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The FCC plan to undo its net neutrality rules

washingtonpost.com

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Re: The FCC plan to undo its net neutrality rules

#151

Post by shmerl »

outsidetheparty wrote: post #8

> Pai argued that rolling back the rules will encourage ISPs to spend more on their broadband networks How? How on earth does letting ISPs milk more money out of their existing network incentivize those ISPs to expand that network? It's just so frustrating that these guys no longer even bother to pretend that their arguments make any logical sense at all. "We'll protect user privacy by eliminating these rules that pr…

Pai is a shill. No need to look for common sense in this farce. His whole point is to let monopolists run amok.

Re: The FCC plan to undo its net neutrality rules

#152

Post by r00fus »

ue_ wrote: post #68
MS_Buys_Upvotes wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not. Not to get too political but there are two groups: "the people" and "business". Watch every decision the current administration makes. It's helpful for "business" and hurts "the people". This is the opposite of what most people think it should be.

> Watch every decision the current administration makes. Just the current administration, or democracies around the world? It's a fact that capital rules economy and by extension our lives. Why do you think it would be any different under Obama, Hillary, Lincoln, Thatcher, Blair, Castro, Kim Jong Un or Abe? The kind of democracy we have is bourgeois democracy - in place to protect the intersts of those owners of priv…

Sure, it does make a difference. One party is ruthless and happy to sell you out. The other party is also willing to sell you out, but somewhat less effective at the ruthless thing.

Evil and Evil-lite.

Re: The FCC plan to undo its net neutrality rules

#153

Post by guelo »

rayiner wrote: post #70
outsidetheparty wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Eliminating net neutrality incentivizes ISPs to build auxiliary services that they can artificially support by throttling the bandwidth of competing products. It incentivizes them to seek profit by favoring some net traffic over other net traffic. It does not in any way incentivize them to build larger or better networks. It does not incentivize them to invest in their infrastructure. All it does is let them make mor…

That 97% number is bogus. It is computed by assuming that all the costs of the network are borne by video service, and that the broadband service is essentially pure profit. Look at carriers' actual audited financial statements: https://www.verizon.com/about/sites/default/files/annual/ver... . Verizon's wireline division had an operating profit margin of 5.8% in 2015, 2.7% in 2014, and 0.9% in 2013 (see page 24).

Comcast's profit margin has been 10-12% on $84 billion revenue. $14 billion in capex last year, though a big chunk of that is upgraded set top boxes, which customers would happily buy 3rd party like TiVo if Comcast weren't an abusive monopoly and would let us.

Re: The FCC plan to undo its net neutrality rules

#154

Post by frankzinger »

doctorshady wrote: post #147
frankzinger wrote: post #146

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I see a few people in this thread asking this question. It's a large part of this administration's MO. Kill all regulation in favour of corporate growth. Trump talks about it all the time and he's taken direct action himself to achieve it. There's no reason to believe Pai is running his own scam here.

Sure, but he's been in the FCC well before Trump has been in office, and his views haven't particularly changed. There's no reason why they can't be running things together now of course, but I'd be surprised if they were together from the start.

You may be right, but there'd be little point in going after Pai if he's supported by the administration (which I am certain he is, to be clear).

Re: The FCC plan to undo its net neutrality rules

#155

Post by danjayh »

outsidetheparty wrote: post #8

> Pai argued that rolling back the rules will encourage ISPs to spend more on their broadband networks How? How on earth does letting ISPs milk more money out of their existing network incentivize those ISPs to expand that network? It's just so frustrating that these guys no longer even bother to pretend that their arguments make any logical sense at all. "We'll protect user privacy by eliminating these rules that pr…

Provided that there is competition, it's actually a good idea. My knee-jerk response to this was "you can do this, but you have to take away their monopolies." In a heavily competitive environment, ISPs wouldn't be able to get away with BS because everyone would just switch.

Re: The FCC plan to undo its net neutrality rules

#156

Post by GeneralMayhem »

doctorshady wrote: post #148
GeneralMayhem wrote: post #142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, first, you'd need even a single person in his party not to be in it with him, and to be willing to cross party lines to do what's right. That's obviously not going to happen. Second, you'd need corruption to be illegal. Since the people who benefit from it are the ones writing the laws, it's not, at least not in the particular ways they generally do it.

Maybe this is a stupid question, but why would it have to be someone of the same party? Why couldn't it just be some unhappy members of the FCC staff? Considering the jarring change from Wheeler to Pai, there's got to be a few people with a good look at his schedule that don't approve of it.

Because the Republicans control all three branches of the government, and they're extremely well bought^H^H^H^H^H^H organized. In the rare case that a non-Republican has the power to do anything, they'll be removed with or without cause if they try (see: Sally Yates).

Re: The FCC plan to undo its net neutrality rules

#158

Post by doctorshady »

GeneralMayhem wrote: post #156
doctorshady wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe this is a stupid question, but why would it have to be someone of the same party? Why couldn't it just be some unhappy members of the FCC staff? Considering the jarring change from Wheeler to Pai, there's got to be a few people with a good look at his schedule that don't approve of it.

Because the Republicans control all three branches of the government, and they're extremely well bought^H^H^H^H^H^H organized. In the rare case that a non-Republican has the power to do anything, they'll be removed with or without cause if they try (see: Sally Yates).

Let's say for the purposes of arguing though, that Trump or members of the Trump administration are removed by way of the Russia investigation. I guess it all works on a case by case basis, but generally speaking, how would that affect the FCC chair's standing?

Re: The FCC plan to undo its net neutrality rules

#160

Post by doctorshady »

frankzinger wrote: post #154
doctorshady wrote: post #147

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure, but he's been in the FCC well before Trump has been in office, and his views haven't particularly changed. There's no reason why they can't be running things together now of course, but I'd be surprised if they were together from the start.

You may be right, but there'd be little point in going after Pai if he's supported by the administration (which I am certain he is, to be clear).

Would that not change if it's abundantly clear his policies are extremely unpopular? Think Marsha Blackburn and SOPA.
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