Tag: Net Neutrality

Good News For Net Neutrality?

There has been a war going on for net neutrality….Trump’s boy at the FCC does not want it to be all that free….the good news is that the Senate has voted to restore the neutrality, which is good but will the House do the right thing or just be another rubber stamp Trump?

The Senate has voted to kill a Federal Communications Commission rule that repealed the Obama administration’s ban on internet providers blocking or slowing down certain content. Back in December, in an effort to deregulate the internet, the FCC repealed “net neutrality” rules that ensured equal treatment for all web traffic. The Obama-era rule prevented providers such as AT&T, Comcast and Verizon from interfering with internet traffic and favoring their own sites and apps. Three Republicans joined with Democrats in voting to repeal the FCC rule that is scheduled to go into effect next month, the AP reports. The final vote was 52-47.

Telecommunications companies lobbied hard to overturn net neutrality, and critics, including the Trump administration, said over-regulation was stifling innovation. CNN says the measure to reinstate net neutrality will now “be sent to the GOP-led House, where it’ll likely go nowhere,” noting that Trump isn’t likely to back it either. Still, the AP notes, Democrats see their effort as something that will energize young voters who value unfettered access to the internet.

Will this bring about a happy ending……I think not Trump’s lackeys in the House will defeat net neutrality…..there is no way that these toads will do the right thing….

Keep those cards and letters flowing into the House….maybe someone will listen.

The Final Countdown!

I wish I were speaking of some rock song from the 80’s….that would be great….the song sucked but to talk about it would be great….because come 23 April net neutrality will end.

The Federal Communications Commission has ordered net neutrality to end on April 23, the agency formally announced Thursday in the Federal Register.

The commission voted 3-2 in December to overturn Obama-era rules preventing internet service providers, or ISPs, from treating certain content differently. The change will allow ISPs to block, slow down, or charge more for certain content as they see fit. That means consumers could notice a difference in how they experience sites like Netflix and Facebook, compared with websites of smaller companies.

The FCC adopted rules to preserve net neutrality in February 2015. Overturning them means the government will stop regulating internet service as a utility, like phone service.

The commission said in the Federal Register that it considers its decision a return “to the light-touch regulatory scheme that enabled the internet to develop and thrive for nearly two decades.”

(HuffPo)

Many of us bloggers fought ans supported for neutrality and yet this president decided that his buddies in big business were important than the rest of America….but that should not surprise you he has never put the American people first.

There is one glimmer of hope though……

Congress now has 60 legislative working days to reverse the FCC decision under the Congressional Review Act. Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) said in December he would work with 43 mostly Democratic senators on the effort, which is considered a long shot.

“Without strong net neutrality rules, entrepreneurs, inventors, small businesses, activists and all those who rely on a free and open internet will be at the mercy of big broadband companies that can block websites, slow down traffic and charge websites fees in order to increase their profits,” Markey said in a statement following the FCC vote.

Alternatively, elected officials could re-establish net neutrality through legislation at the state or federal level. State attorneys general and other groups may challenge the order in court. Some, including New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, have already announced plans to do so.

(HuffPo)

Like I said a glimmer….I am not holding my breath and neither should you.

What About “Net Neutrality”?

If you are a blogger then you use the internet a lot….researching your thoughts before they are written….and if you are a blogger then you have some sort of internet defense widget on your site….for we all are concerned about the loss of the internet for public consumption.

Well it looks like our President one Donald J. Trump, is siding with the internet companies in their dash to massive profits and total control……but that was before….it looks like something has changed in the Trump admin…..but unfortunately, to me, something still smells about this……

A top US regulatory official on Wednesday unveiled plans to roll back so-called “net neutrality” rules that require broadband firms to treat all online traffic equally.

The announcement by Federal Communications Commission chairman Ajit Pai, appointed by President Donald Trump, signals a new round of wrangling over internet regulatory policy by seeking to reverse rules aimed at avoiding the emergence of “fast” and “slow” lanes at the discretion of carriers.

Pai, speaking to a Washington forum, said the 2015 FCC order — which is being challenged in court by major broadband firms — did not deliver on its promise but rather added new regulatory burdens which stifled investment.

Source: Flash – US regulator vows to roll back ‘net neutrality’ rules – France 24

We must be aware of the gimmicks that these politicians will pull…..

