3 replies to this topic

[CA3LE6UY]

Two days after the FCC voted 3-2 along partisan lines to approve new network neutrality rules, and just as the public and media are all busily packing for grandmas house, the FCC has released their full network neutrality rules (pdf) over at the FCC website. The rules come with three primary focuses: transparency (ensuring ISPs are clear about their network management practices); no blocking (prohibiting an outright blocking of legal content); and no discrimination (prohibiting any non-"reasonable" network management practices. In the FCC's own words:

Transparency. Fixed and mobile broadband providers must disclose the network  management practices, performance characteristics, and terms and conditions of their broadband services;

No blocking. Fixed broadband providers may not block lawful content, applications, services, or non-harmful devices; mobile broadband providers may not block lawful websites, or block applications that compete with their voice or video telephony services; and

No unreasonable discrimination. Fixed broadband providers may not unreasonably discriminate in transmitting lawful network traffic.

You'd be hard pressed to find any ISP doing the first two after the public lashing Comcast went through in the media -- so they essentially ask ISPs to do things they're already doing voluntarily. The third rule remains particularly murky given the varying definitions of "reasonable," and won't be applied to wireless. It's that last one that will be the most contentious as a result, given that a carrier could, with a little creativity, easily portray anti-competitive behavior as simple, reasonable congestion countermeasures or pricing experimentation. The FCC's rules get only a little more specific here:

In evaluating unreasonable discrimination, the types of practices we would be concerned about include, but are not limited to, discrimination that harms an actual or potential competitor to the broadband provider (such as by degrading VoIP applications or services when the broadband provider offers telephone service), that harms end users (such as by inhibiting  end users from accessing the content, applications, services, or devices of their choice), or that  impairs free expression (such as by slowing traffic from a particular blog because the broadband provider disagrees with the blogger s message).

There's 87 pages of rules to dig through, and analysis of the finer legal points of the effort will be ongoing for several weeks. Assuming there's no intentional loopholes (a big assumption), the FCC will still have to prove that they have the legal authority to enforce these rules, and the consistent will to enforce them as we ride the political tides.

[mudmanc4]

What were missing is just that , the loopholes and the fine print.

Why after a court decided the FCC had no jurisdiction and ruled it unlawful , did this even get to the house ? hello ?

And who exactly is going to decide what is  " lawful "  ? or  " legal " ?  Those are the real questions about this bill.

It's painfully obvious for those that not only followed this in the ISP or technical sense , but the political sense as well , that there are several serious underlying issues with the FCC cranking out laws and regulations.

In my opinion this is a gateway for the current whitehouse administration , and there puppet master ,  those that believe free speech is something to be decided by politicians rather then those speaking.  And that a biased opinion is not to be tolerated on " public airwaves " .

[TheArtworkGuy]

I think you have a sound theory there, MUD.  We should be pushing toward laws that regulate the amount of time politicians can stay in office.  The current ruling administration is becoming way too comfortable in their state of consolidated power.  It makes sense to me some people would like to set up protection against another Wikileaks.  God forbid people actually find out what's going on, lol.

[mudmanc4]

Well yes , people can't handle hearing what the realities are , anymore they call them conspiracy theories and scare tactics. So many people have there mind set that this is a free society , when in reality those people are simply reciting what those in a struggle to keep there secrecy are telling them to say and think.

This net neutrality thing is a multifaceted heaping pile of steaming tripe , thats been percolating and digesting in the bowels of anarchistic communistic medieval thinking self centered control freaks that truly believe that the fabienn society and there vision of the future is nothing less then the only possible way forward. And will stop at literally NOTHING not excluding causing local , and global chaos in order to usher in the name of security, a different kind of global society, which used to be called what China is , communism , they call it state capitalism now , same thing , different name. Only with MUCH greater penalties , and detrimental aspects by force.

One part is freedom of speech , another is allowing or not allowing chosen factions to speak there thoughts , another is FCC controlling who gets to do what in the name of corporate business, stuck in there somewhere was the section to continue publicly funding " public broadcast networks "  , that in reality have been taken over by political agedness with millions to splurge on there ideas.

Many more items are in this thing as well , not to leave out just exactly who is writing your children's educational books. Who decides what our kids learn is more then ever controlled politically.

Don't leave out the millions is personal earmarks that so many get when voting, so they vote the way of the people giving them moneys to build a multi million dollar ant farm.

But this is all OK with people now. Mostly those who either have no stake in giving two rats asses, and those that feel anyone who makes a dollar more then they do should have it taken away. Which 90% of this tripe has only been pushed into conversation within the last 3-4 years.  Hmmm , now lets think , who is it thats been campaigning , and still is , for the last 3-4 years ? And who are there connections , and what is there main goal as a society politically and personally ?

Bah , no one wants to hear it anyhow. hahaha