FCC to vote on gutting net neutrality as early as Thanksgiving.
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FCC Chair Ajit Pai is about to announce a vote to slash America's net neutrality rules—meaning companies like Comcast & Verizon will be able to block apps, slow websites, and charge fees to control what you see & do online. Once Pai announces the vote, the situation becomes desperate.
I know there is a lot going on right now but this is something that affects all of us especially in a more online/digital focused gaming industry. I urge you to put all of the drama aside for just a moment and do your part in saving our internet.
The best method to stop this from happening is to call our senators and state representatives. You can do that through the battle for the net website that helps you through the process and educates you on what net neutrality is along with a suggestion of what to say in case you can't think of anything. There are several ways to contact your reps and members of congress. You can contact them by looking them up or the site can do it for you if you enter your number. You will be connected to their call line and asked for your zip code so that they can connect you to the appropriate rep/congress member. The direct number to the call line is 202-930-8550.
Be polite but firm at the same time when contacting reps/congress members. They are far more likely to listen this way.
Please don't let this sneak through while we are so focused on something else. It only takes a minute of your time and then you can carry on.
Maybe I can overcome my introvertedness to give a call tomorrow. I doubt it'll do any good, since I live in a safe R house district and my senator up for reelection is Heller. Bookmarked the link for now.
By Adam Go To PostWhat are the chances this passes?Well one of the few pieces of consequential legislation Trump has passed was this bill that left open the door for ISPs to basically sell your data without consent.
So I wouldn't sleep on it falling apart like healthcare.
Democrats, I think to their own detriment, don't seem to grasp how strong of an issue this could be for them and they don't send out the sort of signals to mobilize support they should be, so I think that also increases the probability of this happening.
By Adam Go To PostWhat are the chances this passes?
On a scale of 1-10....
An 11.
Three of the commissioners will vote in total and congress isn't stepping in. They were about to pass a healthcare bill that polled at 17% or some shit.
Am I being a defeatist right now, possibly but I like my odds
By Jonm Go To PostDemocrats, I think to their own detriment, don't seem to grasp how strong of an issue this could be for them and they don't send out the sort of signals to mobilize support they should be, so I think that also increases the probability of this happening.
Part of the reason is Net Nuetrality is a seemingly hard concept for people to grasp. It's been pretty easily combatted with "keep the government out of my internet"
By Fenderputty Go To PostPart of the reason is Net Nuetrality is a seemingly hard concept for people to grasp. It's been pretty easily combatted with "keep the government out of my internet"IDK, I have seen mention of it posted even in deeply conservative echo chambers and it illicits a pretty strong WTF, fuck Trump if he does that outrage! I certainly saw it with the bill I mentioned....Of course there is no force reminding people of the action and it gets forgotten in favor of Trump's latest white identity politics tweets.
Sure, plenty of corporate drones that just confuse government intervention as harming the magical free market fairy, but many actually see through it for what it is and IMO it is a wedge issue Democrats should be fucking owning and amplifying about more than just when these bills pop up. And only half-assed.
ISP's selling your private data and allowing your cable company to slow down your Netflix and legally extort customers and small businesses is actually a pretty easy narrative to sell if they just committed to it. Cable companies are one of the most universally loathed businesses in America, it really isnt THAT hard to frame them the villain.
By Jonm Go To PostIDK, I have seen mention of it posted even in deeply conservative echo chambers and it illicits a pretty strong WTF, fuck Trump if he does that outrage! I certainly saw it with he bill I mentioned.
Sure, plenty of corporate drones that just confuse government intervention as harming the magical free market fairy, but many actually see through it for what it is and IMO it is a wedge issue Democrats should be fucking owning and amplifying about more than just when these bills pop up. And only half-assed.
ISP's selling your private data and allowing your cable company to slow down your Netflix and legally extort customers and small businesses is actually a pretty easy narrative to sell if they just committed to it.
Are those echo chambers internet based? How many voters you think fit this demo?
By Fenderputty Go To PostAre those echo chambers internet based? How many voters you think fit this demo?
