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Saturday, January 25, 2014
How Do You Feel About This Internet Neutrality Ruling
One company is taking a major stand to protect internet freedom. The online movie company Netflix is threatening to mobilize their 44 million customer if internet providers slow down Netflix streams. In response to the recent net neutrality ruling, Reed Hastings, Netflix' CEO, said, "In principle, a domestic ISP now can legally impede the video streams that members request from Netflix, degrading the experience we jointly provide." He added, "Were this draconian scenario to unfold with some ISP, we would vigorously protest and encourage our members to demand the open Internet they are paying their ISP to deliver." When the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down net neutrality, they opened the door to a pay-for-play internet. Because of that ruling, internet providers could charge companies like Netflix more for their content, or charge users more to access it. This poses a huge threat to free speech and the free exchange of ideas, and it's great to see Netflix joining the fight to protect a free and open internet.
I think after doing some research (and found an interview this week on The Colbert Report extremely informative), that the only people who have to gain from this reversal are the cable companies who are already freaking out due to more and more people dropping cable altogether in lieu of ala-cart.television. So, if in effect, the cable companies can slow down the streams to netflicks, amazon, hulu and others... They've won, because people will commit to the outrageous prices of cable or direct tv. The other issue is that the cable companies can also with this law, charge those said companies more money to stream media which will no doubt in turn increase how much these companies charge to provide services. It sucks. The cable companies have us by the balls and they know it.
ReplyDeleteCreate another internet and exclude the government.
ReplyDeleteThis is b.s. and people should be up in arms about it.
ReplyDeleteThere are three basic FCC Open Internet rules, the ones a federal court has just struck down. And, if you look at these rules you can clearly see why the gov't, and more then likely the ISPs, want them disallowed.
ReplyDelete1.) Transparency: Broadband providers must disclose information regarding their network management practices, performance, and the commercial terms of their broadband services;
2.) No Blocking: Fixed broadband providers (such as DSL, cable modem or fixed wireless providers) may not block lawful content, applications, services or non-harmful devices. Mobile broadband providers may not block lawful websites, or applications that compete with their voice or video telephony services;
3.) No Unreasonable Discrimination: Fixed broadband providers may not unreasonably discriminate in transmitting lawful network traffic over a consumer’s broadband Internet access service. The no blocking and no unreasonable discrimination rules are subject to limited exceptions for “reasonable network management.”
If ISPs are allowed to conceal and block and discriminate, how TF do you think that is in your best interest? Why would a gov't court want to allow that? It's just another theft of freedom.
Having severed the clutches of Cable TV several years ago and now only rare occaisions look at "over the air" TV, I confirmed my suspicions that the TV spent most of its time off, while I continued to pay 24/7 for services I did not use.
ReplyDeleteYes I have Internet. I can suscribe to news outlets of my choice..many of which are either written word and or radio streaming...niether of which requires extensive Bandwidth.
If the big cable and DSL providers continue to throttle down band width speeds then folks it's time to go back to the BBS (Bulletin Board Service) style Internet..
If it were to get to this extreme situation then perhaps un/il/informed might wake up to the reality that Big Government is now in control and your liberties so much taken for granted are now gone.