U.S. Appeals Court kills net neutrality

[Satan]

[fraroc]

I think I'm the only one that is concerned, but not worried when it comes to this. I really don't believe that ISPs will go as far as to completely ban websites that they don't like but I believe there will be a ton of favoritism that is going to come out of this. We already know that Verizon likes Netflix over Hulu Plus, so I expect that streaming speed on Hulu Plus would be effected for Verizon users.

We live in a society that is run by the internet, and I know damn well that if anything drastic were going to happen like the pro-Net Neutrality activists say, we won't take it sitting down....Okay, we may not start a riot, but there is going to be petitions and lobbies up the fucking ass if things were to go south for the internet.

That being said, the only real good thing I see coming out of Net Neutrality being changed is kiddie pronz getting blocked and removed faster.

[fraroc]

PS, Krustina blames Obama
Benghazi!

[FORD]

well this is good news... some big corporations on the proper side of the issue......

Internet's biggest names stand up against FCC net neutrality plans


By Patrick Howell O'Neill on May 07, 2014

The biggest technology companies in the United States have joined forces to support net neutrality, in a letter sent to the Federal Communications Commision (FCC).

The group includes nearly 140 companies that make up a huge swatch the tech world: Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Netflix, Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Yahoo, Tumblr, 4chan, Dropbox, Mozilla, Imgur, and more have signed on to challenge a proposal being considered by the FCC that might kill net neutrality as we know it.

“We write to express our support for a free and open internet,” the letter reads. “Over the past twenty years, American innovators have created countless Internet-based applications, content offerings, and services that are used around the world. These innovations have created enormous value for Internet users, fueled economic growth, and made our Internet companies global leaders. The innovation we have seen to date happened in a world without discrimination.”

The letter, which marks the first public defense of net neutrality by huge global companies like Amazon since news of the threat emerged last month, defends the principle that all data should be treated equally by Internet service providers (ISPs).

If approved, the FCC's latest net neutrality propsoal would reportedly allow ISPs to charge edge providers—content companies that use substantial bandwidth, like Google, Netflix, or Skype—"commercially reasonable" rates for broadband "fast lanes" between them and their users.

In the past few weeks, net neutrality has a growing stable of powerful defenders: Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) called net neutrality the "free speech issue of our time” as he launched a new online campaign called #NoSlowLane. Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) dubbed the FCC proposal "terribly misguided," and charged that "the average American would be the big loser" if the propsal were to pass.

Delivery of the coalition's letter comes on the same day as activists from Fight for the Future and other pro-net neutrality groups launched an "Occupy the FCC" protest outside the agency's Washington, D.C. office.

In Europe, the EU parliament voted to enshrine net neutrality in a law that guarantees that Internet traffic within the EU will be treated "without discrimination, restriction or interference, independent of the sender, receiver, type, content, device, service or application."

You can read the full letter and list of supporters below:

[FORD]

Dear Chairman Wheeler and Commissioners Clyburn, Rosenworcel, Pai, and O’Reilly:

We write to express our support for a free and open internet. Over the past twenty years, American innovators have created countless Internet-based applications, content offerings, and services that are used around the world. These innovations have created enormous value for Internet users, fueled economic growth, and made our Internet companies global leaders. The innovation we have seen to date happened in a world without discrimination. An open Internet has also been a platform for free speech and opportunity for billions of users.

The Commission’s long-standing commitment and actions undertaken to protect the open Internet are a central reason why the Internet remains an engine of entrepreneurship and economic growth.

According to recent news reports, the Commission intends to propose rules that would enable phone and cable Internet service providers to discriminate both technically and financially against Internet companies and to impose new tolls on them. If these reports are correct, this represents a grave threat to the Internet.

Instead of permitting individualized bargaining and discrimination, the Commission’s rules should protect users and Internet companies on both fixed and mobile platforms against blocking, discrim- ination, and paid prioritization, and should make the market for Internet services more transparent. The rules should provide certainty to all market participants and keep the costs of regulation low.

Such rules are essential for the future of the Internet. This Commission should take the necessary steps to ensure that the Internet remains an open platform for speech and commerce so that America continues to lead the world in technology markets.

