Good explanation of net neutrality and why it affects you.

Generally an unmoderated forum for discussion of pretty much any topic. The focus however, is usually politics.
Post Reply
JTA
Commander
Posts: 3898
Joined: Sat Oct 13, 2012 4:04 pm

Re: Good explanation of net neutrality and why it affects you.

Unread post by JTA »

http://www.forbes.com/sites/markhendric ... eutrality/
Sooner or later, under FCC regulation of the Internet, there will be “regulatory capture”—large established firms exploiting regulations to suppress the emergence of small, creative startups. Because it will be impossible for the FCC to keep close tabs on thousands of Internet companies, they will find it expedient to limit the number of participants, finding it easier to oversee a few large corporations than countless smaller ones.


Think of the investment implications here: Who knows how many would-be startups that might have become the next Facebook or Twitter may be strangled in their cribs by FCC regulators? Think of all the new millionaires that won’t be created. Successful investing in the Internet will be influenced greatly by which companies the FCC’s policies favor, meaning that the homework needed to discover which companies have the best business plan may not be as important as following what the FCC regulators do.

Net neutrality wants to stop companies from assigning priorities to Internet traffic. The problem is, prioritization is the most elementary and necessary feature of economic activity. In a world of finite resources, capacities, and time, rational humans assign priority to more highly valued options with the marketplace deciding what those values are. Saying that everything must be treated equally echoes Marx’s “from each according to his ability to each according to his need”—a deadly ethos of leveling which, in practice, has leveled wealth downward wherever humans have been misguided enough to live by that principle.

...

For government to step in and protect weak, relatively inefficient and uneconomic competitors in the name of “fairness” is to reward mediocrity, cripple economic progress, and leave consumers poorer.

...

By limiting competition, the FCC will cause Internet prices to rise. [uh.....]

...
Someone please tell me this guy makes some valid points because as far as I can tell this is almost Marsha Blackburn-esque on the bullshit meter. He even had to throw in a Marx reference for Christ's sake! Come on man!!!!

The guy basically proves his own points wrong in his own article.

Oh snap check out his reply to someone:
Personally, I would rather have competing, privately owned companies making decisions about what websites can be visited than the government. At least in the private market most of us can make a switch if we disagree with a company’s actions.
Oh man read the comments on that Forbes article for a good laugh! No one agrees with the writer. Haha...
You aren't doing it wrong if no one knows what you are doing.

User avatar
bannination
Captain
Posts: 5502
Joined: Sun Sep 16, 2012 7:58 am
Location: Hendersonville
Contact:

Re: Good explanation of net neutrality and why it affects you.

Unread post by bannination »

If "limiting competition" by some magic wand of the FCC raises prices, then may I make the suggestion that we break up bell again? The cable companies? By their own logic, that should lower prices and increase speeds.

JTA
Commander
Posts: 3898
Joined: Sat Oct 13, 2012 4:04 pm

Re: Good explanation of net neutrality and why it affects you.

Unread post by JTA »

Marsha Blackburn on net neutrality (again):
US Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) this week filed legislation she calls the "Internet Freedom Act" to overturn the Federal Communications Commission's new network neutrality rules.

..,

“Once the federal government establishes a foothold into managing how Internet service providers run their networks they will essentially be deciding which content goes first, second, third, or not at all," Blackburn said in an announcement yesterday. "My legislation will put the brakes on this FCC overreach and protect our innovators from these job-killing regulations.
Dammit to hell!!!!!

In the latest election cycle, Blackburn received $25,000 from an AT&T political action committee (PAC), $20,000 from a Comcast PAC, $20,000 from a cable industry association PAC, and $15,000 from a Verizon PAC, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/ ... N&recs=100
Oh ok. I guess it makes sense now.
You aren't doing it wrong if no one knows what you are doing.

User avatar
Vrede too
Superstar Cultmaster
Posts: 50649
Joined: Fri Apr 03, 2015 11:46 am
Location: Hendersonville, NC

Re: Good explanation of net neutrality and why it affects you.