Quick example, but I also saw it on reddit since the reaction here caught my eye, but if you have a mind and pension for punishment, check out this site briefly(I only lurk for Pelicans news and stuff, its thankfully isolated from the rest of the trash):
http://www.tigerdroppings.com/rant/politics/
Its a very popular SEC message board, a pretty big regional Trumpkin haven. Its not The_Donald but it is a pretty damn accurate microcosm of the Trump nation spanning a fairly wide age range, right down to the casual racism and worship of conservative media and Trump tweets.
Now, this is a quickly rounded up example of the overwhelming echo chambers response to this bill:
http://www.tigerdroppings.com/rant/politics/the-isp-privacy-issue-the-dilemma-and-conservatives/69391077/
http://www.tigerdroppings.com/rant/tech/can-someone-here-explain-the-outrage-over-this-internet-privacy-bill/69402364/
There is not a single issue Trump has been in favor of that I have ever seen that level of dissent and splintering off from the almost always universal cult worship and rationalizing.
Conservatives and Liberals HATE cable companies and their monopolies. Its like an almost universal experience of any middle class individual or family. Or most young people that are made aware of the issue.
IMO, and not based on scientific studies, but Democrats are missing an overwhelmingly favorable wedge issue to bludgeon their opponents with and failing to maximize its potential.
By Jonm Go To PostQuick example, but I also saw it on reddit since the reaction here caught my eye, but if you have a mind and pension for punishment, check out this site briefly(I only lurk for Pelicans news and stuff, its thankfully isolated from the rest of the trash):Even with the examples you've posted it seems like a contentious issue on an internet message board.
http://www.tigerdroppings.com/rant/politics/
Its a very popular SEC message board, a pretty big regional Trumpkin haven. Its not The_Donald but it is a pretty damn accurate microcosm of the Trump nation spanning a fairly wide age range, right down to the casual racism and worship of conservative media and Trump tweets.
Now, this is a quickly rounded up example of the overwhelming echo chambers response to this bill:
http://www.tigerdroppings.com/rant/politics/the-isp-privacy-issue-the-dilemma-and-conservatives/69391077/
http://www.tigerdroppings.com/rant/tech/can-someone-here-explain-the-outrage-over-this-internet-privacy-bill/69402364/
There is not a single issue Trump has been in favor of that I have ever seen that level of dissent and splintering off from the almost always universal cult worship and rationalizing.
Conservatives and Liberals HATE cable companies and their monopolies. Its like an almost universal experience of any middle class individual or family. Or most young people that are made aware of the issue.
IMO, and not based on scientific studies, but Democrats are missing an overwhelmingly favorable wedge issue to bludgeon their opponents with and failing to maximize its potential.
Most people not exposed to internet communities, liberal or conservative, probably don't care or know anything about the issue and can easily wave it away.
Hmm... wonder why they're deciding around Thanksgiving? You think people might be mildly distracted around that time, or something?
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2018/01/california-senate-approves-net-neutrality-law-in-defiance-of-fcc/
California Senate defies FCC, approves net neutrality law
We aren't going down without tossing a punch or two
California Senate defies FCC, approves net neutrality law
California may be the closest to passing such legislation after yesterday's Senate approval of SB-460, a bill proposed by Sen. Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles).
The bill passed 21-12, with all 21 ayes coming from Democrats. The bill is now being moved to the State Assembly, where Democrats have a 53-25 majority over Republicans.
The bill would prohibit home and mobile Internet providers from "Blocking lawful content, applications, services, or non-harmful devices," except in cases of reasonable network management.
Throttling would also be outlawed, along with "paid prioritization, or providing preferential treatment of some Internet traffic to any Internet customer." More generally, the bill prohibits ISPs from interfering with "a customer's ability to select, access, and use broadband Internet access service or lawful Internet content, applications, services, or devices of the customer's choice, or an edge provider's ability to make lawful content, applications, services, or devices available to a customer."
ISPs would be forbidden from using deceptive or misleading marketing practices "that misrepresent the treatment of Internet traffic or content to its customers."