Sincerely,

Amazon
Cogent
Dropbox
Ebay
Etsy
Facebook
Foursquare
Google
Kickstarter
Level 3
LinkedIn
Lyft
Microsoft
Netflix
Reddit
Tumblr
Twitter
Vonage Holdings Corp.
Yahoo! Inc.
Zynga600hz, Inc.
2redbeans
4chan
8x8, Inc.
Addy
AdviserDeck
Agile Learning Labs
Airdroids
AirHelp
AnalyticsMD
Appar
Apportable
AppRebates
Apptology
Assembly Made, Inc.
Authentise
Automattic/WordPress.com
BadgerMapping
Bitnami
BitTorrent
Blu Zone
CBeyond
Chirply
Clef
CloudFare
Codecademy
CodeCombat
CodeHS
CodeScience
Colourful Rebel
Contextly
Coursera
CrowdTilt
Cube, Co
dasData
Digg
Distinc.tt
DuckDuckGo
Duolingo
DynaOptics
Embedly
Fandor
Floor64
Flowroute
Flurry
Fonebook
Funeral Innovations
Gandi
General Assembly
Github
Grid
Handy Networks
Haystack.tv
Heavybit Industries
HelloSign
HeyZap
iFixit
iLost
Imgur
Instapaper
inXile Entertainment
Kaltura
LawGives
Leaflad
LendUp
Linearair
Linknovate
littleBits
Lucipher.net
MDDHosting LLC
Medium
Meetup
Meteor Development Grouo
Minds + Machines
Misk
MixRank
MobileWorks
Motionry
MozartMedical
Mozilla
NOTCOT Inc
O’Reilly Media
OfficeNinjas
Open Materials
Open Spectrum
OpenDNS
Opera Software ASA
PayTango
Pocket/ReaditLater
Poll Everywhere, Incrintrbot
Publitas.com
Rallyware
Recrout
Redbubble
Rewheel/Digital Fuel Monitor
Reylabs
Rogue Labs
Shapeways
Sidecar
Sift Science
Simpolaris
SketchDeck
Skytree
SlidePay, Inc
Socialscope
Solidoodle
SpiderOak
SpoonRocket
Spotfront
StackExchange
StartX Stanford
Statwing
Tastemaker
The Next Web
Triggit
Tsumobi
Tucows
Twilio
UberConference

[FORD]

Amazon, Google, and Microsoft alone should be enough corporate power to balance out Scumca$t, though Netflix is going to look a tad bit hypocritical here, after already paying ransom to Scumca$t.

Of course the problem here is that Wheeler is a "former" Scumca$t lobbyist. If he were a former Google or Amazon lobbyist, I might feel a little better about this.

[FORD]

The only thing wrong with the letter above is that it fails to spell out the obvious legal remedy, and in fact, the one that even the Opie Roberts BCE court acknowledged would preserve net neutrality forever....

The FCC should designate the internet as a "common carrier". Just as the telephone lines are. Just as the public airwaves are.

[FORD]

BTW.... did anybody notice which large company is noticeably absent from the above list?

You Mac, iPhone, & iPad users better ask your friends in Cupertino what the fuck is up with that........

[fraroc]

I feel like the same thing is going to happen with this as it did with SOPA and PIPA a few years ago. Good thing the both of those laws were found to be unconstitutional.

[DONNIEP]

BTW.... did anybody notice which large company is noticeably absent from the above list?

Youjizz.com?

[FORD]

Youjizz.com?

Well, now that you mention it, I can't imagine the porn companies would be happy with Internet segregation either. But the other corporations probably told them NOT to sign the letter. Wouldn't want to be associated with the "wrong" elements, and all that.......

Or it could be that some of the names on the above list that you don't recognize are the "parent companies" of the porn sites.

[FORD]

I feel like the same thing is going to happen with this as it did with SOPA and PIPA a few years ago. Good thing the both of those laws were found to be unconstitutional.

Yeah.... but their reanimated zombie corpses are now walking the earth as part of the "Trans Pacific Partnership", which is one of the many reasons why the corporate assholes are trying to keep the contents of that treaty from Hell secret.

But that's a subject for the TPP thread. Even many of the companies who are for net neutrality are sadly still in favor of other forms of corporate fascism.

[fraroc]

Well, now that you mention it, I can't imagine the porn companies would be happy with Internet segregation either. But the other corporations probably told them NOT to sign the letter. Wouldn't want to be associated with the "wrong" elements, and all that.......

Or it could be that some of the names on the above list that you don't recognize are the "parent companies" of the porn sites.

I really don't think that ISP's are concerned with porn unless it's something illegal like child porn.

[Seshmeister]

BTW.... did anybody notice which large company is noticeably absent from the above list?

You Mac, iPhone, & iPad users better ask your friends in Cupertino what the fuck is up with that........

I've been saying for years Apple are not the lovely benevolent company their devotees like to imagine they are.

Quite the opposite...

[ELVIS]

I really don't think that ISP's are concerned with porn unless it's something illegal like child porn.

Based on what ??

Or did you use a crystal ball to come up with that logic ??