Y Combinator has filed an official comment with the FCC • Hacker News Board

Re: Y Combinator has filed an official comment with the FCC

#31

Post by w1ntermute » Mon, Jul 14, 2014, 10:43 PM UTC

harrystone wrote: post #10

I appreciate what Alexis is trying to do here but I hope he isn't assuming that the FCC just doesn't understand the problem. That's how this reads to me. Maybe the idea is to be diplomatic. I don't think the FCC cares. The FCC understands what is going on and it wants to do whatever is best for the FCC. The best thing for tech companies to do is to start destroying some political careers. That's the only thing the ma…

> The best thing for tech companies to do is to start destroying some political careers.

This could be pretty interesting. For example, maybe Google could mine the web (or Twitter their tweet data) for public information on politicians and start airing their dirty laundry. For example, if someone Googles a certain politician, it could show that information at the top of the search if the politician doesn't do what they want.

Re: Y Combinator has filed an official comment with the FCC

#32

Post by mbesto » Mon, Jul 14, 2014, 10:47 PM UTC

harrystone wrote: post #10

I appreciate what Alexis is trying to do here but I hope he isn't assuming that the FCC just doesn't understand the problem. That's how this reads to me. Maybe the idea is to be diplomatic. I don't think the FCC cares. The FCC understands what is going on and it wants to do whatever is best for the FCC. The best thing for tech companies to do is to start destroying some political careers. That's the only thing the ma…

I just had a read over the letter and the first 2-3 paragraphs talked about nothing other than what's in it for YC (and similar companies) that are worth "billions of dollars". I'll be honest - I cringed when the focal statement of the letter started "We need the FCC" - as opposed to perhaps what could have been expressed as "In order for the FCC to meet its objectives of XYZ, we are asking that they consider ABC".

One thing I've learned about trying to motivate someone else to do something - a la Carnegie's "How to win friends and influence people" and Pink's "To Sell is Human" - is to shut up about yourself and focus on the other person/party. Remember, we're all human.

Re: Y Combinator has filed an official comment with the FCC

#33

Post by chimeracoder » Mon, Jul 14, 2014, 10:47 PM UTC

DigitalSea wrote: post #30

I said this in a comment a couple of months back on the subject, companies for net neutrality need to start lobbying. I understand Reddit, Y! Combinator and pretty much every company with a conscious who cares about the Internet all have good intentions and have more reasons than most to see fair laws/legislation based around the Internet. But the sad reality is the FCC is a mere Government agency and words are not e…

> Y! Combinator

This is the first time I've seen this misconception, and I have to admit it make me chuckle a bit.

"Y!" is a trademark of Yahoo, which has no connection to Y Combinator (which is spelled without any exclamation mark).

Re: Y Combinator has filed an official comment with the FCC

#34

Post by fnordfnordfnord » Mon, Jul 14, 2014, 10:51 PM UTC

sillysaurus3 wrote: post #4

Do such comments have any effect? It's hard to overlook that money seems to drive American politics moreso than public opinion (with the exception of the presidential elections). I think that YC will become increasingly prominent in politics, because the tech sector has to in order to maintain control of its own fate. It'll be interesting to see what other moves YC will make.

>Do such comments have any effect?

If I understand correctly, the process dictates that the FCC formulate responses to the concerns raised during the public comment stage.

And maybe later, after everything has been ruined, if we're lucky, at the future congressional special committee on FCC commissioner misconduct hearings, Kucinich or someone will rake Wheeler and his buddies over the coals for failing to address those concerns.

Re: Y Combinator has filed an official comment with the FCC

#35

Post by pyrocat » Mon, Jul 14, 2014, 10:52 PM UTC

w1ntermute wrote: post #31

harrystone wrote: post #10

I appreciate what Alexis is trying to do here but I hope he isn't assuming that the FCC just doesn't understand the problem. That's how this reads to me. Maybe the idea is to be diplomatic. I don't think the FCC cares. The FCC understands what is going on and it wants to do whatever is best for the FCC. The best thing for tech companies to do is to start destroying some political careers. That's the only thing the ma…

> The best thing for tech companies to do is to start destroying some political careers. This could be pretty interesting. For example, maybe Google could mine the web (or Twitter their tweet data) for public information on politicians and start airing their dirty laundry. For example, if someone Googles a certain politician, it could show that information at the top of the search if the politician doesn't do what th…

Wow, that's an absolutely terrible idea. I don't think Google would ever do that, if simply because the risk of it getting out is too great, it would absolutely destroy the trust of the brand.

