Shifting Politics of Net Neutrality Debate Ahead of F.C.C. Vote
(NY Times):
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/20/technology/shifting-politics-of-net-neutrality-debate-ahead-of-fcc-vote.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
Last November, when President Obama proposed strict rules to prevent
broadband companies from blocking or intentionally slowing down the
web, Republicans pounced on what they called yet another heavy-handed
liberal proposal. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas pronounced the regulations
"Obamacare for the Internet." ... But what was, on the surface, a
simple fight over big government versus small has put Republicans in
the awkward position of aligning themselves with the cable giants,
among the most maligned industries in the country, against the sad
Netflix viewer waiting for "House of Cards" to break through its
"buffering" vortex. ... In the intervening weeks, politics on the
so-called net neutrality issue have shifted so much that House and
Senate Republicans are circulating legislation that would ostensibly
do exactly what the president wants: ban the blocking or "throttling"
of web traffic and prohibit the creation of paid "fast lanes" for
Internet content providers willing to pay for faster delivery. ...
"Republicans lumped net neutrality in with the carbon tax and
Obamacare: 'He's taking over everything and now he wants to take over
the Internet.' But it was a reactive, visceral response without a real
understanding."
- - -
A reactive, visceral response without a real understanding ..." -- great
way to govern, huh?
--Lauren--
Lauren Weinstein ([email protected]): http://www.vortex.com/lauren
Founder:
- Network Neutrality Squad: http://www.nnsquad.org
- PRIVACY Forum: http://www.vortex.com/privacy-info
Co-Founder: People For Internet Responsibility: http://www.pfir.org/pfir-info
Member: ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy
I am a consultant to Google -- I speak only for myself, not for them.
Lauren's Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com
Google+: http://google.com/+LaurenWeinstein
Twitter: http://twitter.com/laurenweinstein
Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800 / Skype: vortex.com
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