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House votes to undermine net neutrality rules, and ISPs cheer

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Nokterian

Member
The House of Representatives today approved a Republican proposal that limits the Federal Communications Commission's authority to regulate Internet providers.

The "No Rate Regulation of Broadband Internet Access Act" was ostensibly proposed to prevent the FCC from setting the rates charged by Internet providers. But the bill defines "rate regulation" so broadly that FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler says it could prevent the commission from enforcing net neutrality rules against blocking and throttling.

The FCC says it has no plans to impose strict utility rate regulation on Internet providers, but it can review whether specific rates are "unjust" or "unreasonable" under its authority to regulate common carriers. This bill would remove that authority and could also limit the FCC's authority to prevent ISPs from applying data caps in discriminatory ways.

The White House has already threatened to veto the bill, so it isn't likely to become law even if it passes the Senate. The vote today was mostly along party lines, with 241 representatives in favor and 173 against.

The FCC's vote last year to reclassify Internet providers as common carriers and enforce net neutrality rules specifically rejected traditional rate regulation for broadband. Despite that, US Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) said today, "We all know that what they'd like to do is regulate the Internet so they can tax the Internet, so they could then come in and set all the rates," according to the Associated Press.

House Democrats argued against the bill to no avail, saying it would weaken the FCC's consumer protection authority.

Industry groups representing Internet providers cheered the House's vote. "A stable regulatory framework that excludes price controls spurs greater investment in broadband networks," the American Cable Association said. The lobby group for small and medium-sized cable companies said the bill codifies promises made by Wheeler and "shields the market from action taken in this area by future FCC leaders who might not feel bound by promises made by earlier FCC officials."

CTIA, which represents wireless carriers, said the bill "will alleviate some of the risk to competition and investment created by the FCC's Open Internet Order." CenturyLink issued a statement expressing surprise "that there’s any opposition to this bill given that the administration has stated on multiple occasions that it is not interested in regulating broadband prices."

Consumer advocacy group Public Knowledge warned that the bill's broad definition of rate regulation will have a major impact on the FCC's ability to protect consumers. "This bill redefines ‘rate regulation’ to mean any action that involves a rate, not simply the setting of a rate as is understood today by the general public and even the Supreme Court," Public Knowledge said. "This bill goes beyond the forbearances of the Wheeler-led FCC to eliminate the ability for the FCC to even review the reasonableness of a rate. It is an invitation to monopoly level rates by ISPs, since few Americans have more than one or two choices for high-speed broadband."
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Link

Obama will veto it because this is just pathetic on so many levels.
 
S

Sophia

Member
Anything that has ISPs cheering can't possibly be a good thing. Glad that Obama will veto it. :\

(Related, but has there ever been a study done to see if there's a connection between areas where ISPs like Comcast have data caps and how much competition they have in that area?)
 
L

Lime

Member
Hilarious that these guys are supposed to represent the people of the United States.

Fucking cyberpunk future we live in
 
E

EatinOlives

Member
Meanwhile I can't even cut the cord in my house because my ISP has a 250 GB data cap. And now they want even less regulation.

Who the fuck are these assholes? Because they're sure as hell not representing me.
 
A

Anoregon

The flight plan I just filed with the agency list me, my men, Dr. Pavel here. But only one of you!
Despite that, US Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) said today, "We all know that what they'd like to do is regulate the Internet so they can tax the Internet, so they could then come in and set all the rates," according to the Associated Press.
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dude wut
 
P

platocplx

Member
Fraull said:
Don't understand why people vote in these Republicans and think they are getting supported.
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Fear Mongering and dog whistling their constituency does that. Especially when they are really just for the companies and not for the people that voted them in. Its pretty wild.
 
C

cameron

Member
Federal Communications Commission has said it has no intention of regulating broadband Internet service rates. Republicans argued that the Obama administration could not be trusted and said the bill would enshrine that principle into law so the commission could not change its mind in the future.

"We all know that what they'd like to do is regulate the Internet so they can tax the Internet, so they could then come in and set all the rates,"said Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn.

Democrats said the bill's language that was too broad and would weaken the FCC's ability to protect consumers.

"It gives an undefined answer to prevent an undefined event from happening," said Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt. "So the effect here is you have a bill that's playing on the fear of the unknown."

Republicans said the bill's language was not vague. The chief sponsor, Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., called it "a great first step in preserving the Internet as free for future generations."
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http://bigstory.ap.org/article/2e7c...-regulating-high-speed-internet-service-rates
 
N

Nokterian

Member
Republicans said the bill's language was not vague. The chief sponsor, Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., called it "a great first step in preserving the Internet as free for future generations."
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giphy.gif
 
C

CHC

Member
It's so stress inducing how they just keep trying to do this shit.

It's analogous to someone just kicking at your locked door. Like, sure you'll probably be safe, but it gets really fucking nerve wracking if they just KEEP kicking, and at some point you feel like they might finally get in.
 