Unread post by Vrede too »

Sneak Attack on Net Neutrality Picks Up Steam in the House

From DEMAND PROGRESS:
Comcast has gone nuclear. Their friends in Congress are threatening to shut down the federal government unless Net Neutrality is stopped.

They've attached a provision blocking Net Neutrality to a must-pass spending bill that funds the federal government.

Their strategy is simple: Faced with a possible government shutdown, Net Neutrality supporters will feel enormous pressure to give in.

But next week is our first big chance to stop this attack. Congress is voting on whether to remove the anti-Net Neutrality provision from the must-pass spending bill. It won't be easy, but if we win, Comcast is dead in the water.

... Using the threat of a government shut down is Comcast's most desperate attempt to stop Net Neutrality yet.

We've already generated a massive public outcry, and with your help we can keep flooding Congress with phone calls and make sure that voters know which representatives vote against the free and open Internet.

This is the very first vote in Congress since the FCC's historic rule went into effect. The stakes are huge. And we're counting on you to stand with us....
Tell Congress: Stop the Sneak Attack on Net Neutrality (petition)
Always be yourself! Unless you can be a goat, then always be a goat.
-- the interweb, paraphrased
1312. ETTD.

User avatar
Vrede too
Superstar Cultmaster
Posts: 50649
Joined: Fri Apr 03, 2015 11:46 am
Location: Hendersonville, NC

Re: Good explanation of net neutrality and why it affects you.

Unread post by Vrede too »

Always be yourself! Unless you can be a goat, then always be a goat.
-- the interweb, paraphrased
1312. ETTD.

User avatar
Vrede too
Superstar Cultmaster
Posts: 50649
Joined: Fri Apr 03, 2015 11:46 am
Location: Hendersonville, NC

Re: Good explanation of net neutrality and why it affects you.

Unread post by Vrede too »

From freepress.net:
Good news: Your petition to Congress worked and the just-passed government-funding bill has NO anti-Net Neutrality language. This is an important victory.

Unfortunately Comcast and the other Internet service providers never take their defeats lying down. They'll continue to come after the FCC rules any way they can.

We'll keep you posted. For now, though, know that you helped deliver a big win in the fight to keep the Internet free and open.

Thank you!
:clap:
O Really wrote:
Seth Milner wrote:
I've got two questions; and I'm not trying to be a smart-ass:

1 - - How is signing a petition going to stop, or even help stop abortion clinic violence? Or ensure patients safety? ...
Petitions sometimes demonstrate a level of interest that might get the attention of somebody(ies) with the ability to do something. See Duke Energy response to the uproar over their cross-mountain transmission line, for example. A lot of legislators pander to their anti-abortion faction and it can't hurt to give a message that they have other constituents, too....
Vrede too wrote:I mostly thought the map was interesting - yay NC - and might not have shared the petition without it. Did you look?

Signing a petition doesn't do anything, but the target of the petition might do something. So, you might as well be asking, "How do federal LEO terror investigations ever stop violence or help ensure safety?" which is a silly, if not also smart-ass, question.

How is doing nothing going to stop or even help stop abortion clinic violence? Or ensure patient safety? ...
:wave:
Always be yourself! Unless you can be a goat, then always be a goat.
-- the interweb, paraphrased
1312. ETTD.

User avatar
rstrong
Captain
Posts: 5889
Joined: Thu Oct 25, 2012 9:32 am
Location: Winnipeg, MB

Re: Good explanation of net neutrality and why it affects you.

Unread post by rstrong »

Vrede too wrote:Anti-women terrorists have attacked at least 93 clinics since 1995, killing 7 people and injuring dozens of others
That list doesn't include American terrorists travelling elsewhere. One group behind many of the shootings in the US (James Kopp and the Roman Catholic group "The Lambs of Christ") also crossed into Canada and shot several women's clinic doctors in the late 1990s. Including one in my home town.

