A federal appeals court has struck down important segments of the FCC's Open Internet rules, determining that the agency doesn't have the power to require internet service providers to treat all traffic equally. The DC circuit court has ruled on Verizon v. FCC, a challenge to the net neutrality rules put in place in 2010, vacating the FCC's anti-discrimination and anti-blocking policies, though it preserved disclosure requirements that Verizon opposed — in other words, carriers can make some traffic run faster or block other services, but they have to tell subscribers.
The problem isn't that the court opposed the FCC's goals, it's that unlike older telecommunications providers, ISPs aren't classified as "common carriers" that must pass information through their networks without preference. By enforcing net neutrality, the court found, the agency was imposing rules that didn't apply to carriers. It's an issue that net neutrality supporters have been worried about for years: "The FCC — under the leadership of former Chairman Julius Genachowski — made a grave mistake when it failed to ground its Open Internet rules on solid legal footing," says Free Press president Craig Aaron. "Internet users will pay dearly for the previous chairman's lack of political will."
"Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” -King T'Challa, Black Panther
The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. ~Winston Churchill
Saw this on CNN. Thanks for sharing SC. Now we can look forward to internet service providers gouging the living sh** out of us in the years to come. Nice ain't it?
Last edit: 24 Nov 2014 11:50 by MyMountainTown. Reason: Starring out a word not intended for this forum based on its rating
Jekyll wrote: Saw this on CNN. Thanks for sharing SC. Now we can look forward to internet service providers gouging the living sh** out of us in the years to come. Nice ain't it?
As if they don't already. Compared to the rest of the developed world, our internet, here in the States, is Jurassic.
Jekyll wrote: Saw this on CNN. Thanks for sharing SC. Now we can look forward to internet service providers gouging the living sh** out of us in the years to come. Nice ain't it?
As if they don't already. Compared to the rest of the developed world, our internet, here in the States, is Jurassic.
When the man who essentially created the world wide web comes out and says net neutrality is essential to democracy, it carries a little weight.
Many are weighing in on Twitter - follow the hashtag #netneutrality or chime in and tell Chairman Tom Wheeler
https://twitter.com/TomWheelerFCC
to protect net neutrality.
It is nearly 25 years since Sir Tim Berners-Lee wrote his initial proposal for a distributed information system based on hypertext, in March 1989.
Berners-Lee, with the help of colleague Robert Cailliau, later formalised the proposal and extended its ambitions to be a network for the world – the world wide web. By the end of 1990 Berners-Lee had put together the first server and web pages, and the first web browser for the NeXT operating system – this was the computer company founded by Steve Jobs during his interregnum from Apple. Another Cern colleague Nicola Pellow wrote a generic browser for other operating systems, and the first public page was published on 6 August 1991 at info.cern.ch.
"Democracy involves people being informed, being able to communicate, being able to hold each other accountable. And all that absolutely depends on the neutral internet."
"Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” -King T'Challa, Black Panther
The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. ~Winston Churchill
Former Chairman Julius Genachowski - Democrat
Current Chairman Tom Wheeler - Democrat.
Wheeler was personally selected by Obama. Ted Cruz (of the horrible awful, terrible, notorious Tea Party) tried to block the nomination over Wheeler's positions on limiting free speech, but was unsuccessful.
If you vote for Democrats and you don't like this, perhaps you should re-evaluate your voting decisions. A vote for Democrats is a vote for more government control.
OmniScience wrote: Former Chairman Julius Genachowski - Democrat
Current Chairman Tom Wheeler - Democrat.
Wheeler was personally selected by Obama. Ted Cruz (of the horrible awful, terrible, notorious Tea Party) tried to block the nomination over Wheeler's positions on limiting free speech, but was unsuccessful.
If you vote for Democrats and you don't like this, perhaps you should re-evaluate your voting decisions. A vote for Democrats is a vote for more government control.
Unless I'm missing something, the judge knocked down something that was "more government control." He said the net and some of the companies behind it are free to decide if they want to limit bandwidth or at least be compensated for certain levels of bandwidth.
The Wall Street Journal reports today that the FCC has given up on finding a legal avenue to enforce equal access and will instead propose rules that explicitly allow broadband suppliers to favor companies that pay them for faster pipes:
The Federal Communications Commission plans to propose new open Internet rules on Thursday that would allow content companies to pay Internet service providers for special access to consumers, according to a person familiar with the proposal.
The proposed rules would prevent the service providers from blocking or discriminating against specific websites, but would allow broadband providers to give some traffic preferential treatment, so long as such arrangements are available on "commercially reasonable" terms for all interested content companies. Whether the terms are commercially reasonable would be decided by the FCC on a case-by-case basis.
"Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” -King T'Challa, Black Panther
The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. ~Winston Churchill
When the man who essentially created the world wide web comes out and says net neutrality is essential to democracy, it carries a little weight.
Jemima Kiss
12 January 2014
Quote:
It is nearly 25 years since Sir Tim Berners-Lee wrote his initial proposal for a distributed information system based on hypertext, in March 1989.
Sir Tim Berners-Lee invented the Internet?! Hang on for one Manhattan micro-second!
[youtube:1ndtbiio][/youtube:1ndtbiio]
Seriously, do a little research next time...
I can explain it to you but I can't understand it for you.
"Any man who thinks he can be happy and prosperous by letting the Government take care of him; better take a closer look at the American Indian." - Henry Ford
Corruptissima re publica plurimae leges; When the Republic is at its most corrupt the laws are most numerous. - Publius Cornelius Tacitus
Seriously, do a little research next time...
