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FCC Adopts Internet Neutrality, Bans Internet Discrimination


Principled Man
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[This is not a political thread. This news release is extremely important for all of us. I thought it would be OK to post it here in Random Samples.]

 

GREAT NEWS :haz: :haz:

 

Federal regulators moved forward on Thursday with a Net neutrality plan to protect openness on the Internet by treating the online world more like heavily regulated telecommunications markets.

 

New rules from the Federal Communications Commission adopted on a 3-2 vote will prohibit Internet service providers like Comcast and Verizon Communications from discriminating against any web site or online service. That means sites like Netflix or YouTube won’t have to pay extra fees or face sluggish connections with their users. And new sites and services will be able to reach everyone on the Internet on the same terms as the big players.

 

The new rules, which will apply to both wired and wireless Internet connections, include several major restrictions on Internet service providers. They may not slow down or block access to legal content, applications or services. They also may not create "fast lanes," speeding up some traffic in return for additional fees.

 

 

 

 

http://finance.yahoo...mail&soc_trk=ma

Edited by Principled Man
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Not so sure this is a good thing. Especially seeing there is a huge bill and nobody knows what's in it. One of those "gotta pass it to see what's in it" BS arguments Edited by Lost In Xanadu
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Will it affect the breath-taking speed of my dial up?

 

It may, actually, but not in the way you think. Had this not happened then Internet providers would have been able to slow connections to sites they did not like. For example, Comcast could have slowed video traffic coming from Netflix in an effort to push people to buy their product, Comcast streaming, instead of netflix streaming. They could have also slowed/blocked access to any sites they did not feel you should be looking at. It was/is an unfair business practice akin to discrimination.

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I've been optmistic about us maintaining net neutrality since I first heard about it being challenged by ISPs five years ago, one of the few things I've been optimistic about and rightfully so it looks like :LOL:

 

Lets hope we keep it for as long as possible :cheers:

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Will it affect the breath-taking speed of my dial up?

No, for you nothing changes. For the rest of us we're trying to figure it out in the SOCN.

 

Well, I have no love for SOCN and I don't want to get into a political argument here, but all I can say is this: I have many friends who have helped to build the Web and the software that many of you use every day. I cannot think of one of them that wanted these regulations to go through. In the US at least we have had open, neutral Internet from the beginning, and there is no reason to remove that.

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Will it affect the breath-taking speed of my dial up?

No, for you nothing changes. For the rest of us we're trying to figure it out in the SOCN.

 

Well, I have no love for SOCN and I don't want to get into a political argument here, but all I can say is this: I have many friends who have helped to build the Web and the software that many of you use every day. I cannot think of one of them that wanted these regulations to go through. In the US at least we have had open, neutral Internet from the beginning, and there is no reason to remove that.

It is a wretched hive of scum and villainy.

 

What is troubling for us simple folk is the issue at the moment is confusing and unclear. Without getting political I prefer much less government intrusion in our lives. I normally get suspicious when goverment wants to regulate something, especaily when nothing appears broken. I've read pieces today that have me for and against Net Neutrality.

 

This is either No Big Deal or The Greatest Threat to Liberty in my lifetime.

:(

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Things will definitely be changing. Our rates will go up for sure. If internet providers have to give the same high-speed access to everyone, then someone will have to pay for it......and that usually means US.

 

It's still a good thing to enforce neutrality. It's much better than letting ISP's discriminate.

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Also, I realize not everyone has this option but there are many other Internet providers besides Comcast, Verizon, and the like. Here in the SF Bay Area we have companies like MonkeyBrains and Sonic (we use them both), two smaller organizations committed to Net neutrality. Do some research and maybe there is an option for a better provider where you live as well.
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Not so sure this is a good thing. Especially seeing there is a huge bill and nobody knows what's in it. One of those "gotta pass it to see what's in it" BS arguments

I won't pretend to know much about the ins and outs of all of this but I do know that when the government gets involved in anything its usually a bad idea and always costs me money and will never ever go away.... :|
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Not so sure this is a good thing. Especially seeing there is a huge bill and nobody knows what's in it. One of those "gotta pass it to see what's in it" BS arguments

I won't pretend to know much about the ins and outs of all of this but I do know that when the government gets involved in anything its usually a bad idea and always costs me money and will never ever go away.... :|

 

:goodone:

 

Yep,

 

The slippery slope ;)

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Personally, I'm willing to pay a bit more for the internet to not become increasingly ruled by corporate interests.

 

I'm not saying it doesn't suck, if it has to hit us in the pocketbook. But I perceive the rampantly spreading influence of corporate interest to be a much greater evil.

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You know, I didn't really have any faith in the pro-Net Neutrality bill passing, so it's definitley nice to see it actually happen! But part of me thought that free speech would win in the end. Look at what happened to SOPA and PIPA. And to those that are concerned, this bill won't mean that the government is going to control the internet, it basically means that there are going to be limits set into place so ISPs can't favor sites over another.
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You may be willing to pay more and are able to do so, but others aren't and can't.

 

Plus....................how about this place? Whose dime is that?

 

If I had to pay to be here, I certainly would. And if it comes to that, I will.

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And to those that are concerned, this bill won't mean that the government is going to control the internet, it basically means that there are going to be limits set into place so ISPs can't favor sites over another.

 

Yes- this is what I meant by corporate interest.

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You know, I didn't really have any faith in the pro-Net Neutrality bill passing, so it's definitley nice to see it actually happen!

 

There was no bill passed. The FCC deemed the Internet a "telecommunications service", which means that they will regulate it just like they do telephone companies. We should expect lawsuits to be filed against the FCC. Big Business won't just stand still for this.....

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As for this making your bill go up, get real. They are going to continue to raise the prices regardless of any regulations. They are going to fight it tooth and nail because it cuts into their ability to gouge the consumers. As another poster said, this is like what happened to telephone service, by regulating it people who were in rural areas finally got service. Most rural areas in our country are not able to stream anything. Like it or not, the internet is like a utility now and people need access since more and more things are being computerized nowadays. If we wait around for the companies to provide this on their own, it won't happen. They have enjoyed deregulation too much and don't want to take their hand out of the cookie jar.
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As for this making your bill go up, get real. They are going to continue to raise the prices regardless of any regulations. They are going to fight it tooth and nail because it cuts into their ability to gouge the consumers. As another poster said, this is like what happened to telephone service, by regulating it people who were in rural areas finally got service. Most rural areas in our country are not able to stream anything. Like it or not, the internet is like a utility now and people need access since more and more things are being computerized nowadays. If we wait around for the companies to provide this on their own, it won't happen. They have enjoyed deregulation too much and don't want to take their hand out of the cookie jar.

 

This ruling has got to be the biggest "f**k you" to Comcast anyone could have ever gave them. I remember back last year when Net Neutrality became a hot topic and everybody started freaking out over it, it seemed that Comcast was the one that was actually making threats to make you pay for individual websites.

Edited by fraroc
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Like it or not, the internet is like a utility now and people need access since more and more things are being computerized nowadays.

 

:goodone:

 

 

The USA is a hopelessly technology-driven society. Railroad, electric lights, telegraph, telephone, automobiles, aeronautics, television, computers....and who knows what's next.

 

A very small minority of citizens (including my mother) don't use or need the Internet. But then, 60 years ago, a very small minority didn't need automobiles, either. When a specific technology comes to affect nearly every part of our lives, it simply cannot remain in the hands of an elite group. It MUST be available to everyone equally.

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