User avatar
Vrede too
Superstar Cultmaster
Posts: 50649
Joined: Fri Apr 03, 2015 11:46 am
Location: Hendersonville, NC

Re: Good explanation of net neutrality and why it affects you.

Unread post by Vrede too »

Always be yourself! Unless you can be a goat, then always be a goat.
-- the interweb, paraphrased
1312. ETTD.

User avatar
O Really
Admiral
Posts: 21328
Joined: Tue Sep 18, 2012 3:37 pm

Re: Good explanation of net neutrality and why it affects you.

Unread post by O Really »

From the petition:
"...The proposed deal would further reduce competition and choices for consumers, likely leading to higher prices and poorer service. Further consolidation of the industry would hit Latinos and other underserved communities particularly hard."

My question for the author:
Where do you live that you get a choice of cable services?

It's not that I'm fond of cable companies - I'm not. But the cable sales/service model is that only one provider gets access to a given geographical area. You don't get to choose between Comcast and Time-Warner. You get to choose between cable or something else. I'm reminded of an old AT&T ad from back when they were "Ma Bell" and had a monopoly. The ad went, "We may be the only phone company in town but we try not to act like it." Obvious criticism parody went, "We ARE the only phone company in town and we won't let you forget it." But it was a long time after Ma Bell was split up that service got back up to the level it was when Ma Bell ran it all - if it ever has.

What's more, I'd ask the author if s/he thinks s/he gets better service out of Dish or DirectTV because s/he theoretically had a consumer choice. Across the board TV content providers are among the most hated companies in the US. I would suggest that at least a big part of that is their constant and shady sales practices and confusing pricing, not really the service itself.

I say let 'em consolidate and increase regulation.

User avatar
Vrede too
Superstar Cultmaster
Posts: 50649
Joined: Fri Apr 03, 2015 11:46 am
Location: Hendersonville, NC

Re: Good explanation of net neutrality and why it affects you.

Unread post by Vrede too »

Yeah, it's bad.
... The cable and telecom industry is already too consolidated....
I think there's some competition between cable companies to get the access to power polls and alleys from local governments, and they theoretically have to show that they will provide decent service/price relative to other ones . . . or give bigger bribes.
O Really wrote:... I say let 'em consolidate and increase regulation.
How often do monopolies get better regulation?
Always be yourself! Unless you can be a goat, then always be a goat.
-- the interweb, paraphrased
1312. ETTD.

User avatar
rstrong
Captain
Posts: 5889
Joined: Thu Oct 25, 2012 9:32 am
Location: Winnipeg, MB

Re: Good explanation of net neutrality and why it affects you.

Unread post by rstrong »

Vrede too wrote:
O Really wrote:... I say let 'em consolidate and increase regulation.
How often do monopolies get better regulation?
Monopolies often *WANT* increased regulation. They see how in newer industries (like the computer industry) new, lean, efficient companies often completely replace the established players. Expensive, hard-to-meet regulations requiring a large experienced legal team are often the solution. The defense contracting and passenger jetliner industries for example.

User avatar
O Really
Admiral
Posts: 21328
Joined: Tue Sep 18, 2012 3:37 pm

Re: Good explanation of net neutrality and why it affects you.

Unread post by O Really »

Vrede too wrote: I think there's some competition between cable companies to get the access to power polls and alleys from local governments, and they theoretically have to show that they will provide decent service/price relative to other ones . . . or give bigger bribes.
I've rarely seen much difference in service among any of the many cable providers I've had. And pricing is all smoke and mirrors with all of them. And they all have WWE-style fights with local stations from time to time. And all of them hose you by bundling a bunch of channels you don't want along with a couple you do.

User avatar
Vrede too
Superstar Cultmaster
Posts: 50649
Joined: Fri Apr 03, 2015 11:46 am
Location: Hendersonville, NC

Re: Good explanation of net neutrality and why it affects you.

