F.C.C. Repeals Net Neutrality Rules • Hacker News Board

Re: F.C.C. Repeals Net Neutrality Rules

#231

Post by yostrovs » Thu, Dec 14, 2017, 6:55 PM UTC

jasongill wrote: post #24

yostrovs wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Right, it'll go back to being what it was before 2015 when net neutrality was instituted. The dread is unrelatable.

Correct, a place where innovative companies like Netflix were blocked and throttled by ISPs due to conflicts with their legacy business models. I don't know how anyone could honestly say that taking away an important consumer protection is going to help innovation, outside of innovative new billing practices by ISPs.

But in reference to the original comment, it was in the U.S. that Netflix succeeded, though it was supposedly stifled here. It just makes no sense.

Re: F.C.C. Repeals Net Neutrality Rules

#232

Post by vkou » Thu, Dec 14, 2017, 6:55 PM UTC

overcast wrote: post #134

jackfrodo wrote: post #36

This has made me feel pretty damn powerless, as pretty much every site/person of significance has stated their opposition to such a repeal, and yet they went through it anyway. Just a gut feeling that our democracy isn't working properly when such a loud and clear, great majority of the population messaging is completely ignored.

This isn't a democracy, this is a republic. While we have some power in who we elect, those elected are representing us, and can choose to vote how they want. Whether that screws them in future elections is another story.

This is false. The United states is a representative democracy, AND a republic. A democracy can be direct (As in parts of ancient Greece), or representative (As in... Every democracy that is not in ancient Greece.)

The only criteria for being a republic is that you don't have a monarch. The USSR was a republic. China is a republic. Canada is not a republic. Yet, Canada is also a representative democracy, while neither China, nor the USSR are.

Re: F.C.C. Repeals Net Neutrality Rules

#233

Post by JustSomeNobody » Thu, Dec 14, 2017, 6:55 PM UTC

> Ajit Pai, the F.C.C. chairman, said the rollback of the net neutrality rules would eventually help consumers because broadband providers like AT&T and Comcast could offer people a wider variety of service options.

Sure, they can. At different paid tiers.

Re: F.C.C. Repeals Net Neutrality Rules

#234

Post by [deleted] » Thu, Dec 14, 2017, 6:55 PM UTC

nocut12 wrote: post #176

wdewind wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Please don't bring divisive politics into HN. Fwiw Ajit Pai was appointed to the FCC by Obama not Trump.

This is a bit misleading... He was appointed by Obama, but not as chairman -- and was a recommendation from McConnell. Obama was pretty clearly pro net neutrality.

[deleted]

Re: F.C.C. Repeals Net Neutrality Rules

#235

Post by swsieber » Thu, Dec 14, 2017, 6:55 PM UTC

pjc50 wrote: post #188

raverbashing wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"at its worst" (and yes, it is government at its worst in the lack of competition protection)

This is being downvoted because it is a grammatical correction which is wrong.

It's not a wrong grammatical correction though:

it's: short for "it is".

its: possessive version of "it". E.g. its worse -> worst belong to "it"

Re: F.C.C. Repeals Net Neutrality Rules

#236

Post by someone7x » Thu, Dec 14, 2017, 6:56 PM UTC

tptacek wrote: post #127

The voters elected a Republican government. That a Republican-led FCC would err on the side of under-regulating telecommunications companies is about the least surprising outcome you can imagine. Anybody who told you that lobbying the FCC was going to make a difference here was, whether they meant to or not, selling a bill of goods. As someone who respects but mostly profoundly disagrees with principled Republican la…

> work to flip the House back

A well written response, but I choke on salt when I read this sort of call to action.

The house has been slowly and surely gerrymandering the country into hereditary fiefdoms for their parties.

And if the solution is to relocate to "to the nearest plausibly flippable R district" then we're really saying that money is the real power.

Today's decision is a black eye for the concept of self-governance.

Re: F.C.C. Repeals Net Neutrality Rules

#237

Post by Sir_Cmpwn » Thu, Dec 14, 2017, 6:56 PM UTC

Write to your governor and ask them to propose net neutrality protections at the state level. Text RESIST TO 50409 and you can have your letter written and faxed to them in <2 mins for free.

Re: F.C.C. Repeals Net Neutrality Rules

#238

Post by nlperguiy » Thu, Dec 14, 2017, 6:56 PM UTC

I don't get it. Aren't Republicans for less regulation?

Re: F.C.C. Repeals Net Neutrality Rules

#239

Post by yters » Thu, Dec 14, 2017, 6:56 PM UTC

How will this actually impact me? I saw one graphic which suggested this may make it cheaper for me to pay for just the services I need.

Re: F.C.C. Repeals Net Neutrality Rules

#240

Post by judah » Thu, Dec 14, 2017, 6:56 PM UTC

InitialLastName wrote: post #194

judah wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They're free to do so; companies exist to make money. Cable internet carriers probably will attempt something like this. The next thing that will happen is, when Comcast goes too far, another provider (cable? wireless carrier? satellite broadband? something new from a startup?) disrupts the market by offering an alternative to Comcasts' egregious policies. Comcast loses subscribers and is monetarily forced to be more…

In the last ten years, I've lived in 6 different localities and have had a total of 4 options for ISP, never more than 2 at any given time. In at least some of those cases, I've watched as potential competition to those options was shut down by ISP-lobbied local regulation. At whatever point there's a possibility of competition in this space, I'll readily buy the free-market argument that they should be de-regulated.

Are you counting wireless as an option? We're beginning to see some folks use their mobile carrier + tethering as their home internet, often times with better speeds than their cable internet.

And what does the future hold? Undoubtedly more competition: the internet already plays a huge role in our lives, and that's likely to only increase. A startup that can disrupt the cable company stranglehold would tap a huge market and force cable companies to be more consumer-friendly.