[TriLUG] Move over Google: Wilson, NC did it a long, long time ago

[Scott Chilcote via TriLUG]

On 02/27/2015 02:26 PM, John Vaughters via TriLUG wrote:
>
> I blame the government for poor practice in this case. The rules should have been publicized minimum 6 months prior to approval and public comments and debates should have been open. I do not trust Corporations or Government, but at least with a contract I may sign with a corporation, I know what I am getting prior to the contract being signed. However, A Gov. hiding behind closed doors and throwing a document out to the public and saying, "This is the rule". This I take issue with. And I do not even care if I agree with the rule or not. This is bad practice and I am shocked that this is even remotely acceptable to anyone.
>  
False dichotomy.  When you have an imposed monopoly of one or two
service providers who collude on contractual terms, they are identical
to the behavior that you find so shocking in the government.  If you
want to be able to function in modern society, you sign up for your ISP
regardless of what they impose.

There is nothing new, secret, or sinister about the decision reached by
the FCC.  Common carrier laws as enforced by the FCC were passed by
congress through the usual "sausage being made" process, and have been
on the books for decades. 

It was only heavy industry lobbying that kept those laws from applying
to internet access service for this long.  By paying off enough
legislators to define internet users as "content consumers" identical to
cable television watchers, the broadband providers gave themselves
enough regulatory leeway to crap all over their customer base for
several years.

   Scott C.

-- 
Scott Chilcote
scottchilcote at ncrrbiz.com
Cary, NC USA