Obama says FCC should reclassify internet as a utility

[Wheel Gun]

I'm amazed that, after six years of this, some of us still look to the federal government to help you. If you people think that the benevolent people in Washington are doing this to help you, you're mad. Have you learned nothing?

 

[donner]

I'm amazed that, after six years of this, some of us still look to the federal government to help you. If you people think that the benevolent people in Washington are doing this to help you, you're mad. Have you learned nothing?

What is equally amazing is that some people still assume that the feds can't do anything that would actually help society. I have no love for big government, but there are some things that it does do well that helps the majority of society. Maybe it's the blind squirrel argument, but it does happen.

I do agree that there likely is something in this for government, but that does not automatically mean that it also wouldn't benefit the majority of us. The issue of net neutrality, which this is all about, is something that has the power to change how we interact with the internet.

I wont pretend that this would be a perfect solution, but i also wont pretend that monopolistic corporations have my best interests at heart

 

[WNM]

Well said Donner.

 

[loudshirt]

i guess people do not understand that his proposal would keep the internet the same as it is now. It would actually be a bit better for some people. They are not proposing setting up an office of government internet. He wants all traffic to be treated equally. If the FCC ends net neutrality the providers can do whatever they want to your access to the internet. If they are opposed to guns they could block all places such as OSA, Armslist, AR15.com. With it being regulated as a utility any legal content could not be blocked. It can happen with news websites or anything else that your provider does not agree with. Keep in mind this proposal would basically internet access the way it is now.

 

[Big_McLargehuge]

If most of our telecoms weren't government-enforced monopolies, we wouldn't be talking about "net neutrality".

 

[Jace]

No matter how fair it might make the playing field, it must harm we the people in some way

 

[davek]

Obama is right on this one. Telecoms are breaking up the Internet into their own fiefdoms and demand to be paid twice for traffic that go from their part of the Internet to another. They are spending enormous sums to maintain their monopolies and cut out any attempts by municipalities to offer Internet as a utility. Settle it once and for all and treat data communications as a utility. The telecoms have been known to claim they are a utility when it is to their advantage, just make it consistenly tru.

 

[Hobbes]

[Broken External Image]

 

[Ace_on_the_Turn]

If Obama cured cancer, Ted Cruz would criticize him for decimating the medical industry. "Look at all these medical workers that Obama has put out of a job. And all just so he can advance his legacy!"

 

[Sanford]

These are different times we live in now. Alot of the companies that provide TV also provide internet service. With the advent of Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, etc, people are spending their money there, and ditching their traditional TV service. There in lies the problem.

With people ditching cable and using the internet for their entertainment, those companies slice of the pie is not as big as it once was. That's why they would want to throttle speeds to streaming services such as the ones mentioned above. If you like your internet the way it has always been, whether you love them or hate them, you need the FCC on this one. Or you can trust huge corporations to do the right thing.

Hmm. A free and openly competitive market or regulation by political hacks who know more about what's good for me than I do. I'll take the open market, thank you very much.