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FCC votes to restore net neutrality rules

nytimes.com

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Re: FCC votes to restore net neutrality rules

#21

Post by chrisfinazzo »

jonathankoren wrote: post #10
zer00eyz wrote: post #3

FCC rules... The other day it was FTC and banning non competes, there's also talk right now on the home page regarding KYC and an executive order. I would love for us to be able to get back to making laws in the US. Executive orders and agency rulings are a bad way to run a "democratic republic"

In case you are unaware, but congress has been DEEPLY dysfunctional for the past 30 years, and has been getting worse every session. Even this week it was shocking news that a bipartisan bill managed to even come to a vote. This is what happens when the party that doesn't have the White House chooses obstruction and enforces the the Hastert Rule. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hastert_rule

Yet in functioning legislative bodies (think: parliamentary systems), employing something like Hastert doesn't require any enforcement at all.

They don't typically require supermajorities to pass laws, and those in the minority don't have the means to substantively object to bills they disagree with.

A man can dream.

Re: FCC votes to restore net neutrality rules

#22

Post by SamoyedFurFluff »

wtallis wrote: post #12
redserk wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's worth noting that these agencies and their powers did not spring up out of thin air. Various elected Congress sessions wrote the laws that created and empowered these agencies to create rules. This is a reasonable implementation of a "democratic republic" as Congress still has oversight.

The problem with merely having regulations rather than laws is not a concern that they may not have proper legal authority, but that they are less durable and more easily overturned than laws passed by Congress and signed by the President.

I blame this squarely on the congress. Congress has been the weakest it’s ever been, passing almost nothing substantial. If we had to rely on them to ensure basic things like drug approvals we never have anything. They can barely get funding passed to fund themselves!

Re: FCC votes to restore net neutrality rules

#24

Post by willmadden »

redserk wrote: post #5
zer00eyz wrote: post #3

FCC rules... The other day it was FTC and banning non competes, there's also talk right now on the home page regarding KYC and an executive order. I would love for us to be able to get back to making laws in the US. Executive orders and agency rulings are a bad way to run a "democratic republic"

It's worth noting that these agencies and their powers did not spring up out of thin air. Various elected Congress sessions wrote the laws that created and empowered these agencies to create rules. This is a reasonable implementation of a "democratic republic" as Congress still has oversight.

Not if the agencies have leverage over Congress.

Re: FCC votes to restore net neutrality rules

#25

Post by Analemma_ »

MrZongle2 wrote: post #8
tatelax wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Election coming up

Exactly this. Regardless of the winners of said election, expect a return to business as usual afterward.

Would you like to make a wager on that? I would be prepared to bet money (and give you very generous odds) that, contra your claim, if Biden is re-elected in November the FCC will not undo this change and remove net neutrality afterward.

Re: FCC votes to restore net neutrality rules

#26

Post by bearjaws »

bgentry wrote: post #17
SeanAnderson wrote: post #13

I'm happy this reversal occurred, but I am exhausted by the continuous flip-flopping of legislation depending on which party is in charge. Feels like we're stagnating as a nation by going in a circle rather than finding commonality to go forward. Maybe it's always been this way though and I'm just getting old enough to be bothered by it?

It's partly what happens when such important rules are determined by who is appointed at an executive agency, rather than requiring an act of Congress. The former can be trivially gamed by the party in power after each election, whereas getting Congress to take action on something can be difficult and requires you to first get them motivated to do so at a given moment.

I'd flip it and say its what happens when Congress has been dysfunctional for over a decade. It's not even possible to get a house bill with net neutrality passed without it included 99 other things that will inevitably get the bill punted on forever.

Congress could have drafted this anytime if they had seen fit, but they are "too busy" fighting ideology wars.

Re: FCC votes to restore net neutrality rules

#27

Post by llamaimperative »

MrZongle2 wrote: post #8
tatelax wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Election coming up

Exactly this. Regardless of the winners of said election, expect a return to business as usual afterward.

Not really. There has been a continuous stream of pro-consumer actions out of the Biden admin since day one. Lots of anti-trust activity in really critical sectors, for example.

You’re not paying very close attention if you can’t spot any substantive differences between the two sides.

Re: FCC votes to restore net neutrality rules

#28

Post by cogman10 »

MrZongle2 wrote: post #8
tatelax wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Election coming up

Exactly this. Regardless of the winners of said election, expect a return to business as usual afterward.

Eh... I wouldn't say so much.

I'd expect that if Biden gets a second term, then after the election you can basically expect little to no action for the next 3 years. Business as usual... ish. Major changes will likely happen before the next election just to try and keep a democrat in office.

The Trump second term will likely immediately start with rolling back things like Net Neutrality. Biden's admin likely wouldn't do that as that'd keep them from getting cabinet positions in the future and Trump's admin will do it right away because it can both be sold as a referendum on the previous admin and would help them get future positions for the next republican president.

For trump, I doubt he'll do anything at the end of his term different from the beginning. I really don't think Trump cares about keeping republicans in office.

Re: FCC votes to restore net neutrality rules

#29

Post by karaterobot »

I'm fully in support of net neutrality, but I'm somewhat surprised they're restoring it, as I have not really heard a peep about it since it was repealed in the first place. From my perspective, nothing about the internet changed since then (my experience did not upgrade or downgrade). People stopped talking about it, there weren't major protests, news about it even largely disappeared from the front page of HN (!). So, I would be beyond shocked if this was an election year issue of substance. What, then, is the impetus for restoring the net neutrality rules, given there is always some political cost to any action like this? Has the lack of net neutrality caused issues that I just have not heard about?

Re: FCC votes to restore net neutrality rules

#30

Post by spywaregorilla »

objektif wrote: post #15
lenerdenator wrote: post #2

What's this thing the government has been doing recently where they're no longer content to just let major corporations screw consumers?

Administration sees they are losing the young vote. Administration checks what can get them more young votes…..

Which is democracy working as intended and not a cynical thing at all.
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