Removal of Net Neutrality is politically motivated

[Grapemask]

Imposition of Net Neutrality was politically motivated. And if A) free speech is something you are concerned about and B) you actually understand anything about the law pertaining to free speech, you should be quite relieved that the FCC no longer has the self-assigned power to regulate the content of the internet.

They specifically did not regulate the content of the internet. Their regulation specifically disallowed anyone from doing so. Stop letting tribalism overcome sense.

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That would have come later. NN was just a framework, much like Obamacare, upon which government control would grow. That's one of the big reasons why the professional Left are livid right now.

This is conspiracy bullshit. Your time would be better spent talking about alien abduction.

[Pony Soldier]

No it really is just about making more money. More and more people are ditching cable for streaming services on the internet and the FCC wants in on that because they're losing money on cable. There's no conspiracy going on here it's as simple as that.

I mean if you look at all the companies in favor of repealing net neutrality it's all big corporations like Verizon and Comcast. If you look at the people who object repealing net neutrality it's all content creators like Facebook, Netflix, and Google. It's no coincidence. They're all in because it means more money going in their pockets.

[Stormdash]

They specifically did not regulate the content of the internet. Their regulation specifically disallowed anyone from doing so. Stop letting tribalism overcome sense.

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This is conspiracy bullshit. Your time would be better spent talking about alien abduction.

No, they had not yet regulated the content. Just as private industry in the US had not yet lived up to any of the mouthbreathing conspiracy theories of the netneutrality protestariat. But they absolutely considered it within their power, and even if they had decided to put some fig leaf promise that they wouldn't, the administrative state has no limits on its power other than those it places and ignores itself.

The exercise of government power to say what private industry can or can't do in channels of communication is the only component of the net neutrality argument that even remotely relates to censorship or free speech.

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No it really is just about making more money. More and more people are ditching cable for streaming services on the internet and the FCC wants in on that because they're losing money on cable. There's no conspiracy going on here it's as simple as that.

I mean if you look at all the companies in favor of repealing net neutrality it's all big corporations like Verizon and Comcast. If you look at the people who object repealing net neutrality it's all content creators like Facebook, Netflix, and Google. It's no coincidence. They're all in because it means more money going in their pockets.

It's amusing to see the casting about helplessly trying to define the corporate heirarchy of evil -- you've mentioned five mega-bajillion dollar corporations, and as far as I can tell the only reason why two are the villains and three are the heroes is that the business model of the first two involves billing consumers directly for a pretty decent chunk of change, while among the three two offer their services to the nominal "consumer"* for free and the third for a relatively small amount.

*Of course, people on the internet think of themselves as google or facebook's customers, where in fact they are google and facebook's product, which is why you don't pay them for the privilege.

[Deleted]

Asmongold weighs in

[ButterBeast]

Ruining the internet to own the libs.

[Cheerbleeder]

MMO Champion BLOCKS freedom of speech and expression. Of course all the libs here love government regulation and fake news!

To tell a private company what they can and can't do is . . . . . . _____________ (fill in the blank)

[Kujako]

MMO Champion BLOCKS freedom of speech and expression. Of course all the libs here love government regulation and fake news!

To tell a private company what they can and can't do is . . . . . . _____________ (fill in the blank)

Let me check... nope, MMO Champion is still a private business and not the government. So they are "blocking freedom of speech and expression" in the same way as you are when you wont let me paint anti-Trump slogans on your car.

[Cheerbleeder]

Let me check... nope, MMO Champion is still a private business and not the government. So they are "blocking freedom of speech and expression" in the same way as you are when you wont let me paint anti-Trump slogans on your car.

Verizion, Comcast, Spectrum, Timewarner, Google Fiber, are all private companies. They can do whatever the fuck they want with their network.

Gotcha.

#next

[Sky High]

I mean if you’re a billionaire oligarch you have all the reason in the world to limit free speech to make yourself look good. It’s not conservative or liberal censorship it’s all an attempt to make your corporate overlords look less out right evil.

[Enthusiastic Steward]

That would have come later. NN was just a framework, much like Obamacare, upon which government control would grow. That's one of the big reasons why the professional Left are livid right now.

Can you elaborate on why its preferable for a corporation to have the power to decide what you can and can not view?

[PC2]

Can you elaborate on why its preferable for a corporation to have the power to decide what you can and can not view?

Why is it preferable to let YouTube or Twitter decide what you can and cannot view? They are corporations just like ISPs.

[Enthusiastic Steward]

Why is it preferable to let YouTube or Twitter decide what you can and cannot view? They are corporations just like ISPs.

Though a better way to look at it from that approach would be that if I can't find what I want on YouTube, I can search elsewhere. If services are throttled/gated it would be the scenario where I can only watch YouTube, if they don't have it I can't look anywhere else without paying extra.

But that's also not the argument I'm making. I was asking why government regulation is so heinous and corporate regulation is marvelous.

[Kujako]

Verizion, Comcast, Spectrum, Timewarner, Google Fiber, are all private companies. They can do whatever the fuck they want with their network.

Gotcha.

#next

Yes, they can now. Just remember when you are paying more for less, that this is what you wanted.

[unbound]

Removing Net Neutrality is a way to limit the spread of information among people as the governments way to control the population, this has nothing to do with cooperate business, its just masking it.

Im willing to die for my free speech and freedom of information, what is MMOchamp doing about it?

While it may indeed be leveraged this way to some extent, that is not why net neutrality was removed.

Net neutrality was removed for strictly business reasons. Ajit Pai was a major lawyer for Verizon, and has served them well ever since he left them to go work for the FCC. This is the big paycheck Verizon was hoping for. Ajit was previously known for relaxing the broadcast ownership rules that is allowing Sinclair to reduce competition even further (I'm sure Ajit will get a nice job offer from Sinclair as well as from Verizon when he leaves the FCC).

Sorry, but this move on the game board was nothing more than to line the pockets of the big ISPs (primarily Verizon, Comcast, and AT&T). They will do what they can to soak the public for more money (most likely via "convenient" packages) as well as soak the big media players that aren't them (e.g. Google, Netflix, Amazon). However, the biggest impact will be that new internet businesses will be severely curtailed with most not able to succeed because of the pricing changes that will be taking place behind the scenes...a group that Ajit doesn't care about as they were never in a position to offer him a cushy retirement job when he's done doing his damage...er, his work at the FCC.

[PC2]

Though a better way to look at it from that approach would be that if I can't find what I want on YouTube, I can search elsewhere. If services are throttled/gated it would be the scenario where I can only watch YouTube, if they don't have it I can't look anywhere else without paying extra.

But that's also not the argument I'm making. I was asking why government regulation is so heinous and corporate regulation is marvelous.

That same argument applies to ISPs, if they don't have what you want you could look elsewhere. If anything I have more ISP options than I do for getting the video content I want, which is all on YouTube. The only way I could support the internet as a utility is if it also applies to platforms.

[Enthusiastic Steward]

That same argument applies to ISPs, if they don't have what you want you could look elsewhere. If anything I have more ISP options than I do for getting the video content I want, which is all on YouTube. The only way I could support the internet as a utility is if it also applies to platforms.

Maybe, but this is not true everywhere. Until a little over a year ago where I live there was only one option, now there are two. Where my parents live they have only one option.

And all of this is beside the point of the original question. What specifically makes corporate regulation far more preferable to government regulation? Because most of the arguments I've seen as to why government oversight is so terrible are hypotheticals that could also be turned around and applied to corporate oversight.

I mean, at the end of the day this could very well end up all being a wash. Laws in this country can change, and if this backfires too much it could blow up in the faces of its proponents who pushed it through and new people can get voted in/appointed and this ruling overturned. Then someone can take Pai's stupid mug away and make him sit in the corner and think about how everyone hates him now.

[Altariaz]

Obama did fix a lot of shit bush did. He also race baited that trump played off of very well. Right now the trump admission is setting up america to fail badly in the worlds eyes.

Yeah, Obama did so well at fixing stuff, that his policies lead directly to Trump. Obama gave us Trump.

[Hammerfest]

This is conspiracy bullshit. Your time would be better spent talking about alien abduction.

Government programs are designed to get bigger. If it is a "conspiracy" then it's in plain sight.

[ipaq]

Dude shut up with this bullshit.

Its not trying to limit free speech, you will be able to do everything that you used to be able to do.

Get over it.

Provided you can pay for the access.

[Hammerfest]

Can you elaborate on why its preferable for a corporation to have the power to decide what you can and can not view?

Yes, I can. But let's hear you elaborate on why it's preferable for a government or quasi-government agency operated by unelected bureaucrats to decide what you can and can not view...