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Y Combinator has filed an official comment with the FCC

blog.ycombinator.com

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

#61

Post by Alupis »

benihana wrote: post #55
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 FCC has specifically asked people to comment on their proposal. Either they do care, or they're staging some very bizarre and pointless PR stunt because it really doesn't matter if anyone likes them or not.

It's standard to have a commenting session on a proposal. It neither signals support or withdraw from the issue.

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

#62

Post by andrewescott » 

  startups would struggle to compete against those who were
  able to afford paying for a fast lane--or an exclusive
  fast lane. Even the slightest discrimination or paid
  prioritization significantly affects startups, as 
  microseconds matter with both webpage-loading and 
  real-time content.
This suggests that startups struggle to compete against those who are able to pay to use CDNs to improve their webpage-loading times. However, this is clearly not the case, and undermines the argument.

If a "fast lane" cost as much as using a CDN, then presumably most startups wouldn't have a problem with it.

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

#63

Post by latj »

girvo wrote: post #36
nickff wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> "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.

> Which is possibly (probably?) correct in this case, and many other issues we as tech people care about.

There are plenty of issues that average 'tech people' dont care about that other professions might. I have not seen any evidence that as a whole technical people care more about whats going on in the world.

When voter turn out is low, it is not because people dont care about the issues. It is because they dont believe their vote is being counted, cant distinguish between candidates, or simply dont think any candidate can lead to the kind of governance they would prefer.

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

#64

Post by hyp0 »

alexis wrote: post #9
sundance0 wrote: post #6

> Y Combinator is Silicon Valley’s premiere early stage investor. Shouldn't it be 'premier'? I know, not a big deal, but a mistake on the first line doesn't scream 'Best in the Business' if you ask me.

Fixed. Thanks. I can't tell you how many times I and others read over that and somehow missed it. So it goes with typos.

  lead the world, create jobs, and tremendous value
needs another "create". much more minor than the other typo though!

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

#65

Post by jsonmez »

I know I am in the minority here, but while I prefer net neutrality, I don't support it.

I'd like to have it, but I'd rather not see it enforced, because I believe private property rights are more important than anything else.

Should we really be able to force someone to use their property an a way that serves the public interest?

If so, where do we draw the line?

If ISPs start taking money to throttle bandwidth, alternatives will be established. Perhaps, widespread public wifi will become more prevalent--I don't know.

But, what I do know is that forcing companies--even if they are big corporations to use their property in a way we deem in our best interest is a slippery slope.

Want to call broadband an public utility? Good, then make it one. But, do it officially...

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

#66

Post by knowtheory »

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…

Starting conversations with the assumption that the person on the other end of the conversation is acting in bad faith will gain you nothing. If they are going to act in bad faith anyway, what you say doesn't matter.

Beyond that, the art of politics is to make sure you look reasonable at all times, and can make your case both to the decision maker in question, but also to everybody else now watching said decision maker in light of the statements you have made.

This is a rallying cry, and a notification to the FCC chairman that the YC community cares, is paying attention, and has pointed feelings on the matter, both in terms of policy and outcome.

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

#67

Post by knowtheory »

gibsonf1 wrote: post #54
juliangamble wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

Eric Cantor proved that you can't buy an election with money. Ideas ultimately are what count in an election, and to the extent that any good ideas are removed from the public realm with this scheme, we all lose. The last thing we want is the government regulating money spent on political speech - the corruption potential is absolutely enormous - hence the First Amendment.

If you genuinely couldn't by elections with money, there wouldn't be so much money flowing into politics.

Money alone isn't sufficient to guarantee an election outcome, you still have to execute.

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

#68

Post by raldi »

jsonmez wrote: post #65

I know I am in the minority here, but while I prefer net neutrality, I don't support it. I'd like to have it, but I'd rather not see it enforced, because I believe private property rights are more important than anything else. Should we really be able to force someone to use their property an a way that serves the public interest? If so, where do we draw the line? If ISPs start taking money to throttle bandwidth, alt…

> Should we really be able to force someone to use their property an a way that serves the public interest?

Yes, that's the price of a government-granted monopoly.

> If so, where do we draw the line?

If you don't have a government-granted monopoly, you don't have to be neutral. For example, that's how the Internet backbone works.

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

#69

Post by honksillet »

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…

We don't want Google to be the next Stasi!
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