We aren't going down without tossing a punch or two
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/15/technology/fcc-sinclair-ajit-pai.html
F.C.C. Watchdog Looks Into Changes That Benefited Sinclair
For those wondering .... Sinclair Broadcasting caused a not so small stir among liberals when they made this giant purchase. Right wing propaganda machine needs to be able to reach as far as possible and these new rules allowed that.
F.C.C. Watchdog Looks Into Changes That Benefited Sinclair
Last April, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Ajit Pai, led the charge for his agency to approve rules allowing television broadcasters to greatly increase the number of stations they own. A few weeks later, Sinclair Broadcasting announced a blockbuster $3.9 billion deal to buy Tribune Media — a deal those new rules made possible.
Mr. Pai’s office and Sinclair declined to comment. When the legislators called for an investigation in November, a spokesman for the F.C.C., representing Mr. Pai, said the allegations of favoritism were “baseless.”
“For many years, Chairman Pai has called on the F.C.C. to update its media ownership regulations,” the F.C.C. spokesman said. “The chairman is sticking to his long-held views, and given the strong case for modernizing these rules, it’s not surprising that those who disagree with him would prefer to do whatever they can to distract from the merits of his proposals.”
A New York Times investigation published in August found that Mr. Pai and his staff members had met and corresponded with Sinclair executives several times. One meeting, with Sinclair’s executive chairman, took place days before Mr. Pai, who was appointed by President Trump, took over as F.C.C. chairman.
Sinclair’s top lobbyist, a former F.C.C. official, also communicated frequently with former agency colleagues and pushed for the relaxation of media ownership rules. And language the lobbyist used about loosening rules has tracked closely to analysis and language used by Mr. Pai in speeches favoring such changes.
Antitrust experts said this new investigation may complicate the reviews of the Sinclair-Tribune deal by the F.C.C. and the Justice Department. Even if the deal were approved, they said, any conclusions of improper conduct by Mr. Pai could give fuel to critics to challenge the review in courts.
“An investigation could cast a cloud over the whole process,” said Andrew Schwartzman, a senior fellow at Georgetown Law Center’s Institute for Public Representation. “For the review, knowledge of an investigation could generate caution and even delay completion of the deal.”
For those wondering .... Sinclair Broadcasting caused a not so small stir among liberals when they made this giant purchase. Right wing propaganda machine needs to be able to reach as far as possible and these new rules allowed that.
That story is ripe for a bribery scandal. I'd be shocked if a corrupt piece of shit like Ajit was a corrupt piece of shit though.
Even if the investigation eventually stalls, I hope it fucks up the actual sale / purchase by Sinclair.
I think it could maybe eek out of the Senate, but it will absolutely die in the House.
It is nice to see Democrats trying to mobilize around forcing this as an issue, get these senators(and maybe congressmen) on record voting against net neutrality again. Keep some semblance of public awareness up.
I still contend it is a winning wedge issue for the Democrats. There is a strong niche of people that this pisses off and mobilizes and it cuts across party lines in a positive way. Seeing as both a majority of Republicans and Democrats support net neutrality.
It is nice to see Democrats trying to mobilize around forcing this as an issue, get these senators(and maybe congressmen) on record voting against net neutrality again. Keep some semblance of public awareness up.
I still contend it is a winning wedge issue for the Democrats. There is a strong niche of people that this pisses off and mobilizes and it cuts across party lines in a positive way. Seeing as both a majority of Republicans and Democrats support net neutrality.
By Jonm Go To PostI think it could maybe eek out of the Senate, but it will absolutely die in the House.
It is nice to see Democrats trying to mobilize around forcing this as an issue, get these senators(and maybe congressmen) on record voting against net neutrality again. Keep some semblance of public awareness up.
I still contend it is a winning wedge issue for the Democrats. There is a strong niche of people that this pisses off and mobilizes and it cuts across party lines in a positive way. Seeing as both a majority of Republicans and Democrats support net neutrality.
Agreed. It's smart politics even if it's unlikely to pass.