Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

F.C.C. Is Expected to Propose Regulating the Internet as a Utility

nytimes.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

151–160 of 452 posts

Re: F.C.C. Is Expected to Propose Regulating the Internet as a Utility

#151

Post by forgotpasswd3x »

res0nat0r wrote: post #30
relaytheurgency wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Before I got Google Fiber I was definitely happier with my water and electric than my service provider. Now I am probably actually still happier, but I don't have too many complaints about Google Fiber. I can't think of the last time I had an issue with my water! It's got 100% uptime.

The issue most here are not mentioning is the sad state of affairs of much of the US public infrastructure. I wonder how old the pipes running to your house are and how long ago they should have been upgraded? This is also a possibility if internet becomes a utility.

Uh, there's already a lot of network infrastructure that's the equivalent of "old pipes" that should have been upgraded long ago, at least in my area. I can't see why you'd expect this to make it any worse than it already is.

Re: F.C.C. Is Expected to Propose Regulating the Internet as a Utility

#152

Post by briandear »

lightbritefight wrote: post #115
djrogers wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wait a second, every single negative you've described here can also be applied to other utilities who have been regulated under title II for as long as it's existed. They've yet to find a way to 'regulate' human decency and good customer service...

Adding viable competitors is how. Title 2 will make it so other companies have a chance to exist on the government sponsored lines. Once Comcast sees its lifeblood spilling into the streets, Im betting their CS will be as sweet as pecan pie.

But what's the incentive? How many people want to start water companies? If it's highly regulated the margins will also disappear. It turns it into a commodity. It isn't like you can do any real innovation.

Re: F.C.C. Is Expected to Propose Regulating the Internet as a Utility

#153

Post by spellboots »

emcrazyone wrote: post #65
ceejayoz wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I get what they're trying to accomplish, we all want faster more reliable service, but as comparison is anyone 100% happy with their utility (power, water, etc)? I am. My water is clean and I've never had an outage. My power is reasonably cheap and quite reliable. The state doesn't allow either one to raise rates exorbitantly from year to year, either, and despite that both have made major upgrades to their facilit…

this is a ridiculous comparison. You can't compare water, gas, and electrics to the likes of providing Internet. Gas, electric, water are either on or off. Internet connections come with tons of setup pitfalls. A bad DNS can make it appear your Internet is out in one way, while a broken cable inside the house can make it look broken another way and a virus on a computer is another. It's just not a simple check and yo…

> When is the last time your water pipe had a virus?

"From 2005-2006, 20% of US outbreaks of virus and bacteria in water were caused by old, dirty pipes"

http://www.premierwatermn.com/water-quality/water-contaminan...

Re: F.C.C. Is Expected to Propose Regulating the Internet as a Utility

#154

Post by minikites »

skywhopper wrote: post #14

The major critique quoted here comes from David Farber of Carnegie-Mellon, who worries that classifying Internet access under Title II will allow it to be taxed. If that's the worst thing you can think of, we're in good shape.

Good, personal income and corporate taxes have never been lower and we're long overdue for a tax hike.

Re: F.C.C. Is Expected to Propose Regulating the Internet as a Utility

#155

Post by enraged_camel »

skylan_q wrote: post #132
0xdeadbeefbabe wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well they regulate radio. [Edit] Just check out the innovations in radio?

Well they regulate radio. I agree, they regulate a bunch of stuff. I suppose that's a carte blanche to regulate anything it sees itself fit to regulate?

You're being obtuse on purpose. The name of the organization is Federal Communications Commission. They have the authority to regulate all interstate communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable. The Internet absolutely falls within their jurisdiction.

Re: F.C.C. Is Expected to Propose Regulating the Internet as a Utility

#156

Post by rhino369 »

lightbritefight wrote: post #115
djrogers wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wait a second, every single negative you've described here can also be applied to other utilities who have been regulated under title II for as long as it's existed. They've yet to find a way to 'regulate' human decency and good customer service...

Adding viable competitors is how. Title 2 will make it so other companies have a chance to exist on the government sponsored lines. Once Comcast sees its lifeblood spilling into the streets, Im betting their CS will be as sweet as pecan pie.

Title II can't force Comcast to share their lines. It can only force ILEC's to share their lines. So Verizon, AT&T, CenturyLink, and Frontier could be forced to unbundle.

But Comcast can't be.

Re: F.C.C. Is Expected to Propose Regulating the Internet as a Utility

#157

Post by cubano »

I think the radio analogy is spot on, and I really believe that the endgame to all this government interest may very well be the same sort of regulatory control that the FCC now imposes in radio stations and content via the [1] Communications Act of 1934.

This can easily been seen as a power grab by plutocrats who want to start filtering and controlling the money making and informational aspect of the web, and while I am, of course, speculating about this outcome, I think in general, it has been on the back burner for years.

You know, to protect the children and all that FUD.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communications_Act_of_1934

Re: F.C.C. Is Expected to Propose Regulating the Internet as a Utility

#158

Post by unprepare »

emcrazyone wrote: post #65
ceejayoz wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I get what they're trying to accomplish, we all want faster more reliable service, but as comparison is anyone 100% happy with their utility (power, water, etc)? I am. My water is clean and I've never had an outage. My power is reasonably cheap and quite reliable. The state doesn't allow either one to raise rates exorbitantly from year to year, either, and despite that both have made major upgrades to their facilit…

this is a ridiculous comparison. You can't compare water, gas, and electrics to the likes of providing Internet. Gas, electric, water are either on or off. Internet connections come with tons of setup pitfalls. A bad DNS can make it appear your Internet is out in one way, while a broken cable inside the house can make it look broken another way and a virus on a computer is another. It's just not a simple check and yo…

All of your examples have direct parallels

>A bad DNS can make it appear your Internet is out in one way

broken wire in the power system between your house and the pole (is your neighbor digging?)

>while a broken cable inside the house can make it look broken another way

i think thats pretty direct. a broken wire in your house makes it seem like the power is out.

>a virus on a computer is another

I could have a device flipping my circuit breaker, or corrosion on wires. My faucet could have any number of bacteria.

>When is the last time your water pipe had a virus

http://www.fair-safety.com/fair-outbreaks/view/county-fair-w... 1999

>It will often taken digging into the problem with a fair bit of domain knowledge

like electricians and plumbers?

Re: F.C.C. Is Expected to Propose Regulating the Internet as a Utility

#159

Post by maccard »

skylan_q wrote: post #120
pavanky wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Bytes are bytes.

It delivers more than just bytes. It's communication in different forms for different purposes. On the other hand, when water is delivered it's the same water here or there.

Telecoms are also classified as utilities.

Re: F.C.C. Is Expected to Propose Regulating the Internet as a Utility

#160

Post by kevin_thibedeau »

sliverstorm wrote: post #76
pluma wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Where are you from exactly? I live in Europe and 2 blackouts in 3 years would still be an outrage. (To be fair, we have less natural disasters.)

We're missing a lot of context. San Antonio is in Texas, which means these could have been rolling blackouts, one of the last-ditch efforts employed by power companies during record summer temperature spikes (which translate to monumental load spikes in the form of A/C)

The heat alone contributes to reduced life of power handling equipment. Most parts of Europe don't have to deal with that.
Post reply on HN