Unread post by Vrede too »

I don't think O Really was referring to the kind of increased regulation that protects monopolies. So, do you favor or oppose the merger, rstrong ?
Always be yourself! Unless you can be a goat, then always be a goat.
-- the interweb, paraphrased
1312. ETTD.

User avatar
rstrong
Captain
Posts: 5889
Joined: Thu Oct 25, 2012 9:32 am
Location: Winnipeg, MB

Re: Good explanation of net neutrality and why it affects you.

Unread post by rstrong »

Vrede too wrote:I don't think O Really was referring to the kind of increased regulation that protects monopolies. So, do you favor or oppose the merger, rstrong ?
I'd oppose it. Monopolies are rarely good. (There are *some* exceptions when they're publicly owned.)

I was merely making the point that monopolies do like heavy regulation in some cases.

User avatar
Vrede too
Superstar Cultmaster
Posts: 50649
Joined: Fri Apr 03, 2015 11:46 am
Location: Hendersonville, NC

Re: Good explanation of net neutrality and why it affects you.

Unread post by Vrede too »

Agreed, that's why I said "better" regulation.

Plus, the issue here, like with net neutrality, is not just about service and price but also about centralized control of content.
Always be yourself! Unless you can be a goat, then always be a goat.
-- the interweb, paraphrased
1312. ETTD.

User avatar
O Really
Admiral
Posts: 21328
Joined: Tue Sep 18, 2012 3:37 pm

Re: Good explanation of net neutrality and why it affects you.

Unread post by O Really »

That's true. It's not like all the cable companies have the same programming. :roll:
Understood that an unchecked monopoly can be bad for consumers. If I got a vote, I'd probably vote against allowing a merger. But I don't think it really makes much difference in the overall scheme of things. Cable is dying tech anyway.

User avatar
rstrong
Captain
Posts: 5889
Joined: Thu Oct 25, 2012 9:32 am
Location: Winnipeg, MB

Re: Good explanation of net neutrality and why it affects you.

Unread post by rstrong »

O Really wrote: Cable is dying tech anyway.
Here in Canada the government recently passed some new legislation: Cable companies must offer a skinny basic cable package capped at $25 a month that includes certain Canadian channels, plus affiliates of U.S. networks, including ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, and PBS. Beyond that they must offer a la carte choices for all the specialty channels rather than in expensive bundles. This goes into effect over the next few months.

The cable companies of course have been fighting it. Presumably as a "right to die" issue.

User avatar
O Really
Admiral
Posts: 21328
Joined: Tue Sep 18, 2012 3:37 pm

Re: Good explanation of net neutrality and why it affects you.

Unread post by O Really »

rstrong wrote:
O Really wrote: Cable is dying tech anyway.
Here in Canada the government recently passed some new legislation: Cable companies must offer a skinny basic cable package capped at $25 a month that includes certain Canadian channels, plus affiliates of U.S. networks, including ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, and PBS. Beyond that they must offer a la carte choices for all the specialty channels rather than in expensive bundles. This goes into effect over the next few months.

The cable companies of course have been fighting it. Presumably as a "right to die" issue.
:clap: :clap:

User avatar
Vrede too
Superstar Cultmaster
Posts: 50649
Joined: Fri Apr 03, 2015 11:46 am
Location: Hendersonville, NC

Re: Good explanation of net neutrality and why it affects you.

Unread post by Vrede too »

Always be yourself! Unless you can be a goat, then always be a goat.
-- the interweb, paraphrased
1312. ETTD.

User avatar
Vrede too
Superstar Cultmaster
Posts: 50649
Joined: Fri Apr 03, 2015 11:46 am
Location: Hendersonville, NC

Re: Good explanation of net neutrality and why it affects you.

Unread post by Vrede too »

Always be yourself! Unless you can be a goat, then always be a goat.
-- the interweb, paraphrased
1312. ETTD.

Post Reply