Internet access is “too important to let broadband providers be the ones making the rules.” – F.C.C. Chairman Mark Wheeler (D)“The internet is not broken. There is no need to fix it.” – F.C.C. Member Ajit Pai (R)
As expected, yesterday in a straight 3 to 2 party-line vote the F.C.C. (Federal Communications Commission) approved ‘Net Neutrality’…as in they approved strict new internet rules, regulations, and governance…allowing Barack HUSSEIN Obama to take a giant step forward in his goal of controlling…of micromanaging…the internet ‘super highway.’
In granting the federal government…as in the Obama regime…the authority to regulate internet providers according to the same laws under which public utilities operate…the F.C.C. claims it will NOT seek to impose any new taxes or fees…yeah right…and that the ‘Net Neutrality Act’ assures that NO content will be blocked by broadband providers…that certain internet pages are NOT given priority over other pages (gee I wonder who will decide those pages…sarcastically said), and that the internet is NOT divided into what the F.C.C. refers to as “pay-to-play fast lanes” for internet and media companies that can afford it while at the same time slowing down “lanes” for everyone else…as in speed up access to Web sites for those that can afford to pay a provider-set extra fee.
And true to government form the F.C.C. plan is long-winded…as witnessed by it being presented to the tune of 332 pages.
And surprise surprise…all three Democrats who voted ‘yea’ did so by claiming that they had the authority to impose these new regulations under the FDR signed ‘Title II of the Federal Communications Act of 1934’…which “regulated interstate and foreign commerce in communication by wire and radio”…an act signed decades before the internet existed or was even a glimmer of thought in anybody’s mind. Claiming this ‘Net Neutrality Act’…like the above said FCA of 1934…applies to today’s internet because now, like then, it is an act that strives to make the modern day version of radio and wire…as in the internet…available to all U.S. citizens in a “fast and efficient way” both nationwide and worldwide, and to do so at what the government decides is reasonable charges.
Reasonable charges and even more new regulations…infamous words brought to you by the same Democrats who think ObamaCare’s premiums, rules, and their playing doctor, are reasonable and in the public’s best interest…sigh…
Now putting the internet in the same regulatory category as the telephone…meaning that internet providers will be reclassified as “common carriers”…this act bans providers from so-called “unjust or unreasonable business practices” saying that high-speed internet providers…including wireless carriers for smartphones and tablets in addition to wired lines…providers like Comcast, AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile…will now have to act in what they…the F.C.C. and the Obama regime…deem to be in the “public interest” when providing a mobile connection to your home or phone. Also, this act claims it will make it illegal…as in criminal…for companies to slow down the streaming of videos, games, and other online content going out over their networks.
Again becoming the government’s and the government’s alone decision as to what is in the best “public interest.” So much for free enterprise and such…so much for investment possibilities, innovation, and the wishes of the public…the wishes of ‘We the People’…to decide what is or is NOT in our best interest.
And if truth be told this ‘Net Neutrality’ nonsense all came about on the federal level…where else…because of a January 2014 decision by the ubber left D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals that did away with key elements of the F.C.C.’s previous NOT as strict ‘Open Internet’ proposals. And of course Obama relished in this decision and pushed hard for it to be passed in his personally sanctioned guise of this so strict, so over-regulated, ‘Net Neutrality Act.’
Over-regulated puts it mildly and while the F.C.C. says they will NOT…at this point in time anyway…get involved in pricing decisions…as in initiating or pushing for new tariffs or taxes…or in how individual companies manage their networks…know that will NOT last long as this government loves NOTHING better than to be involved in every aspect of our lives including how and where we spend our hard-earned dollars. Thankfully, Republicans in Congress have vowed to first, continue their argument that neither the F.C.C. nor Obama should get to decide how to regulate the internet as such a power should be afforded to Congress…and second, some Republicans are pushing ‘Open-Internet’ legislation that would supersede the F.C.C. rules. And while these new regulations will soon…as required by law…be published in the Federal Register and will become effective 60-days after publication…many Republicans feel this act will NOT survive judicial scrutiny and will result in numerous law suits. In fact, AT&T, Comcast, Cox Communications, and Verizon, are (rightfully) revving up to challenge the new rules in court.
And if this ‘Net Neutrality Act’ in and of itself was NOT bad enough, in conjunction with this vote, the Democratic majority voted to override current state laws to prevent community-run broadband networks in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Wilson, North Carolina, from expanding their geographic reach, thus preventing these locally managed networks from being able to compete with the larger cable and telecom companies. And this translates into what amounts to the F.C.C. unconstitutionally meddling in state’s affairs…shades of Obama’s loving to put the federal government’s wishes…to put his personal wishes…above what are the all-critical, all-important, constitutionally mandated ‘state’s rights.’
And how will this disaster in the making affect ‘We the People’ both in a general sense and on the individual level…beyond the as expected ‘Big Brother is Watching You’ aspect. Simply stated, ‘Net Neutrality’ hinders and/or completely negates commonplace safety practices unless specifically excluded, provides too many loopholes for unethical exploits and practices to happen, and cannot in any way keep up with continuously improving and changing internet technology updates.
Also, ‘Net Neutrality’…as passed…seems to have eliminated ‘unbundling’ (rules requiring service providers to lease out their lines on fair and nondiscriminatory terms)…translating into real service competition, like that which happened in the early days of the internet, to become a thing of the past. Also at issue is how this act will specifically address ISP interconnection practices that are deemed “unjust and unreasonable.” And lest we forget the important issue of how will the F.C.C. address consumer complaints as to what is “unjust and unreasonable”…would it be on a case-by-case basis that could result in litigation and law suits that could drag on for years at a huge expense to all concerned. And know in the end that it, as always, will be our taxpayer dollars that will have to pay for all this.
So when all is said and done ‘Net Neutrality’ is but another way for the federal government…for the Obama regime…to regulate free speech on the internet most especially opposing political speech…to control the free flow of uncensored information…and to keep records of what each person looks at, searches for, and gains access too.
Again, welcome to 1984…2015…Obama style.
