Any semblance of net neutrality in the United States is as good as dead.
The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia on Tuesday struck down the Federal Communications Commission’s 2010 order that imposed network neutrality regulations on wireline broadband services. The ruling is a major victory for telecom and cable companies who have fought all net neutrality restrictions vociferously for years.
The original FCC order said that wireline ISPs ”shall not block lawful content, applications, services or non-harmful devices, subject to reasonable network management” while also mandating that ISPs “shall not unreasonably discriminate in transmitting lawful traffic over a consumer’s broadband Internet access service.”
In its ruling against the FCC’s rules, the court said that such restrictions are not needed in part because consumers have a choice in which ISP they use. ...
Sure. Abso-freaking-lutely. You can choose any provider you want as long as it's owned by Comcast.
As I enter my Seasoned Citizen years, I no longer stand with mouth agape as large corporations turn the country back into 1890s America. The mantra of "The government is evil! Private enterprise is good!" rings in our ears, and so what if "private enterprise" in the 21st century means that a few monster conglomerates control everything, including the Feds and state governments? (You might remember 2008, when some large banks, which market forces were on the verge of downsizing/liquidating, had the evil government come to their rescue.)
So now we have some big utilities ready to cash in, the appeals court has gotten the pesky FCC out of the way. And if "the market" starts to dismantle their big competitive edge? No worries. They'll find a way to have the evil government make sure they stay on top.
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7 comments:
Thanks for reminding me why I hate the 21st Century.
You're quite welcome.
I always knew they'll fine a way around this. But maybe this will level the playing field from the amateurs I don't want to be lumped in with.
Here's hoping.
The Wall Street Journal has opined that the appeals court ruling is a FINE outcome to the case. So who are we to judge.
As Kurt Vonnegut might say: "So it goes."
As usual, the HAVES have to win.
Just a thought on this: Once cable companies start calculating a certain price for different content, then aren't they opening themselves up for a lawsuit from the entertainment companies who created that content? Aren't they entitled to a piece of that profit once cable companies start trying to "get more" based on popularity or quality?
Its a very interesting issue. What do you think of that angle on the future of this?
Like all corporate communists/gNOp/teabagged folks, they don't believe in free enterprise. They want to own everything, at taxpayer expense, and not pay due taxes for it. This WILL be overturned--it's unconstitutional.
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