Net Neutrality

[Cartmann99]

2 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

On Sunday, Hamill also had some fresh words for Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), who tried to compare net neutrality to “the dark side” in a tweet intended for the actor.

“Luke, I know Hollywood can be confusing, but it was Vader who supported govt power over everything said & done on the Internet,” Cruz tweeted. Unfortunately, he misspelled Hamill's Twitter handle.

 Can Ann Coulter please swing by and pick up Ajit and Ted before heading for that deserted island we always dream about? 

[EowynW]

On 12/14/2017 at 6:06 PM, Briefly said:

We've always had side businesses, we did eBay for years and then my husband gradually got into repairing vintage pachinko machines.  He was laid off in April 2016 and our side business has become his job. We have a website and the majority of our business comes through that.  We've just now gotten it to the point where we think we're going to be ok if he does not have a full-time job.  Now this.  I'm trying very hard not to worry, but this has me really afraid.  I'm sure we are not the only ones in this position.

No you aren't. I know many people in the same boat. I've been dreaming of working towards starting a part time business for soap/lip balm/body butter, etc. but more and more I see that dream fading. 

[fraurosena]

There's a chance the FCC's ruling on net neutrality could be overturned!

Will they get the simple majority? Keep your fingers crossed!

[Briefly]

6 hours ago, EowynW said:

No you aren't. I know many people in the same boat. I've been dreaming of working towards starting a part time business for soap/lip balm/body butter, etc. but more and more I see that dream fading. 

Go ahead and start your business while you can, and good luck!

[Howl]

21 hours ago, fraurosena said:

There's a chance the FCC's ruling on net neutrality could be overturned!

Will they get the simple majority? Keep your fingers crossed!

Is there a date set for the vote?  Shumer can force a vote, but how likely is it he could get a simple majority? 

 

[47of74]

Fuck Face toady Ajit Pai chickened out of going to CES

Quote

With less than a week before this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, Chairman of the Federal Communications Comission Ajit Pai has decided to bail on a scheduled appearance.

Pai—whose name is now synonymous with the Trump administration’s deeply unpopular goal of repealing net neutrality, and smirking toadyism writ large—was slated for a CES “SuperSession” that would have involved “candid conversations” with acting chairman of the Federal Trade Commission Maureen K. Ohlhausen and CEO of the Consumer Technology Association Gary Shapiro.

 

[fraurosena]

Just one more. One. That's doable. 

The Senate’s push to overrule the FCC on net neutrality now has 50 votes, Democrats say

Quote

Fifty senators have endorsed a legislative measure to override the Federal Communications Commission's recent decision to deregulate the broadband industry, top Democrats said Monday.

The tally leaves supporters just one Republican vote shy of the 51 required to pass a Senate resolution of disapproval, in a legislative gambit aimed at restoring the agency's net neutrality rules.

Those rules, which banned Internet providers from blocking or slowing down websites, were swept away in a December vote led by Republican FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. Republicans had argued that the rules were too restrictive for industry, while Democrats said they provided a vital consumer protection.

The resolution aims to overturn the FCC's decision and prohibit the agency from passing similar measures in the future. It has the support of all 49 Democratic senators as well as one Republican, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine.

“With full caucus support,” said Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), one of the lawmakers spearheading the effort, “it’s clear that Democrats are committed to fighting to keep the Internet from becoming the Wild West where ISPs are free to offer premium service to only the wealthiest customers while average consumers are left with far inferior options.”

To pass the Senate, backers of the resolution must recruit one more Republican member to their ranks. The measure must survive the Republican-majority House and be signed by President Trump to take effect.

After an independent agency makes a decision — such as the FCC's net neutrality deregulation — federal lawmakers have a window of 60 legislative days to reverse the move under the Congressional Review Act. As of last Tuesday, 40 senators had signed on to the resolution to challenge the FCC under the act. Since then, 10 more have joined the effort.

Democrats have said they plan to make net neutrality a midterm campaign issue, forcing vulnerable GOP candidates to stand with their party and adopt a position that, according to some surveys, is at odds with that of the broader public.

For years, well-heeled lawyers and lobbyists for the telecom and cable industries battled the equally formidable influence of Silicon Valley over the ground rules that would determine how the Internet functioned in the future.

That debate broke into the public consciousness in 2015, as the FCC under Chairman Tom Wheeler took the step of regulating Internet providers like legacy telephone companies. The new rules subjected companies such as AT&T and Verizon to strict bans on the blocking or slowing of Internet content. They also banned the practice of speeding up other content in exchange for extra fees, opened the door to new consumer privacy rules and even raised the prospect of future controls over the price of Internet service.

Industry groups sought to have the rules repealed — filing a lawsuit against the FCC that ultimately ended in defeat. Broadband providers said, among other things, that the FCC rules prevented them from developing innovative new business models. A three-judge panel ultimately sided with the FCC.

With the election of Trump, Republicans who opposed the regulations received another chance. Pai, who had been an outspoken critic of the rules, became the FCC's chairman, and quickly moved to dismantle the net neutrality rules.

Much as the broadband industry did in 2015, today's opponents of the FCC have vowed to open a new chapter of litigation and congressional action to reverse the vote. The first lawsuits to challenge Pai's decision could come as early as the end of this month. And a vote on the Congressional Review Act could take place this summer, depending on what Congress has on its schedule.

Opposition to the deregulation has reached new levels over the past few months. As the FCC prepared for its vote last year, the agency said it had received derogatory comments toward Pai in the issue's electronic public docket. The harassment continued offline, with Pai telling Fox News that protesters had posted signs near his home aimed at his children.

“I understand that people are passionate about policy, but the one thing in America that should remain sacred is that families, wives and kids, should remain out of it,” Pai said at the time. “And stop harassing us at our homes.”

Pai has canceled at least two public appearances since then — including a major annual address at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas — amid reports of security concerns.

 

[Howl]

Washington state has taken action and passed a law protecting net neutrality. From HuffPo today:

Washington State Sets Net Neutrality Showdown As Governor Signs Law   It’s the first state to pass net neutrality legislation, setting up a clash with the Federal Communications Commission.

[GreyhoundFan]