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Andrew W. Farago
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 19 July 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 4067
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| Posted: 27 November 2017 at 1:29pm | IP Logged | 1
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It all feels rather like some people are viewing internet access as a right, rather than a luxury.
At this point, though, the internet's a necessity to a majority of people in this country. You need it for work, for communication with family, for shopping--it's a "luxury" in the sense that having a phone is luxury. It's so ubiquitous now that it should be considered a public utility for all intents and purposes.
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Peter Martin
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 17 March 2008
Location: Canada
Posts: 15794
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| Posted: 27 November 2017 at 6:21pm | IP Logged | 2
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I agree with Andrew's point -- many avenues for doing basic things like paying bills or filing taxes have been directed the way of the internet, to the extent that being online is essentially a necessity. Many products you buy now require access to the internet to work or to provide you with full user instructions.
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Eric Russ
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 13 March 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 1994
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| Posted: 30 November 2017 at 4:33pm | IP Logged | 3
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Dubious comments flooded into FCC during net neutrality debate https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-11-29/fake-view s-444-938-russian-emails-among-suspect-comments-to-fcc
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Eric Ladd
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 16 August 2004
Location: Canada
Posts: 4506
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| Posted: 30 November 2017 at 6:44pm | IP Logged | 4
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When a government can manufacture commentary, reporting and official statements to express whatever position they require to justify their agenda you are no longer free.
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Charles Valderrama
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 16 April 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 4721
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| Posted: 09 December 2017 at 1:04pm | IP Logged | 5
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The FCC will vote on the proposal to end net neutrality on December 14. This could result in internet service providers (like Comcast) being able to throttle or block access to content it doesn’t like.
The ability to organize grassroots movements, whether locally or across the globe, is made possible by an open Internet. Since its creation, the Internet has become the world’s megaphone for free speech, protected by the principles of Net Neutrality, which require internet service providers (ISPs) to give everyone equal access to everything you use the internet for -- email, watching videos, and listening to music.
I just signed the petition, “Save Net Neutrality" (#netneutrality.)
Here’s the link:
-C!
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Eric Russ
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 13 March 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 1994
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| Posted: 09 December 2017 at 3:09pm | IP Logged | 6
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Thanks, Charles. I've been signing and calling my representatives.
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Brian Floyd
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 07 July 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 8355
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| Posted: 09 December 2017 at 8:47pm | IP Logged | 7
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The problem with undoing net neutrality is that it will also make some people hostages to their service providers even moreso than they already are, and with no viable alternatives if who they get their services from make changes they don't like or can't afford.
Here where I am (Knoxville, TN), there are two cable companies: Comcast and Spectrum (used to be Charter). But Spectrum is only allowed to serve certain parts of the city, and I am not in one of those areas. I'd drop Comcast in a second if I could switch to Spectrum. But my only alternatives are DirectTV and Dish Network...unless I want to sell my house and move to another part of town.
This is just another round in the war that corporations are waging on citizens.
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Matt Reed
Byrne Robotics Security
Robotmod
Joined: 16 April 2004
Posts: 35729
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| Posted: 10 December 2017 at 3:27am | IP Logged | 8
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John Byrne wrote:
| At the risk of getting in all kinds of trouble, I'm not sure why this is an issue. We don't have such "neutrality" in other aspects of our lives. No "automobile neutrality" or "clothing neutrality" or "housing neutrality." |
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For me, it's about enacting brakes. In a net neutral world, I can watch Netflix and Google at the same speed at the same time without interference by the company which I purchase my internet. In an non-neutral world, if I subscribe to Comcast and want to watch something that's offered by YouTube or DirecTV (AT&T), then that content can be slowed, curbed or otherwise made to be untenable. Using an open system, competitors are shifting your speeds to make the competition unworkable. That's my issue.
I see the internet as a highway where Fords, Hondas, Lexus and Subaru's can all drive as fast or slow as they want. But taking away neutrality means that if you drive a Ford, you get a Ford lane and all other lanes are "less than". If you subscribe to Honda, then all other formats not supported by Honda are "less than". Etc. etc. etc.
Personally? I don't think that's either right or good for anyone.
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Matt Reed
Byrne Robotics Security
Robotmod
Joined: 16 April 2004
Posts: 35729
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| Posted: 10 December 2017 at 3:29am | IP Logged | 9
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Michael Murphy wrote:
| It is not just about making more money from "fast lanes" it means that your ISP can choose what you have access to. There is not true competition between ISPs, where you live determines your provider and in many places there is only one choice. With the loss of net neutrality that provider now gets to control what you can do with the internet. |
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This.
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Matt Reed
Byrne Robotics Security
Robotmod
Joined: 16 April 2004
Posts: 35729
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| Posted: 10 December 2017 at 3:44am | IP Logged | 10
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Net neutrality is a real thing. Seriously. It's not just some amorphous thing that may or may not affect people. IT AFFECTS EVERY ONE OF US. Depending on how you get your internet (i.e..who you pay for access) those corporations, without neutrality, can decide how much bandwidth to allow for competitors. They can actually place limits (speed, time, etc.) on your ability to access competitors sites. They can also push their own sites because they come with a higher bandwidth/speed than those they are throttling. Cable companies can't act this way. I can subscribe to Comcast (who owns NBC) and they can't make it more difficult for me to watch ABC, CBS, FOX or any other channel not affiliated with them. The internet should be treated the same way. Broadcast is essentially the internet of a bygone generation.
Imagine if you had to pay Time-Warner to get your television and neutrality wasn't in place. They could push HBO, TBS and CNN to the forefront while making it more difficult (glitchy, inconsistent, stuttering) to watch content that they don't own. How would you feel to not be able to watch Showtime (Viacom) via a Time-Warner cable subscription or CBS, FOX or ABC? Would that be "fair"? Or is the neutrality of cable systems the exception to the rule?
The internet isn't a "luxury". In this day and age, it's a necessity. The less corporate interference in our ability to use it, the better. Doing away with net neutrality is going all-in on corporations and trusting that they have our best interests at heart. Is that honestly how anyone feels?
How anyone can feel laissez-faire about the issue is beyond me. |
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Michael Casselman
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 14 January 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 1217
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| Posted: 10 December 2017 at 11:39am | IP Logged | 11
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If we're going with the argument that internet is a necessity, then we've already failed. Local monopolies, municipal contracts with cable/internet companies, and once you get a few miles outside of a city, over-priced service tiers and bandwidth/download caps from whatever provider you 'might' be able to find.
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Vinny Valenti
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 17 April 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 8030
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| Posted: 10 December 2017 at 2:33pm | IP Logged | 12
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HERE is a good reference for previous infractions by companies that Net Neutrality protected us against. Imagine what they will try to do if they were actually free and clear to do so.
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