Re: Y Combinator has filed an official comment with the FCC

#36

Post by girvo » Mon, Jul 14, 2014, 10:52 PM UTC

nickff wrote: post #27

alexqgb wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's the essence of contemporary lobbying. Most legislators can be persuaded with campaign contributions (the carrot) but those that can't get threatened with the stick, which comes in the form of a previously unheard of but suddenly flush primary opponent. Add gerrymandering to the mix, and this tactic becomes even harder to resist, since the effective sidelining of an opposing party means that no matter what else…

> "our systems is less like a democracy and more like an oligarchy" What if the problem is simply that very few voters care about the issue, and that even less would be willing to change their vote over this issue?

Which is possibly (probably?) correct in this case, and many other issues we as tech people care about. But that doesn't dispute the facts in his post; it's merely a tangential thing.

For example, most regular voters care about copyright extensions, but the lobbyists do, and so it gets extended time after time.

Re: Y Combinator has filed an official comment with the FCC

#37

Post by juliangamble » Mon, Jul 14, 2014, 10:54 PM UTC

alexqgb wrote: post #17

harrystone wrote: post #10

I appreciate what Alexis is trying to do here but I hope he isn't assuming that the FCC just doesn't understand the problem. That's how this reads to me. Maybe the idea is to be diplomatic. I don't think the FCC cares. The FCC understands what is going on and it wants to do whatever is best for the FCC. The best thing for tech companies to do is to start destroying some political careers. That's the only thing the ma…

That's the essence of contemporary lobbying. Most legislators can be persuaded with campaign contributions (the carrot) but those that can't get threatened with the stick, which comes in the form of a previously unheard of but suddenly flush primary opponent. Add gerrymandering to the mix, and this tactic becomes even harder to resist, since the effective sidelining of an opposing party means that no matter what else…

Lawrence Lessig is working on a people-power initiative to fix the problem of getting private finance out of elections: https://mayday.us/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayday_PAC

Re: Y Combinator has filed an official comment with the FCC

#38

Post by jobu » Mon, Jul 14, 2014, 10:57 PM UTC

huu wrote: post #26

jobu wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In a letter like this is it typical to state credentials before stating the intention of the letter? I'm not an expert in persuasive writing, but the form I learned was something like this: 1. question, concern or objection 2. bona fides and background information 3. vision for change or outcome 4. call to action There are probably a multitude of theories on how to persuade or influence people, so I'm genuinely curio…

The parent post is about the typo of 'premier' as 'premiere', not about whether it's appropriate to state credentials before the intent of the letter.

Most of the other comments are political in nature, so I thought my comment fit better with the one comment about editing.

Re: Y Combinator has filed an official comment with the FCC

#39

Post by dragonwriter » Mon, Jul 14, 2014, 10:59 PM UTC

harrystone wrote: post #10

I appreciate what Alexis is trying to do here but I hope he isn't assuming that the FCC just doesn't understand the problem. That's how this reads to me. Maybe the idea is to be diplomatic. I don't think the FCC cares. The FCC understands what is going on and it wants to do whatever is best for the FCC. The best thing for tech companies to do is to start destroying some political careers. That's the only thing the ma…

> I don't think the FCC cares.

I think the FCC cares, otherwise, it wouldn't keep adopting regulation aimed to restrict the degree to which broadband providers can deviate from neutrality.

They've also specifically asked for comments on how their current proposal on how to do that can be improved, and the YC comment letter addresses that question and the more specific subordinate questions asked within it.

Re: Y Combinator has filed an official comment with the FCC

#40

Post by dragonwriter » Mon, Jul 14, 2014, 11:02 PM UTC

mbesto wrote: post #32

harrystone wrote: post #10

I appreciate what Alexis is trying to do here but I hope he isn't assuming that the FCC just doesn't understand the problem. That's how this reads to me. Maybe the idea is to be diplomatic. I don't think the FCC cares. The FCC understands what is going on and it wants to do whatever is best for the FCC. The best thing for tech companies to do is to start destroying some political careers. That's the only thing the ma…

I just had a read over the letter and the first 2-3 paragraphs talked about nothing other than what's in it for YC (and similar companies) that are worth "billions of dollars". I'll be honest - I cringed when the focal statement of the letter started " We need the FCC" - as opposed to perhaps what could have been expressed as "In order for the FCC to meet its objectives of XYZ, we are asking that they consider ABC".…

> One thing I've learned about trying to motivate someone else to do something - a la Carnegie's "How to win friends and influence people" and Pink's "To Sell is Human" - is to shut up about yourself and focus on the other person/party.

The FCC -- as is common in regulatory agencies releasing proposals with a call for comments -- specifically wants impacted parties to detail how they are impacted (including financial impacts), because the FCC is tasked to take those impacts into account.