Obama wants to classify the internet a utility

[Dan Druff]

Yes, the US is delivering lesser top speeds than those places, but I think it's because US companies have determined that there's not enough consumer demand for it yet, whereas in some other countries that's not really analyzed.

Have seen what Comcast and TWC have been doing in areas near Google Fiber neighborhoods? They're tripling speed and slashing prices. Amazing what a little bit of competition will do.

I bet all those people were like "Oh, no, please don't change a thing. I like it slower."

Yes, and that will eventually happen everywhere. Free market at work. If another company can provide a better service for cheaper (or better for the same money), people will abandon their current company.

We don't need the government stepping in and mandating speeds and/or interfering with one corporation trying to charge another for causing them expense.

[SrslySirius]

DEFLECT AND REDIRECT five of nine.

I see what you're trying to do with the Borg insults, but they were a technologically superior race striving for perfection. It's not the most unflattering comparison.

[SrslySirius]

Yes, and that will eventually happen everywhere. Free market at work. If another company can provide a better service for cheaper (or better for the same money), people will abandon their current company.

We don't need the government stepping in and mandating speeds and/or interfering with one corporation trying to charge another for causing them expense.

At this point I will admit some ignorance on the subject and ask for clarification from others.

My vague understanding is that the government handed billions of dollars to the major ISPs a while back to lay down more fiber, and this money was mostly squandered. Is this correct?

My vague understanding of regulated utilities is that it opens up pipelines to various companies instead of allowing one company to control it. Is this correct? For example in Houston there are several electric companies that can provide you service using the same resources, and they all compete on price. Is that what happened when Bell got broken up?

If the above is true, wouldn't classifying internet service as a utility allow for other companies to finally compete with Comcast/TWC, using the fiber that we paid for in the first place? If so, this seems a reasonable solution, because the real problem is these two enormous companies gouging everybody and having no competition.

[Dan Druff]

Yes, and that will eventually happen everywhere. Free market at work. If another company can provide a better service for cheaper (or better for the same money), people will abandon their current company.

We don't need the government stepping in and mandating speeds and/or interfering with one corporation trying to charge another for causing them expense.

At this point I will admit some ignorance on the subject and ask for clarification from others.

My vague understanding is that the government handed billions of dollars to the major ISPs a while back to lay down more fiber, and this money was mostly squandered. Is this correct?

My vague understanding of regulated utilities is that it opens up pipelines to various companies instead of allowing one company to control it. Is this correct? For example in Houston there are several electric companies that can provide you service using the same resources, and they all compete on price. Is that what happened when Bell got broken up?

If the above is true, wouldn't classifying internet service as a utility allow for other companies to finally compete with Comcast/TWC, using the fiber that we paid for in the first place? If so, this seems a reasonable solution, because the real problem is these two enormous companies gouging everybody and having no competition.

You have it backwards, actually.

Regulated industries generally have little or no competition, and even if they do, they can't adjust prices without government approval, so competition doesn't matter much anyway. This was why flights and telephone long distance were so expensive before deregulation occurred in those industries.

I don't know about the big ISPs squandering money that was supposed to go to laying down fiber. If this is true, then action should be taken, but regulation of the internet is not the answer.

Regulation is basically the government saying, "Free market isn't working here. We need to step in and tightly control everything."

Deregulation has unfortunately become a dirty word over the past 15 years, due to failures with deregulating banks (mortgage crisis) and electricity companies (rolling blackouts). However, this wasn't the fault of deregulation itself, but rather a poor implementation of deregulation.

[thesparten]

I forgot about airlines before deregulation ny to Florida roundtrip was 500 decades ago..when oil was 20 bucks a barrel and the average wage was way lower..airline trips were not done often and generally only for the well to do..like most things progressives do, it creates greater disparity regardless of there great marketing campaign..like al Gore wants to put a penny a mile tax that some working class guy will have to pay making 15$ hour in his used Honda civic. BETWEEN HIM AND BARBARA STREISAND THEY COULD LITE UP AN ENTIRE 3rd WORLD COUNTRY. I'm sorry I digress..

[ToasterOven]

http://www.vox.com/2014/6/2/5773686/...anation-of-net

Pretty good John Oliver bit.

[SrslySirius]

Holy shit, Tom Wheeler is not a cable lobby sock-puppet after all!

http://arstechnica.com/business/2015...l-competition/

[Dan Druff]

Well, it's passed.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/...y-by-fcc-board

[SrslySirius]

“This is no more a plan to regulate the Internet than the First Amendment is a plan to regulate free speech." - Tom Wheeler

Maybe he's full of shit, but it sounds like interest in maintaining the status quo.

[Hurdleking]

and in keeping states like Tennessee and North Carolina from restricting or overburdening internet commerce

[thesparten]

Well, it's passed.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/...y-by-fcc-board
Tv

We have been so dummied down and so politically indoctrinated in the public school system, this actually passes...shame, what a a shame...

[Dan Druff]

“This is no more a plan to regulate the Internet than the First Amendment is a plan to regulate free speech." - Tom Wheeler

Maybe he's full of shit, but it sounds like interest in maintaining the status quo.

Clever statement by Wheeler, but yes, he's full of shit.

This is selling something new to the public under the guise of keeping what they already like. We just experienced that recently.

"If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor."

GL to the future of reasonably priced US internet access.

[Dan Druff]

And to clarify, like the situation with Obama and the "if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor" nonsense, this isn't necessarily a case of outright lying.

It's not fully understanding the consequences and side-effects of what you are doing, and making promises/statements which will end up not being true within a short time of its actual implementation.

[LLL]

Don't let Druff ruin your day, people.
http://lifehacker.com/why-the-fccs-n...the-1683769527

[BuSTMeANuT]

I am a bit suspicious as to the fact that the larger companies are strongly supporting the government taking over the internet

Nope. Comcast and the ISPs are fighting this tooth and nail.

The only opposition is from people who start with the ideological premise that everything that Obama and The Government do is bad, and work backwards from there.

Everyone who actually understands the situation knows it will be good for consumers.

What about people who start with the ideological premise that everything that Obama and the government do is good? Get your tongue out of this buffoon's asshole and accept reality, even if it takes you admitting you are wrong.

[Dan Druff]

Victory for Comcast and Time Warner = Evil corporations oppressing the public

Victory for Google, Netflix, and Facebook = Great day for the citizens of the free United States, triumphing over the oppression of evil corporations

[thesparten]

That a boy druff.."shields high"

[thesparten]

THIS IS SPARTA!! ARU!ARU!ARU!!

[4Dragons]

So are you saying that if I like my internet I can keep my internet?

 

THANKS OBAMA

[khalwat]

Have seen what Comcast and TWC have been doing in areas near Google Fiber neighborhoods? They're tripling speed and slashing prices. Amazing what a little bit of competition will do.

I bet all those people were like "Oh, no, please don't change a thing. I like it slower."

Yes, and that will eventually happen everywhere. Free market at work. If another company can provide a better service for cheaper (or better for the same money), people will abandon their current company.

We don't need the government stepping in and mandating speeds and/or interfering with one corporation trying to charge another for causing them expense.

Google, one of the companies bringing this competition to the (uniformly lousy) cable TV providers, is staunchly pro-net neutrality.

Once again, net neutrality is what we have now.

Tangental note, anyone old enough to remember (I barely am), but one of the original selling points of cable TV was that if you paid for cable, you'd have no commercials on any of the channels. At a time when everyone had free over the air TV, they had to do something to appeal to people. That whole idea didn't last very long.