Joyful

Joyful

Member
if repubs AND isps want it thats a good sign to bail out immediately
thats an unholy combination if there ever was one
 
L

Linkyn

Member
Fraull said:
Don't understand why people vote in these Republicans and think they are getting supported.
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Because many people care mainly / only about large and visible issues, and either accept or don't know / care about all the stances on smaller issues that come with a candidate.
 
D

DedValve

Banned
Sophia said:
Anything that has ISPs cheering can't possibly be a good thing. Glad that Obama will veto it. :\

(Related, but has there ever been a study done to see if there's a connection between areas where ISPs like Comcast have data caps and how much competition they have in that area?)
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Honestly, at this point given history I would say its not even hyperbole to say LITERALLY anything that has ISPs cheering can't possibly be a good thing. Lit-er-a-leeeeeeeeeee.
 
O

Ogodei

Member
Friggin risk to competition and investment. Congress gave the big telcos years and billions of dollars to invest in better infrastructure and the only times it's ever worked is when someone from outside the industry stepped in to provide a threat.
 
T

TemplaerDude

Member
It's never going to stop amazing me how a group of people who so obviously could not give two fucks for the people they are meant to represent somehow get so much power.
 
Z

Ziltoidia 9

Member
Gotta love how you just attach "freedom" to something and most of the country doesn't even question the legitimacy of it.

IE, the GOP.
 
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Lil'DigiOp

Member
Ogodei said:
Friggin risk to competition and investment. Congress gave the big telcos years and billions of dollars to invest in better infrastructure and the only times it's ever worked is when someone from outside the industry stepped in to provide a threat.
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Hell instead of ISP's competing with Google Fiber, Time Warner, Comcast, and Verizon even try to petition local governments to block them out of municipalities.

They actively don't want to compete, they monopolize and charge rediculous rates.


Meanwhile, I chat with someone I met from Taiwan and he's telling me about the 300 down, 100 up speeds he's getting there for like 10 USD

Shits out of control.
 
P

platocplx

Member
Ogodei said:
Friggin risk to competition and investment. Congress gave the big telcos years and billions of dollars to invest in better infrastructure and the only times it's ever worked is when someone from outside the industry stepped in to provide a threat.
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Hilarious to say that when shit like this happens:
http://bgr.com/2015/06/18/verizon-fios-new-york-city-failure/

and various other failures in "infrastructure" by companies like verizon.
 
O

Oblivion

Fetishing muscular manly men in skintight hosery
Republicans said the bill's language was not vague. The chief sponsor, Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., called it "a great first step in preserving the Internet as free for future generations."
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This is straight up Orwellian.
 
S

Suikoguy

I whinny my fervor lowly, for his length is not as great as those of the Hylian war stallions
Did not even bother to sugarcoat the title of the bill?

"No Rate Regulation of Broadband Internet Access Act"

Not even trying to hide being Assholes are you?
 
S

Sanpunkan

Member
Suikoguy said:
Did not even bother to sugarcoat the title of the bill?

"No Rate Regulation of Broadband Internet Access Act"

Not even trying to hide being Assholes are you?
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I came here to post this. I would at least appreciate them having enough shame to make it seem like they aren't all funded by the ISPs.
 
L

LCGeek

formerly sane
People should sue the congress and isp for not fixing bufferbloat and trying to gouge them of their money.

Dead serious the proof is there. You have higher bandwidth by not using active queue management or a proper one. This can be anywhere from 10-40% of what you actually might be using especially if you're on wireless which is horrible on the issue.

At this point most of you should ask yourselves is it worth paying greedy companies when you don't have too. The same can be said for internet and bandwidth. Unlimited internet should be demanded users do not control the size of their content and they shouldn't inherently be penalized for people who cannot compress correctly or refuse to do so cause it lines their profit or makes shareholders happy.
 
N

Not

Banned
Fuck these fucking guys

Seriously, just-- why not just rename the Republican Party to "Corporate Interest Party?"
 
V

Vicetrailia

Member
Problem is like 90% of the country doesn't understand this stuff.

We'd be crying so badly if Romney won, only then would people understand when reality sets in above principles.
 
S

Suikoguy

I whinny my fervor lowly, for his length is not as great as those of the Hylian war stallions
ssolitare said:
Problem is like 90% of the country doesn't understand this stuff.

We'd be crying so badly if Romney won, only then would people understand when reality sets in above principles.
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90% of the country does not understand Net Neutrality.
I'd venture to say a much larger share understands rate regulation.

Some places only have access to 1, or 2 ISPs if they are lucky. Rate regulation is needed in such a scenario.
 
S

Somnid

Member
Why have an FCC at all? Why not say push for full deregulation of wireless spectrum and whatever else is considered inhibiting business?
 
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