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Senate Democrats have put together 50 votes for a measure meant to block the Federal Communications Commission's December decision to end net neutrality rules put in place by the Obama administration.
Democrats are just one GOP vote shy of the 51-vote threshold for a Senate resolution of disapproval, which would strike down the FCC's December rules change.
"With full caucus support," Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said, "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."
The Democrats' effort won the support of its first Republican backer, Sen. Susan Collins (Maine), last Tuesday.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by DannyB on Wednesday January 17 2018, @03:55PM (10 children)
That is an important point. A couple decades ago it wasn't so important that everyone have great internet service. But now the internet is a global communications network that touches all areas of our lives. Employment. Doing our jobs. Being able to get a job. Entertainment. Communication with friends and family. Shopping and commerce. Politics and political discussion. Enabling corporations to know everything about our lives. Trolling. And other important everyday needs provided by the internet.
The importance of the internet to modern life matches that of electricity, indoor plumbing, telephone service and trailer park reality tv.
There really is no creating of "fast lanes". There is merely fencing off certain lanes (or amounts of bandwidth) to herd everyone else into the remaining lanes (or bandwidth). In other words, there is only the creation of "slow lanes". If a network builds out it's infrastructure, each modern advance should add sufficient bandwidth for decades to come. It costs way more to put cable into the ground or on poles than the cost per foot of excess capacity.
The internet grew to be such an important global force because the network was neutral for so long until ISPs realized they could start trying to advantage themselves by hurting others and creating "slow lanes". ISPs should charge you based on bandwidth used. They should not discriminate certain types of traffic. They should not be snooping on what the traffic is. They should not be monitoring where your traffic goes to and comes from. The contents of your traffic is none of the ISP's business. Even worse, they should not be manipulating your traffic, injecting ads, JavaScript, rerouting non existant DNS requests to special servers, etc. ISPs should be dumb pipes. They should compete to be the biggest bestest dumb pipes they can possibly be. If they all competed on that, and how good their dumb pipe service was, that would be good for everyone. Instead, they cannot seem to resist trying to interfere with and manipulate our traffic. Or try to extort money from the other end of the connection, such as charging Netflix to send traffic to my house. Clue: if I'm using too much traffic from Netflix, then CHARGE ME FOR THAT. That is the surest way to fix the problem, if the ISP is in fact even having a problem.
If ISPs would compete fairly as I've described, then I would be glad to not regulate them and let the market decide who wins. Instead, I want regulation to ensure net neutrality and to allow municipal internet provided service to compete. If they ISPs don't like it, they brought this on themselves!
Just like advertisers. They can never get enough. They just push and push the boundaries until something breaks.
To transfer files: right-click on file, pick Copy. Unplug mouse, plug mouse into other computer. Right-click, paste.
(Score: 5, Informative) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday January 17 2018, @04:21PM (9 children)
It took quite a while (decades) for telephone to be mandated as an essential service to be delivered to all homes regardless of how remote, and at an affordable price. And that was in a regulated monopoly atmosphere that allowed long distance charges to be > 10 hours of minimum wage pay for 1 hour of long distance conversation.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 4, Interesting) by sjames on Wednesday January 17 2018, @05:46PM (5 children)
That's why we need a more sensible division of services this time. More like in the era where local service was the monopoly but anyone could provide long distance.
One example would be where local governments provide last mile connectivity (perhaps just dark fibre to the home). Anyone could use it to provide ISP service to a group of subscribers.
That would return us to the state of the mid '90s where ISPs were a dime a dozen and competition drove costs from a typical $50/month down to $9.99 or so and most people had a dozens to choose from.
Note that local government providing could be direct, contracted, or through a regulated natural monopoly.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday January 17 2018, @06:00PM (4 children)
I've got multiple sets of wires running into my home and a monopoly service provider on each.
Somehow the Houston area managed to allow a dozen electric power service providers to compete, while sharing the same infrastructure. I'd like to see more of that model for internet service delivery: no monopolies, period.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by sjames on Wednesday January 17 2018, @08:37PM (3 children)
Houston's grid operator is a regulated natural monopoly, not unlike my proposal for last mile internet.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Thursday January 18 2018, @02:42AM (2 children)
This only works if the "grid operator" accounts for a small fraction of the total bill.
If you put Comcast in as our "grid operator" we'll get arbitrary grid charge increases every 6 to 12 months amounting to 30% annual inflation.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by sjames on Thursday January 18 2018, @05:22PM (1 child)
That's why the grid operator must be regulated as a natural monopoly, like Texas does with the electrical grid.
Or better, contracted by the government so they can just put it out for bid if they don't like the encumbrance's latest rate hike.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Thursday January 18 2018, @05:33PM
Oh, but, regulation = BAD... yet, somehow, in the most industrial-money-greased corner of the reddest state in the Union, they managed to regulate an essential service like electric power.
I agree, cost of broadband delivery to the home is well understood at this point and should be regulated - and periodically re-evaluated / put out for bid to take advantage of future cost efficiencies. Good luck pushing that agenda when net neutrality can't even settle.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Wednesday January 17 2018, @11:11PM (2 children)
Sometimes, Government monopolies can be a good thing..
Australia had a Commonwealth Post Master General running the telephone system from Federation in 1901.
Calls were charged based on distance, but not at the exorbitant rates that seem to be charged to US phone users.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postmaster-General's_Department [wikipedia.org]
http://www.telephonecollecting.org/Bobs%20phones/Pages/Telecom/telecomhistory.htm [telephonecollecting.org]
https://www.vintagephones.com.au/ccp0-display/history-of-the-telephone-exchange-in-australia.html [vintagephones.com.au]
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Thursday January 18 2018, @02:44AM (1 child)
I know the fellow who negotiated the monopoly deal for internet service for the city of Brisbane for the period roughly 1996-2006... in his next job contract he had a "business class" clause - wouldn't go to the airport unless the company was paying for business class or better tickets. (In other words, after the Brisbane deal, he never had to work again, but just did it for the fun.)
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Thursday January 18 2018, @04:50AM
Hey, no one said it stayed good! Even before they ostarted to sell bits of it, it was goingdown hill..
https://www.amscot.com.au/Sell-Shares/Telstra/ [amscot.com.au]
http://www.accountantplus.com.au/telstra-shares-cost-base-for-capital-gains/ [accountantplus.com.au]
https://hotcopper.com.au/threads/issue-price-of-ipo.2465070/ [hotcopper.com.au]
Then, https://www.intelligentinvestor.com.au/your-guide-to-telstra-s-share-buy-back-1809186 [intelligentinvestor.com.au]
Some contractors and suppliers did very well; Linesmen, people waiting for repairs, most others, not so.
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex