Will Net Neutrality wipe out Republicans in 2018?

[CostinR]

My gut tells me that likely yes.

http://thehill.com/policy/technology...-for-democrats

Democrats see an opportunity to capitalize on the massive backlash to the Federal Communications Commission’s decision to repeal its net neutrality rules.

The repeal sparked a massive outcry from internet users, spurred on by celebrities and activists who believe the move will allow internet providers like Comcast and Verizon to control consumers’ internet experience.

The question is whether the outrage on Reddit forums can translate into votes for Democratic candidates next fall given the fact that younger people engaged on the issue are often the least reliable voters — particularly in midterm elections.

Raffi Krikorian, the Democratic National Committee’s chief technology officer, said in an interview with The Hill that the massive outcry has been a subject of discussion among senior Democratic officials.
He said he didn’t need to convince DNC officials of the weight that net neutrality might hold with voters.

And Democratic operatives say that while it’s still early in the cycle, they see promise in how younger voters have been moved by the issue.

“Net Neutrality has the potential to motivate young and progressive voters to turn out, and we certainly welcome their support, as well as all privacy- and liberty-loving Americans who recognize that the Republican Party has abandoned these fundamental values,” Tyler Law, a spokesman for the Democrats’ House campaign wing said in a statement.

The FCC decision has sparked an effort among Democrats to enact legislation blocking the new FCC rules and leaving net neutrality in place. Republicans, who control both chambers, are countering with a bill that would partially reinstate the rules but allow ISPs to charge websites for faster speeds and preempt the FCC and state authorities from passing stricter protections.

Neither bill is likely to become law, meaning the battle is probably going to move to the campaign season.

The FCC’s rules, meanwhile, will be challenged in court, a process that could lead to a lengthy judicial battle.

The telecom industry is backing the drive for legislation to replace the FCC’s rules, which broadband providers found too onerous. The industry believes it will be better off if it doesn’t have to deal with the FCC changing the regulations every time the White House switches parties. And their goal is shared by most Republicans, who opposed the net neutrality rules backed by former President Obama as too heavy-handed. They say the rules have hampered innovation and investment from telecom providers.

“Now, the table is set for Congress to provide clear, permanent rules through a bipartisan legislative solution,” Blackburn and Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) said in a joint statement after the FCC’s vote last week. “We hope that all stakeholders, and our Democratic colleagues, will finally engage in serious negotiations soon.”

Some Democrats, including Sen. Bill Nelson (Fla.), the ranking member of the Senate Commerce Committee, and Sen. Joe Manchin (W.V.), are on board with the idea of negotiating a compromise on net neutrality with Republicans.

But many Democrats are pushing the nuclear option, which would restore the rules by using a legislative tool called the Congressional Review Act (CRA) that allows Congress, with a simple majority in both chambers and the president’s signature, to overturn regulatory moves.

A CRA bill introduced by Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) already has at least 27 backers, including Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), who has promised to force a vote on the bill. On the House side, Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.) plans to introduce a companion bill.

Those bills face an uphill battle, but Democrats and activists can use the votes to hold Republicans feet to the fire — and then as a campaign issue.

The pro-net neutrality group Fight for the Future, which helped rally internet users ahead of the FCC’s vote, plans to track members’ votes with a legislative scorecard and target those who don’t try to save the rules.

Polls are bolstering Democratic hopes.

A recent poll out of the University of Maryland’s Program for Public Consultation found that 83 percent of registered voters supported keeping the FCC’s rules in place. That number included 75 percent of Republicans, 89 percent of Democrats and 86 percent of independents.

Steven Kull, a pollster who runs the university program, said that Republicans can usually count on support from their base for deregulatory moves, but that was negated by the popularity of the FCC rules.

“Basically, the public doesn't really buy the idea there's some gain for them in it,” Kull said in an interview with The Hill.

He believes that net neutrality could go hand in hand with the Democrats’ message that the GOP has been giving handouts to the wealthy and powerful — something the party is going all-in on with its messaging on the tax bill signed into law by Trump on Friday.

“I think this will flow all rather easily into the narrative about the role of special interests,” he said.

Krikorian believes the issue will resonate with wide swaths of voters, whether they live in metropolitan areas and use the internet constantly for work, or if they’re part of rural communities that have few if any choices when it comes telecom providers.

“I think you'll be hearing from Democrats in all of those different districts,” he said.

So the vast majority of Republicans don't believe the horseshit Ajit Pai is trying to sell them. There was quite the uproar and ban wave on The_Donald when the mods there decided to support Pai's position.

Net Neutrality is one of those things that can easily get a significant number of young voters, typically the most unreliable of all voters, to show up on election day in record numbers.

[Sky High]

That, and the tax bill, and the forthcoming entitlement “reform”.

[want my Slimjim]

No it's more likely to wipe out whiney Democrats who are too lazy to get a job to pay for their own internet bill unless their Republican parents are paying for it.

Infracted

[Azarak]

No it's more likely to wipe out whiney Democrats who are too lazy to get a job to pay for their own internet bill unless their Republican parents are paying for it.

Yep because repealing net neutrality will magically make all these poor people get good jobs. 10/10 logic, thanks Trump

[want my Slimjim]

Yep because repealing net neutrality will magically make all these poor people get good jobs. 10/10 logic, thanks Trump

Heres comes one now. If it give poor scrubs an incentive to go get a job to pay for more decent than net neutrality internet then yes it will make people get jobs. So yep

[Adam Jensen]

No it's more likely to wipe out whiney Democrats who are too lazy to get a job to pay for their own internet bill unless their Republican parents are paying for it.

I'm a Democrat with a job who paid his own internet for three years.

So take your generalizations and shove it.

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Heres comes one now. If it give poor scrubs an incentive to go get a job to pay for more decent than net neutrality internet then yes it will make people get jobs. So yep

Network Neutrality is not about cheap internet. Network Neutrality is about having all data treated the same. How about learning what NN is before spewing vomit on a forum?

[Travis B]

Heres comes one now. If it give poor scrubs an incentive to go get a job to pay for more decent than net neutrality internet then yes it will make people get jobs. So yep

This guy knows what's up. Everybody heed his wisdom.

[Moralgy]

If the public still remember what republicans did by this time next month I will be surprised tbqh. Once midterms get closer it'll be back to "both sides are the worst" mentality imo.

[Mittens]

It would be really sad that Net Neutrality becomes the reason people start to vote.

[Cthulhu 2020]

I'm a Democrat with a job who paid his own internet for three years.

So take your generalizations and shove it.

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Network Neutrality is not about cheap internet. Network Neutrality is about having all data treated the same. How about learning what NN is before spewing vomit on a forum?

At seems that at least on some basal level, slimjim realizes that net neutrality will allow net companies to gouge consumers. And he seems oddly ok with allowing them to do that. It may be more money out of his pocket, but at least it will stick it to those darn poor people. Or maybe he's in a low tier managerial position at some ISP and thinks this will give him a raise or something.

And then of course on election years, he gets to go back to pretending Trump and the Republicans care about poor people, and we all have a good laugh at his expense.

[Kujako]

No. Because things wont get bad until after the election.

[want my Slimjim]

I'm a Democrat with a job who paid his own internet for three years.

So take your generalizations and shove it.

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Network Neutrality is not about cheap internet. Network Neutrality is about having all data treated the same. How about learning what NN is before spewing vomit on a forum?

Which comes with more costly premium internet choices that follow up with it. How about you learn what nn is before spewing vomit on a forum?

[BrerBear]

Net neutrality won’t bring them down alone. But it is notable in one aspect: it’s supported passionately by some of Trump’s base.
So it has the ability to peel away a few percent of voters who might normally vote enthusiastically for Rs.

Same thing will happen if Sessions does a marijuana crackdown. Would rile up Libertarians.

[PC2]

Nah, the average person doesn't know what NN is. The idea that NN or anti-NN policy is going to wipe out a political party is nonsensical.

[Blade Wolf]

Nah, the average person doesn't know what NN is. The idea that NN or anti-NN policy is going to wipe out a political party is nonsensical.

When the access to internet gets shittier and the prices go up, republicans cannot blame anyone else.

[PC2]

When the access to internet gets shittier and the prices go up, republicans cannot blame anyone else.

Republicans are not responsible for giving people free or fixed price access to the internet. If prices go up it's because of the ISP.

[Blur4stuff]

By itself it won't give dems millions of votes and take away millions from republicans.

But, yes this cost republicans some votes and will boost dems.

[Bryntrollian]

I'd bet the Republican base will be stronger than ever in 2018

[Cthulhu 2020]

Which comes with more costly premium internet choices that follow up with it. How about you learn what nn is before spewing vomit on a forum?

Internet options in the US are already as fast as they can be (or they WERE, before NN ended), which either means that 1) They're going to start introducing mind-reading bots that send you information before you even know you want it in the "premium" packages, or 2) they're going to start slowly and gradually eroding the quality and speeds of current internet packages, then introduce brand new awesome great internet, now you can have the internet speeds you remember from 2016 for double the price in 2020!

I assume you're one of the people who believes that they're going to start innovating and introducing mind reading bots that deliver internet to you so fast that you get it before you even know you want it?

[PosPosPos]

Which comes with more costly premium internet choices that follow up with it. How about you learn what nn is before spewing vomit on a forum?

Funny, because before NN ISPs were basically forcing their customers to pay full price for each tiny fragment of the internet, how about stop shilling for deplorable alt-right agendas for once?

Oh wait, that's morally and ethically impossible for you.