[TriLUG] Net Neutrality again...

Thu Sep 7 14:42:09 EDT 2017

The FCC's "net neutrality" rules are:

1. An example (one of many!) of executive overreach. In a representative
democracy, the Executive Branch is not supposed to making up laws, by
dictatorial fiat. National laws are *supposed* to be made by Congress,
which (at least theoretically) answers to The People.

2. Increasingly irrelevant, as bandwidth/capacity increases. We're long
past the fights over whether ISPs could block competitors' VoIP products.

3. A solution in search of a problem. Really, did you see anything get
better or worse when the FCC imposed its "net neutrality" rules in 2015?
What good did it do?

Theoretically, net neutrality rules could prevent ISPs from downgrading the
priority of packets from Vonage or porn sites, but the reality is that the
VoIP wars are over, and all the major ISPs (except Google?) are in the porn
distribution business themselves, anyhow, so that isn't likely to happen.

It is so typical of government to address yesterday's problems, instead of
tomorrow's. The FCC has built a Maginot Line, where the Panzers aren't
going.

The real problem isn't lack of neutrality toward bandwidth allocation by
ISPs. The real problem is lack of neutrality toward information flow,
through the new corporate information gatekeepers, like Google, Facebook &
Wikipedia. Viewpoint censorship by those giant corporate entities is
increasingly manipulating what you can find, and what you can learn.

Conservatives used to be very hopeful that the plethora of new information
sources would finally break the Left's long domination of the press. But as
information gatekeepers consolidate their market positions, what is
happening is that the Left's old censorship methods are simply being
replaced by new ones.

Liberals tend to take a very blasé attitude toward the problem, because it
isn't their ox being gored, since the major viewpoint censors are all
leftists.

That might prove to be shortsighted. I expect that, in the long run, those
corporations will prove to be more loyal to their bottom lines than their
ideology. So the liberals who celebrate the crushing of conservative
dissent may find themselves on the receiving end, as well, someday.

https://stream.org/lefts-campaign-against-conservative-speech/

http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Conservatives-in-Tech-Say-They-re-More-Isolated-12173168.php

https://www.facebook.com/help/community/question/?id=10200248881692914&answer_id=10202976939492654

https://web.archive.org/web/20160113104052/http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100020515/climategate-the-corruption-of-wikipedia/

Dave

On Thu, Sep 7, 2017 at 12:59 PM, Wes Garrison via TriLUG <trilug at trilug.org>
wrote:

> 2 points:
> rage regulation => rate regulation
> Freudian slip???
>
> Here is a list of ACTUAL NET NEUTRALITY violations; excellent examples of
> why we need Net Neutrality rules codified by Congress.
> https://www.freepress.net/blog/2017/04/25/net-neutrality-violations-brief-
> history
>
> -Wes
>
> _________________________________
> Wesley S. Garrison
> Network Engineer
> Xitech Communications, Inc.
> phone:  (919) 260-0803
> fax:       (919) 932-5051
> __________________________________
> "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from email."
>
> On Thu, Sep 7, 2017 at 12:41 PM, John Vaughters via TriLUG <
> trilug at trilug.org> wrote:
>
> > Thanks Pete, that link was helpful, I actually forgot this rule went
> > through. In my mind it had failed. I am not sure this rule affects things
> > much at all, but I appreciate the heads up and I will definitely let my
> > Senators and member of congress know my opinion on this topic.
> > John Vaughters
> >
> >
> >     On Thursday, September 7, 2017, 12:27:29 PM EDT, Pete Soper via
> TriLUG
> > <trilug at trilug.org> wrote:
> >
> >  Here's the first hit when I searched, so we can become a more informed
> > electorate:
> >
> > https://www.theverge.com/2017/5/24/15685414/net-neutrality-
> > fcc-nprm-explained
> >
> > -Pete
> >
> > On 09/07/2017 12:23 PM, Brian via TriLUG wrote:
> > > As I understand it, Net Neutrality is on the books, and this is an
> > > attempt to keep it from being repealed by the new administration.
> > >
> > > On 09/07/2017 12:16 PM, John Vaughters via TriLUG wrote:
> > >> So is there a new push for net neutrality? or is this just to try to
> > >> get it going again?
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>      On Thursday, September 7, 2017, 12:02:49 PM EDT, Brian via
> > >> TriLUG <trilug at trilug.org> wrote:
> > >>
> > >>  Hi Folks,
> > >>
> > >> I don't know if others of you subscribe to FreePress.net, but I
> managed
> > >> to wind up subscribed, probably by way of submitting a form to send a
> > >> letter to my senator.  Senator Thom Tills is against net neutrality,
> by
> > >> the way; if you are a North Carolina resident, please consider
> > >> contacting his office to (politely) express your opposition.
> > >>
> > >> Anyway, I recently got a note from FreePress.net mentioning organizing
> > >> in-district drop-ins, and wondered who in the TriLUG community might
> > >> like to get involved to express their support for net neutrality in
> the
> > >> form of a short face-to-face with congressional staff in a local
> > >> district office.
> > >>
> > >> Here's the link to a little info and a form to sign up as the
> organizer
> > >> of a drop-in event.
> > >>
> > >> https://act.demandprogress.org/sign/sign-up-host-team-
> > internet/?source=freepress
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> Regards,
> > >> -Brian Henning
> > >>
> > >
> >
> > --
> > This message was sent to: John Vaughters <jvaughters04 at yahoo.com>
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> that
> > address.
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> > --
> > This message was sent to: Wes <wes at xitechusa.com>
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> that
> > address.
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> > mailman/options/trilug/wes%40xitechusa.com
> > Welcome to TriLUG: http://trilug.org/welcome
> >
> --
> This message was sent to: Dave Burton <ncdave4life at gmail.com>
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>