FCC lays out new rules on Net Neutrality

Started by Tsutarja February 26th, 2015 4:26 PM
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Tsutarja

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http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2015/02/26/fcc-approves-net-neutrality-rules/24053057/

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Federal Communications Commission voted Thursday to implement new net neutrality rules designed to make sure Internet service providers treat all legal content equally.

The historic vote on the proposal, pitched by FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, elicited hearty cheers from a wide array of technology companies and consumer groups while setting the table for lawsuits from Internet service providers. The controversial proceedings that led up to the vote generated heated lobbying in Washington and public clamor on social media, all in efforts to steer the future direction of the rules that guide Internet traffic.

"The Internet is too important to allow broadband providers to make the rules," said Wheeler to applause from the standing room-only crowd gathered before the FCC panel.

"So today after a decade of debate in an open, robust year-long process, we finally have legally sustainable rules to ensure that the Internet stays fast, fair and open," he said.
So, thoughts? Do you guys agree with this move from the Federal Communications Commission or not?

Personally, I support net neutrality. Why should I have to pay extra to my ISP to browse certain websites, or even pay extra to have a better/improved connection to services such as Netflix?

obZen

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Posted December 27th, 2020
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I've seen some people argue that this is a gateway for the government to regulate, and therefore, control the internet.
I don't see it this way, since it's been well established that governments have been able to control the internet, and ISPs for years now (China, etc.).

I see net neutrality as a good thing. It allows for equality.
No way should I pay to dethrottle my connection because of what it's used for


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Sylphiel

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Seen March 28th, 2023
Posted January 9th, 2023
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I am all for this happening!

I pay enough for my internet. I pay them for a service, I expect that level of service fairly, I do not want to have to pay them more just to see content that they think I "should" have to pay a premium for, or because they think my internet should suddenly be slower because reasons. Something like that seems like just a cash grab from the ISPs, and it's scummy even at best.

And thus, that's why I cannot see net neutrality as anything but a good thing.
Seen December 5th, 2015
Posted December 2nd, 2015
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8.3 Years
Personally, I don't care about whether I have to pay more money for internet. I'm mostly worried about larger sites outbidding for faster connections, and leaving smaller sites (and potential business competitors to major services) in the dust. I wouldn't expect people to pay more to ISPs for access to minor sites, but I could very easily see an ISP going to a business and coming to an agreement behind closed doors. For instance, if a streaming service paid for faster streaming, it would have an advantage over others not because it's product was improved but because every other product in the market is not as fast. As a consumer, this means I'm getting a worse product for the same price. And yes, this is the exact same argument that Netflix made. Hey, just 'cause you got profit motivations doesn't mean you're not right. And let's not forget that ISPs are really, really big companies right now. Sure, Netflix is a big company too, but I at least have other comparrable options. In my area, it's Comcast or nothing. No net neutrality hinders small ISPs from starting up and making a competitive marketplace. So I conclude that Net Neutrality is a good thing for the very reasons people say it's a bad thing: Net Neutrality helps business.

Belldandy

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This looks nice for the States. We have something similar in Canada - the CRTC - but rather than making it fair competition, it seems they're just making it more difficult for more competitors to establish themselves in Canada. They seem really anti-streaming software, too, and a lot of their rules make it hard for other competitors to bite into the "Big 3"'s business. Wherever a Canadian lives, it always seems they're stuck between the same crappy provider - Rogers and Bell, and in Quebec, Videotron - and I swear they, as illegal as it is, have backdoor "keep the prices high" meetings that force consumers to pay so much for stuff :pink_frown:

They did, however, get on Bell Canada's butt about making their mobile TV service cheaper than the mobile TV services offered by Netflix, etc. They had it so that Bell TV didn't use data, but every other provider did in order to encourage people to use their streaming. Seems understandable, but since it limits consumer choice / fairness the CRTC told Bell they can't do that anymore.