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Presidential candidate and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders yesterday released a plan to overhaul the US broadband market by breaking up giant providers, outlawing data caps, regulating broadband prices, and providing $150 billion to build publicly owned networks.
[...]Sanders said he would "eliminate data caps and ban throttling" and "instruct the FCC to regulate broadband Internet rates so households and small businesses are connected affordably." This would include a requirement "that all Internet service providers offer a Basic Internet Plan that provides quality broadband speeds at an affordable price."
[...]Sanders' $150 billion proposal includes a Department of Agriculture Rural Utility Service program "to provide capital funding to connect all remote rural households and businesses and upgrade outdated technology and infrastructure, prioritizing funding for existing co-ops and small rural utilities." Sanders said that $7.5 billion should be set aside for tribal areas and that all public housing should provide free broadband to residents.
[...]Sanders also wants the FCC to define broadband as a minimum of 100Mbps download speeds and 10Mbps uploads, instead of the current 25Mbps down and 3Mbps up. Sanders would also "reinstate and expand privacy protection rules," reversing the Trump-era decision to eliminate broadband-privacy rules.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday December 10 2019, @01:57AM (6 children)
Yeah, but, socialism. Sanders is promising stuff that he doesn't have, hoping that he can take it away from someone else.
You know that I'm no fan of the telcos. In fact, I despise them because they are constantly ripping us off. But, Bernie doesn't own a telco of his own, so he can't give service away.
What I'd like to see, is for Ajit Pai to disappear, and the new head come from a consumer advocacy background. Almost overnight the FCC would get out of bed with AT&T and the rest, and maybe start enforcing old stuff. Like, all those billions given to the telcos to build that last mile? I want to see that last mile. If that involves breaking up telcos that won't cooperate, then fine.
But, really, Bernie can't give away any internet.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by lentilla on Tuesday December 10 2019, @05:00AM
This is about setting the standard to which sellers must adhere if they wish to call their product "broadband". Bernie is not putting on green leggings and doing a Robin Hood.
In an ideal market, competition would ensure that quality Internet was available at a fair price. Unfortunately, the incumbent players have formed an oligopoly and have successfully infiltrated the FCC, turning it into their lap-dog. As a result corrective action needs to be taken.
(Score: 2) by Arik on Tuesday December 10 2019, @02:46PM (3 children)
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 2, Disagree) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday December 10 2019, @03:05PM (2 children)
Sounds good. But, let's remember that Bernie is a rich old white guy, and a member of the Good Old Boy's Club. He isn't going to play hard ball with other rich old white men.
(Score: 2) by Arik on Tuesday December 10 2019, @07:36PM (1 child)
Watch him in the debates - he can't attack. Everybody up there are his friends. Even if it's completely one-sided, they obviously don't think of him as a friend. He's a genuinely nice guy, and that's not always a good thing, but it's not always a bad thing either. A nice guy he might be, but put him in a position to get something done and line up all those 'friends' on the other side as obstructionists and we might see him snap a little. Only time will tell for sure.
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 2, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 11 2019, @01:49PM
Well, we saw what happened when we put a "not-nice guy" in the WH.
I'm game for putting a nice guy in there instead.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 10 2019, @02:51PM
Yeah, but, socialism isn't always a dirty word except to greedy assholes.
And your formula therefore applies to all regulations. Government can't give anything away, so let's just get rid of it, mmmkay?