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Senate Commerce Committee Circulating Astroturf?
Anti-net neutrality spin-meisters have been busy...

During the Senate break, both sides on the network-neutrality debate spent a lot of time generating spin and refining arguments, notes the National Journal. Net-neutrality supporters bombarded Senators with petitions. Both phone and cable providers and associations bombarded users with ads. Qwest CEO Dick Notebaert took time out of his busy scheduled to state that the idea of ensuring equal, open access to the Internet was "really silly."

One interesting bit in all the noise: Public Knowledge points to this promotional pdf that is being circulated by the Senate Commerce Committee itself to "sell" its Senate Communications Act of 2006. You'll note that among the list of supporting "consumer groups" are some familiar faces (like Consumers for cable choice) who are actually incumbent lobbyists dressed up as consumer groups. You'll also notice that for whatever reason, the impartial committee promotional pdf features editorials solely against net-neutrality.
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jwardl
join:2000-08-12
Spring, TX

jwardl

Member

Sad

This is all really amusing... I saw an anti-neutrality commercial the other day trying to impress how neutrality is, get this, *bad* for the consumer! What a crock.

The industry wants to essentially DOUBLE CHARGE sites for providing their information, which will, of course, lead to new and increased fees -- and yet, it's BAD for consumers?

cablefaschists
@comcast.net

cablefaschists

Anon

Re: Sad

Was net neutrality all just a bunch of MUMBO JUMBO?

tsu9
join:2001-08-17
Wheeling, IL

tsu9

Member

"Impartial"?

Seems the "honorable" committee has forgotten what the "im-" prefix means.
kdandaoc
join:2003-10-13
608052427

1 recommendation

kdandaoc

Member

Re: "Impartial"?

I agree, they all seem to know where they stand already due to whomever is sticking cash in their pocket.
Just for kicks and grins though....wouldn't it be nice to have these members take a public computer/networking competency test to show how much they truly understand the given subject?

quetwo
That VoIP Guy
Premium Member
join:2004-09-04
East Lansing, MI

quetwo

Premium Member

Re: "Impartial"?

Make sure one of the options in the multiple choice test says something to the effect of "The Internet's tubes will get clogged with email."

Raptor
Not a Dumptruck
join:2001-10-21
London, ON

Raptor

Member

Regulation to prevent regulation, no?

That little PDF pamphlet speaks of how well the Internet has done without regulation, and that the government stepping in to impose what the see fit could do no good.

But isn't the whole idea of net neutrality 'regulation' the prevention of anyone imposing their own regulations on specific traffic?

Is it not like making a rule that says no specific rules allowed? (in a nutshell of course)

Seems like a big play on words if you ask me.

kamm
join:2001-02-14
Brooklyn, NY

kamm

Member

I don't get it, 'cause...

... my tubes got clogged.

Where's my favourite Sen, Ted "Bridge to Nowhere" "Crook" Stevens to explain it?
deadzoned
Premium Member
join:2005-04-13
Cypress, TX

deadzoned

Premium Member

Oh Don't Worry!

I'm sure this is no big deal and that there are no ulterior motives behind this at all. I mean we can trust them implicintly based on what's happened in the past and their pro-consumer outlook that they have always had. They are looking out for us don't you know?

It is kind of weird how much money they are spending and how much they are doing for this supposed "non-issue" of Net Neutraility. I guess it's just normal and every day happenings though right?

We better wake up soon. It may already be too late.

viperpa33s
Why Me?
Premium Member
join:2002-12-20
Bradenton, FL

viperpa33s

Premium Member

Arm and a leg

It use to be you had to pay an arm and a leg for fast internet access. As competition grew, prices fell and you can get fast internet access real cheap. Since the line sharing law is gone and all you basically have now is duopolies, now the Telco's can charge a arm and a leg for fast internet access again.

But wait, they are not going to charge the customers, they are going to charge the content companies. So if a small content provider can't pay the Telco's for access to there pipes, then guess what? You have less content on the internet.

So in a sense the Telco is not blocking content, they are just forcing the content providers to go away.

FFH5
Premium Member
join:2002-03-03
Tavistock NJ

FFH5

Premium Member

No Net Neutrality legislation will pass this year

There is no chance Net Neutrality provisions will be passed into law this year. And there is only a slim chance any general telecomm bill will either. After the November elections, if either the House or Senate goes Democrat, there will be a slim chance in the next Congress starting in 2007. Until then, all the talk and lobbying won't mean anything.

deadi
Premium Member
join:2001-08-26
Perry, OH

2 edits

deadi

Premium Member

The end is coming

I do not understand totally what is happening but it sounds to me like it is possible anyone with a blogger site that wishes to post an opinion may end up having to pay a lot more than standard hosting fees if his site suddenly gets a lot of traffic. So if your site suddenly becomes popular because people enjoy your opinion, you better have deep pockets.

Isnt that the way current politics work? Your opinion is only heard by the masses if you have deep pockets?

I see the internet is a place to post anything you want, opinions, sales pitch, etc for next to nothing.

Please correct me if wrong.
wentlanc
You Can't Fix Dumb..
join:2003-07-30
Maineville, OH

wentlanc

Member

Do nothing

No net neutrality, or anti-net neutrality. There is nothing that any law is going to fix or help. Leave it alone. How has the internet lasted this long without regulation?? Because it does not need any.

When the telco's try to charge the content providers, and the content providers don't pay, then we are nowhere. And when angry customers jump to cable, because cable is not tiering their service, then the telco's will get the message and will have to adjust to save their business.

Telco's will try to tier service, and be content providers. When nobody uses them, the prioritization of those packets will not delay anything.

DO NOTHING!!!! We don't need more useless laws!!!

puritan

sitrix
join:2002-04-15
Tacoma, WA

sitrix

Member

Re: Do nothing

That's the way it should work, but it doesn't. First of all, all of them want to tier it. They all have their own VOIP service and want to prioritize it, while degrading traffic of other VOIP providers. Charging content providers for priority on their networks is simply something extra. Sadly the true problem lies in US consumers. If you'll examine how majority of US customers deal with service changes, you'll notice that when service degrades they don't switch. Sure, a few people will scream and few will look for alternatives (which aren't going to be many), but for the most part they endure. You think people will look for a new ISP (if they'll find one that doesn't tier their network) just because Google loads 30s slower or Vonage garbles every so many minutes? NO, people will just blame Vonage and Google for providing bad service.

broadbander8
Premium Member
join:2005-07-21
Brooklyn, NY

broadbander8

Premium Member

absurd

How in God's name could charging more successful users more money be good for consumers? It's not like it'll drop the price for other individuals.

tsu9
join:2001-08-17
Wheeling, IL

1 edit

tsu9

Member

Re: absurd

The key is that the ISPs wouldn't be directly billing that increase to customers. They can spin it as content-providers upping prices when in reality, it is precisely their own doing.
Eric Martin
join:2005-06-19
66308

Eric Martin

Member

Phone Co's want to convert internet into Cellphone network

If they want it that bad they should just form their own network just like their cellphone network.

Just shut the hell up about not getting enough $$$.