else was the government to do?
@Mentat
If you had any idea what you were talking about, you wouldn't immediately take an extreme right position on the matter. That's what I hate about people like you. "They didn't handle this well, they can't handke that well either." Guess what? Nothing you said has anything to do with net neutrality. Net neutrality will effectively cist cobsumers LESS if anything, not MORE. so seriously, cram yiur biased right wing garbage already. YOU'D be better off with net neutrality, regardless of what gdf'n health care you have.
I mean, SHIT.
@JKL
How'd "the people" work out in Russia anyway?
just make it easy for me to use the product I want on the network I want and i'll be happy.
As long as they don't try to tax my email like a postage stamp or block any "special websites".
@lakersin2025 That's what comcast/verizon are trying to do by killing net neutrality
@stabbytheicepic you need to learn more about net neutrality. You have it backwards. It will limit access to the sites you see and what your allowed to post on a website.
The only people who like it are the file sharing programs.
@desmo are you stupid?
Without net neutrality your ISP can discriminate packets. AKA they can say "hey you didnt pay for access to that website, or that service, so we are going to block it"
Please read before you post.
@desmo Network neutrality (also net neutrality, Internet neutrality) is a principle proposed for user access networks participating in the Internet that advocates no restrictions by Internet Service Providers or governments on content, sites, or platforms, on the kinds of equipment that may be attached, and on the modes of communication allowed.
Keep railing against that you monster.
@stabbytheicepic are govt brainwashed? Drink enough kool aid??
@desmo So you can't post facts defending your position, but I do, and I am the crazy one?
@stabbytheicepic Telecommunications providers such as telephone and cable companies, and some technology companies that supply networking gear, argue telecom providers should have the ability to provide preferential treatment in the form of a tiered services, for example by giving online companies willing to pay the ability to transfer their data packets faster than other Internet traffic
This is what ISP's want to do.
@stabbytheicepic you want a link on a study on how bad it is.. here you go!
http://biggovernment.com/capitolconfidential/2010/04/14/study-net-neutrality-to-curb-innovation-investment-and-curtail-consumer-welfare/
@desmo
Dear desmo,
I'll say what everyone else is thinking. All government interaction is not bad. The free market doesn't always work. It's time that cell companies are separated from their parent communications companies and all cell companies pay a similar rate for access to communication networks. I'm sick of one company raising this fee or that and then the rest following suit. I'm sick of $80 plans when in Europe a similar plan is half the cost. If we need government intervention to actually get reasonable prices, I'm all for it.
@desmo Europe has no problems getting everyone 1gigabit connections without having to let ISP's charge people extra for access to youtube
@stabbytheicepic Sorry to disagree there, but Europe is having major problems getting "everyone" over 1Mb. At my parents' home they get 0.3Mb more than 60 times less than I get in London (for roughly the same price) and that town has a population of over 100,000.
@Joe the Plumber
Government intervention is what created the mess in the first place. Further government intervention (the Democrats and most Republican's plan) will only make things worse. The idea that the free market doesn't always work is a myth based on conflating government regulated markets with a true free market. The telecom monopolies exist BECAUSE OF government regulation, not because of the any absence of regulation.
The good news is a lot of incumbents of both parties are getting swept away in the primaries so far and it is shaping up to be a good year for the fiercely anti-government Tea Party movement. If enough of them get elected in November they can throw a wrench in to government's attempted takeover of the net.
Good for you guys, hopefully we can repeal the "Digital Economy Act" here in the UK, different deal but equally bad.
Who do you trust with the Internet? The Government or Free Enterprise? Even when it may seem necessary it's never a good idea to open the door to Government Regulation. Ultimately, if the ISPs enact draconian pricing schemes, new less restrictive ISPs will pop up, and people will vote with their Dollars. It's scary at first, but the Market is always right.
@Critic2029 The government has had no problems controlling the internet the past whatever years it has existed.
The government developed the internet.
The government subsidies the internet.
The government wants to make sure that company don't rake consumers over the coals by turning the internet into cable TV.
If you are against net neutrality you are an enemy of the internet.
@Critic2029 That's true when there is true competition. With coast-2-coast companies, you're going to get lesser of two evils.
You see, a free-market these days is pretty much a fairy tale. Corporations have bought legislation that helps them make a buck and squeezes out the little guy.
We need more, smaller companies that actually have to compete. The airwaves don't belong to the companies, they belong to everyone, and we need someone to make sure it stays that way.
Free market idealism works great in a world where there is no such thing as collusion, price fixing... essentially when you eliminate greed and replace it with pure altruism.
@stabbytheicepic lol.. are on the Obama troll payroll?
@desmo No, I just love the internet how it is, and don't want to see it destroyed by people that have no idea how it works, or what they are talking about.
aka you.
Read a book on how things work and why our current system of net neutrality is something to fight for.