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Mayor quits FCC committee, says it favors ISPs over the public interest

arstechnica.com

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Re: Mayor quits FCC committee, says it favors ISPs over the public interest

#3

How is quitting going to help anything? If you're in it, at least you can try to fix it. Maybe slow things down a bit like Ron Swanson to minimize the damage they do?

It sounds like he tried, and determined that he was unable to sufficiently influence the outcomes on his own. It's conceivable that, by drawing attention to his concerns, his resignation can prove to be more productive than remaining on the committee.

Re: Mayor quits FCC committee, says it favors ISPs over the public interest

#4

How is quitting going to help anything? If you're in it, at least you can try to fix it. Maybe slow things down a bit like Ron Swanson to minimize the damage they do?

He says that an industry representative came in after months of work and was allowed to rewrite stuff to benefit the telecom industry. The model state rules let ISPs sue cities that set up their own broadband network.

Staying could be construed as consent. This is the Mayor of San Jose, California, he wants it very clear that he's not on board.

Re: Mayor quits FCC committee, says it favors ISPs over the public interest

#5

How is quitting going to help anything? If you're in it, at least you can try to fix it. Maybe slow things down a bit like Ron Swanson to minimize the damage they do?

Time is a finite resource. At some point it's no longer worth the opportunity cost to stay in for a minimal change in the outcome. I'm sure a mayor has more important things to do.

You're also neglecting the possibility that publicly quitting and explaining why will have a bigger effect than staying in and trying to influence a rigged outcome.

Re: Mayor quits FCC committee, says it favors ISPs over the public interest

#6

How is quitting going to help anything? If you're in it, at least you can try to fix it. Maybe slow things down a bit like Ron Swanson to minimize the damage they do?

You can avoid association with what is happening for the kickback later.

AT&T just got a 25 year contract to operate a national first responder network (aka have the Feds pay for network expansion). Verizon is feverishly building out capability to deliver diminished levels of service to people who pay less to match AT&T. The fix is in, no mayor has the juice to block that.

Re: Mayor quits FCC committee, says it favors ISPs over the public interest

#7
I am all for locally based ISPs. It would be amazing if local municipalities could create incentives for financing the last mile of connectivity exclusively to local ISPs.

I absolutely abhor the idea of government supplied Internet. I’m too cynical to believe that there is some magical force field that differentiates local government ethics from federal level ethics. If Snowden tells us our internet habits are snooped at a National level, I expect it at a local level. The current proposals are binary in a stupid way.

Incentives local ISPs, not municipal ISPs.

Re: Mayor quits FCC committee, says it favors ISPs over the public interest

#8

I am all for locally based ISPs. It would be amazing if local municipalities could create incentives for financing the last mile of connectivity exclusively to local ISPs. I absolutely abhor the idea of government supplied Internet. I’m too cynical to believe that there is some magical force field that differentiates local government ethics from federal level ethics. If Snowden tells us our internet habits are snoope…

I think it's easy to make this mistake and to associate government == bad ethics, when it's clear that you see similar misbehavior in government AND business.

The problem is size, not public vs. private. Size equals power and that is usually the heart of the problem.

Re: Mayor quits FCC committee, says it favors ISPs over the public interest

#9

I am all for locally based ISPs. It would be amazing if local municipalities could create incentives for financing the last mile of connectivity exclusively to local ISPs. I absolutely abhor the idea of government supplied Internet. I’m too cynical to believe that there is some magical force field that differentiates local government ethics from federal level ethics. If Snowden tells us our internet habits are snoope…

In that case I recommend this :)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pZ1O_gmPneI

Re: Mayor quits FCC committee, says it favors ISPs over the public interest

#10

I am all for locally based ISPs. It would be amazing if local municipalities could create incentives for financing the last mile of connectivity exclusively to local ISPs. I absolutely abhor the idea of government supplied Internet. I’m too cynical to believe that there is some magical force field that differentiates local government ethics from federal level ethics. If Snowden tells us our internet habits are snoope…

How does that really address the problem? Or are you suggesting incentivizing multiple ISPs running cable for the last mile? There is a physical plant problem here. Why not let the gov't or a quasi-gov't utility run the last mile cable with a charter that prohibits them from shining light down it? Then let ISPs compete to over service.

Kinda like we had ever so briefly after we forced telcos to offer unbundled loops.

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