We need to be vigilant……this too will pass into a control substance.

I trust no one when they start dicking with the neutrality thing….

How about you?

Closing Thought–25Jan17

The end of “net neutrality”?

DAMN!  I was slow on the uptake on this issue….I want to thank my friend at “The Ripening Wanderer” for his post to grab my attention……

Source: Some People Are Saying Trump Might End Net Neutrality | The Ripening Wanderer

I am a strong supporter of a regulation free internet and so are many others….looks like we could lose this battle with the new President….

Trump’s pick for control of the FCC is a disturbing one……

President Donald Trump has picked a fierce critic of the Obama-era “net neutrality” rules to be chief regulator of the nation’s airwaves and internet connections, the AP reports. In a statement Monday, Ajit Pai said he was grateful to the president for choosing him as the next chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. Pai had been one of the two Republican commissioners on a five-member panel that regulates the country’s communications infrastructure, including TV, phone, and internet service. There are currently just three members on the panel. The Republicans’ new majority at the FCC, along with their control of Congress and the White House, is expected to help them roll back policies applauded by consumer advocates that upset many phone and cable industry groups, including net neutrality rules that bar internet service providers from favoring some websites and apps over others.

Pai has long maintained that the FCC under former Chairman Thomas Wheeler had overstepped its bounds, suggesting that he would steer the agency in a direction more favorable to big phone and cable companies. In a December speech, he expressed confidence that the 2015 net neutrality rules would be undone and said the FCC needed to take a “weed whacker” to what he considered unnecessary regulations that hold back investment and innovation. Consumer advocates have been concerned that a deregulation-minded FCC could potentially allow more huge mergers, overturn new protections for internet users, and lead to higher costs for media and technology companies that rely on the internet to reach consumers.

I wonder how the Right will take this news……I do not see how they can keep up a brave face in favor of Trump when he is about to screw their net connectability….somehow they will justify this in some warped way or another.

But enough of that…we will just have to wait and see who does what to whom.  But whenever there is a profit to be made it will win out over service……every time.

  Just saying.

FCC Votes On Net Neutrality Today

All of us bloggers are concerned with the net neutrality thingy……most of us are worried that the government will take control of it and in doing so eliminate those that are a voice of reason…..I am talking about Left and Right……the media will be fine since they own the FCC….but what about the rest of us?

The Federal Communications Commission will vote on net neutrality today, after lengthy debate. Though the topic seems destined for the courts, the FCC’s decision “is going to be a benchmark,” a researcher tells USA Today. The board is expected to approve chairman Tom Wheeler’s guidelines to regulate the Internet like a utility, as President Obama suggested. His proposal also labels broadband providers as “common carriers” under Title II of the Telecommunications Act, which means the FCC could prohibit paid prioritization for “fast lanes,” NBC News reports. What does that mean for you?

  • “All this ruling means is that there will be FCC jurisdiction to examine practices and hear complaints,” a legal professor explains. He bats down claims that this is “an all-or-nothing decision that will transform the Internet,” suggesting much is still to be determined. “Your broadband will still cost the same amount as it did before.”
  • Essentially Wheeler’s rules would mean Internet service providers must treat all traffic equally, which is why Netflix—which claims almost 35% of peak traffic in the US—supports the move. It can’t be charged more for the bandwidth it uses. Companies like Etsy, Kickstarter, Tumblr, and Vimeo support rules similar to Wheeler’s.
  • In the past, so did Google. But nearly a decade after Google and Facebook first pushed for new rules, the search giant has urged the FCC to draft rules boosting investment in broadband Internet networks, as have net neutrality opponents AT&T and Comcast, the Wall Street Journal reports.
  • An expert predicts the “public utility-style regulations” will “create a tremendous amount of chaos” for cable and Internet companies, particularly when it comes to addressing congestion. They would have to ensure their practices of freeing up bandwidth are “reasonable,” NPR reports.
  • The rules also include what’s called “zero-rating,” which is when an app or group of apps—for example T-Mobile’s Music Freedom plan—isn’t counted against a user’s data cap. Sounds like a bonus, right? “That distorts competition,” says one expert.
  • Republicans generally consider Wheeler’s rules a government power grab. Congress could respond with legislation that undercuts Wheeler’s guidelines, but Obama would likely veto.

Time to mobilize!

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