FCC to reinstate net neutrality in the US until someone decides to scrap it again

The Federal Communications Commission has confirmed proposals to vote on rules to restore net neutrality in the United States later this month – whether it'll stick this time is anyone's guess, though. The FCC announced that it would hold a vote to restore net neutrality at its April 25 open meeting yesterday after declaring …

[aerogems]

That sound you hear is a bunch of teleco lawyers and lobbyists rubbing their hands with glee at all the billable hours this will net them, all for just dusting off the draft lawsuits/legislation from the last time and making a few quick find and replace type edits.

[Snake]

We wouldn't need those billable hours if only the GOP would stop turning America into its corporatist plaything and STOP WORSHIPING AT THE ALTER OF MONEY. The Republicans hamstrung the FCC as a way to feed the ISP's the greater income they were (at the time) lobbying for; if set as Title II the ISP's faced FCC regulations on how much they could charge customers in regards to not only service but fees. The ISP's HATED that idea and wanted every dollar they could get, let the Republicans know, and you've never met a Republican who will go against corporate profits, customers be damned.

[aerogems]

Preaching to the choir my reptilian friend. I always found it kind of funny that Wheeler came up with some fairly minor and nuanced rules, Verizon pitched a massive fit, so Wheeler said, "Fine, we'll Title II your asses!" Then, of course, Verizon managed to get one of its employees appointed the FCC chair and set efforts back several years.

[Youngone]

I'm not sure what the downvote you received denotes.

You're not wrong, so I'm going to guess it's from someone who thinks you are but can't argue their case.

[aerogems]

It's our 4th string vatnick eel friend. He stalks me across comment sections on different stories just to downvote everything I post. Not exactly sure why. Maybe because I keep pointing out he's not even a good vatnick troll, he's relegated to working graveyard shifts on minor sites like El Reg*, making him like the 4th string player on a sports team. Maybe it's because his life really is so devoid of meaning that they are reduced to taking pleasure in such petty and pointless acts of revenge. I don't really know, I don't spend a lot of time thinking about it.

* No offense to the El Reg hacks, but I doubt I'm saying anything they haven't thought themselves

[Youngone]

Good lord! Crickey!

[Jou (Mxyzptlk)]

emphasis on swings <b>right</b> back

The more right wing the more "unleashed capitalism", actually working against the people. But they are masters in emotional instigation speech, and too many fall for it.

[Jellied Eel]

Re: emphasis on swings <b>right</b> back

The more right wing the more "unleashed capitalism", actually working against the people. But they are masters in emotional instigation speech, and too many fall for it.

Indeed. Part of the problem is wtf does 'Net Neutrality' actually mean? It's been promoted as preventing ISPs charging more for some traffic clasess that others, even if QoS/CoS can be a prerequisite for workable E.911 services. Or it means stuff like this-

The officials said the restoration of net neutrality would ban ISPs from selling the personal data of their customers too, which they are currently free to do, as Title I Section 222 of the Telecommunications Act also doesn't apply to them.

which is arguable a good thing, especially if ISP is exanded to include CSP and also catch 'big tech' data rapists like Apple, AlphaGoo, FaceMelta etc etc. Or it could just mean getting a Telecommunications Act 2024 on the table, which would be a much larger bunfight.. But the current legislation is 30yrs old, and showing it's age.

[DS999]

Framing the issue

There would probably be more republican support if they framed the issue towards their particular hobby horses, like "do you really want Comcast to be able to deprioritize traffic to Twitter / Truth Social, or should traffic to all sites be treated equally".

If you believe big business should be totally free from all regulation you're not going to bite when presented with arguments like "Netflix paying more to prioritize its traffic hurting other streaming services", that's just the market working as they think is intended. But turn it around and they'll see it very differently. Maybe differently enough to get a bipartisan bill passed instead of using the FCC and knowing it will be reversed eventually.

[aerogems]

Re: Framing the issue

That's how you'd get Republican voters to support it, but Republican legislators are just going to vote however the side making the biggest bribes campaign contributions wants them to. Let's face it, the average person, as opposed to average El Reg reader and/or commentard, probably doesn't really know what net neutrality is or why they should give a shit. You're not touching their social security or medicare, and the talking heads on Fox News, or disembodied voices on AM talk radio, aren't telling them they should be angry about it, so they'll focus on whatever culture war topic du jour they're told they should be angry about. Something as wonky as net neutrality isn't likely going to rate high on the list of topics right-wing agitators are going to focus on unless they run out of other topics.

You do raise kind of a scary proposition I hadn't considered before though. Without net neutrality, companies don't necessarily have to pay to prioritize their traffic over others, they could pay to deprioritize other people's traffic. Xitler's doing a good enough job driving people away from Xitter on his own, but theoretically Trump and the Truth Social criminal gang (a couple of them just pleaded guilty to insider trading) could pay ISPs to throttle Xitter traffic, sending a lot of the racists, nazis, and various other dregs of society, to Truth Social without them even being aware of how they're being herded.

[DS999]

Re: Framing the issue

could pay ISPs to throttle Xitter traffic, sending a lot of the racists, nazis, and various other dregs of society, to Truth Social

I know you're saying this like its a bad thing but I'm having a really hard time seeing why I should think this is a bad thing. Having them all in one place makes them easier to ignore.

[jospanner]

Re: Framing the issue

Truth Social is where like 50% of current twitter traffic belongs anyway, have you seen the replies to literally any thread made by a high profile gay or trans person? It looks like something off of stormfront.

[aerogems]

Re: Framing the issue

While you're focusing too heavily on a demonstrative example, I can't argue with the veracity of what you said. It might even be the way to save Xitter. Sort of like amputating a limb to save the rest of the body.

Anyway, vatnick eel to downvote in 3... 2... 1...

[Jou (Mxyzptlk)]

Re: Framing the issue

Here, have a no vote. Neither up or down.

[Cruachan]

Re: Framing the issue

I seem to keep referencing John Oliver of late, but he did an excellent show on this that served as a really good layman's guide a few years ago and led to a surge in searches about it.

That of course only helps people who watch his show, who are (likely) to be overwhelmingly liberal on the US political spectrum though.

I'd like to think even idiots like Ajit Pai are sensible enough to at least prevent companies paying to deprioritise other companies traffic though, only allow them to prioritise their own. You never know with the judicial system though.

[Dinanziame]

Re: Framing the issue

Arguably the John Oliver show was the greatest deciding factor in passing the net neutrality rules in the first place, all the way back in 2015, by encouraging viewers to write to the FCC:

https://youtu.be/fpbOEoRrHyU?t=757

Though this regrettably resulted in a massive roboted spam campaign when the FCC head wanted those rules removed...

[EricB123]

Say What?

"That, of course, assumes any future administration will care."

Sounds like we are talking about your average run-of-the-mill banana republic, certainly not any superpower I've heard of.

[Groo The Wanderer]

We have the same issue in Canada. The government keeps flipping between Liberal and Conservative (roughly Democrat and Republican in terms of broad spectrum), and each party spends 3/4 of their term and efforts undoing the previous government's changes instead of doing anything new!