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72% of Consumers Don't Know What Net Neutrality Is

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Re: 72% of Consumers Don't Know What Net Neutrality Is

#81

Post by MBCook »

thephyber wrote: post #78

If you can't define it on a bumper sticker, most Americans won't "know what it is". As for the FCC, Ajit Pai, and Net Neutrality, I'm much more open-minded to the current FCC policy after having listened to him on the latest Recode/Decode podcast. His speaking patterns make him sound like he's an energetic jerk, but I don't disagree with lots of the policy agenda he mentioned. I detest the games they played with the…

If the FCC isn't the right body why change the rules? Why not leave the current status quo while Congress works on it (or until they do)?

Re: 72% of Consumers Don't Know What Net Neutrality Is

#82

Post by maxxxxx »

thephyber wrote: post #78

If you can't define it on a bumper sticker, most Americans won't "know what it is". As for the FCC, Ajit Pai, and Net Neutrality, I'm much more open-minded to the current FCC policy after having listened to him on the latest Recode/Decode podcast. His speaking patterns make him sound like he's an energetic jerk, but I don't disagree with lots of the policy agenda he mentioned. I detest the games they played with the…

Pai is a good talker but he reminds me of the people who talk of the free market in health care. Sounds great but when you look at reality you see quickly there is no such thing. But they still keep talking. Same for Pai's talk about innovation. All innovation that's coming from ISPs is to squeeze more money out of the system.

Re: 72% of Consumers Don't Know What Net Neutrality Is

#83

Post by another-dave »

squeaky-clean wrote: post #61
Torai wrote: post #31

Are ISPs really going to stop abiding by Net Neutrality rules? Wouldn't that offer a big competitive opportunity for an ISP that supports Net Neutrality?

My ISP choices are Comcast, tethering to my cell phone's 4G plan, or (probably, haven't looked into it) satellite internet. I can't simply move to a different ISP unless I want to give up on most things I do on the internet or move to a new apartment building.

I only realised recently that the US has that level of vendor lock-in for core infrastructure like telephone wires — huge culture shock!

Re: 72% of Consumers Don't Know What Net Neutrality Is

#84

Post by MBCook »

splintercell wrote: post #17
dieterrams wrote: post #5

Survey methodology and all that, but it wouldn't surprise me in the least if most of the affected population didn't know. Net Equality would have likely perked up more interest.

Net equality - Perfect name to ensure that it becomes a great hot button issue along ideological lines in America when it clearly isn't one right now. In America, 'equality' is not considered as a universally positive word.

I agree. I think shmageggy's 'anti-throttling' is much closer to something workable.

Heck, anti-racketeering or anti-collusion may be better.

Re: 72% of Consumers Don't Know What Net Neutrality Is

#85

Post by caseydurfee »

Torai wrote: post #31

Are ISPs really going to stop abiding by Net Neutrality rules? Wouldn't that offer a big competitive opportunity for an ISP that supports Net Neutrality?

Comcast is the most hated corporation in America. There's already a big competitive opportunity for non-terrible ISPs.

Re: 72% of Consumers Don't Know What Net Neutrality Is

#86

Post by cheald »

jandrese wrote: post #70
WillPostForFood wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you know how you have to pay extra to your ISP to watch Netflix or Youtube? You don't because of Net Neutrality. That's a good scare tactic, but isn't very informative (or necessarily true). Net Neutrality only came into effect on June 12, 2015. I don't think people will recall paying extra to watch Netflix or YouTube before that date (because they weren't). And paying extra probably won't be the effect if net neu…

Netflix did pay a ransom to Verizon and Comcast back in 2015. You didn't see it directly, but that money came out of the same pot that would have paid for more content on Netflix. http://time.com/80192/netflix-verizon-paid-peering-agreement...

No, that money came out of the pot of money that they were previously paying to Cogent for transit through to Verizon and Comcast. Describing an extremely-typical paid peering agreement as a "ransom" is massively intellectually dishonest.

Re: 72% of Consumers Don't Know What Net Neutrality Is

#87

Post by dieterrams »

splintercell wrote: post #17
dieterrams wrote: post #5

Survey methodology and all that, but it wouldn't surprise me in the least if most of the affected population didn't know. Net Equality would have likely perked up more interest.

Net equality - Perfect name to ensure that it becomes a great hot button issue along ideological lines in America when it clearly isn't one right now. In America, 'equality' is not considered as a universally positive word.

Depends. Equality of opportunity, equality of the vote, equal in the eyes of the law, those are largely uncontested. Income/outcome equality is certainly a hot button issue.

Re: 72% of Consumers Don't Know What Net Neutrality Is

#88

Post by WillPostForFood »

jandrese wrote: post #70
WillPostForFood wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you know how you have to pay extra to your ISP to watch Netflix or Youtube? You don't because of Net Neutrality. That's a good scare tactic, but isn't very informative (or necessarily true). Net Neutrality only came into effect on June 12, 2015. I don't think people will recall paying extra to watch Netflix or YouTube before that date (because they weren't). And paying extra probably won't be the effect if net neu…

Netflix did pay a ransom to Verizon and Comcast back in 2015. You didn't see it directly, but that money came out of the same pot that would have paid for more content on Netflix. http://time.com/80192/netflix-verizon-paid-peering-agreement...

Not even sure this would fall under the net neutrality umbrella. Comcast and Verizon weren't specifically discriminating or shaping Netflix traffic. Netflix was buying and over saturating the cheapest bandwidth they could. The question became who pays to upgrade to accommodate it. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but the current Net Neutrality rules don't address this situation.

Re: 72% of Consumers Don't Know What Net Neutrality Is

#90

Post by WillPostForFood »

CaptSpify wrote: post #75
WillPostForFood wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the counter one liner to that is something like: Net Neutrality keeps big companies from controlling what you can access on the internet. But not totally comfortable with that because "access" is overstating.

I would also counter with: The ISPs are where they are because they in the opposite of a free market.

Good point, I think this is important to highlight, and might appeal to people reluctant to support net neutrality.

If one supports competition and free markets, recognize that the ISP business is not free and open to competition, and used regulation to gain monopoly or duopoly status. We need some regulation to either try and create competition, or at least prevent abuse of their current monopoly/duopoly status.

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