Obama, the FCC, and transparency

[Clocker]

The FCC will vote on Thursday on its proposed "net neutrality" rules. It appears that the rules will attempt to regulate the internet in the same way that the FCC regulates telecommunications, possibly including imposing federal fees.

But the FCC will have to pass the rules so that we can see what is in them. The FCC chairman has refused to release the rules to the public until after the vote, and has declined to appear before Congress to discuss the rules.

As a US Senator, Obama called similar practices by the FCC irresponsible, and supported legislation that would require proposed FCC rules be made available to the public for 90 days before a vote.

http://dailycaller.com/2015/02/23/senator-obama-irresponsible-for-fcc-to-vote-on-rules-unreleased-to-the-public/

The other Commissioners were given the final draft of the rules 3 weeks ago. One Commissioner has stated that the rules are worse than he imagined.

“It is worse than I imagined,” Pai said during a press conference Tuesday in which he highlighted key aspects of the proposal, which won’t be released to the public until after the agency votes on it later this month. “The American people are being misled about President Obama’s plan to regulate the Internet.”

http://dailycaller.com/2015/02/10/republican-fcc-commissioner-obamas-internet-plan-worse-than-i-imagined/

[JustRalph]

Silicon Valley is turning on the Dem's and this is payback

[LottaKash]

But the FCC will have to pass the rules so that we can see what is in them. The FCC chairman has refused to release the rules to the public until after the vote, and has declined to appear before Congress to discuss the rules.



Now where have we heard that before ?...

The ministry of "Propaganda" will officially become the "Ministry of Propaganda"....And our last bastion of freedom in this nation, "The Internet", will be lost forever with the vote of approval for this control, which is a done deal I am afraid....

Where are the voices of the people anymore ?

[Tom]

Hitler burned books, but at least he had the balls to tell everyone why.
Obama can not be trusted - ever.

[Clocker]

Hitler burned books, but at least he had the balls to tell everyone why.
Obama can not be trusted - ever.

Obama will tell you why. Fairness, as determined by Obama. Everything is fair if the government regulates it, so the rich bastages don't get an unfair advantage.

There is an article on Politico written by an FCC commissioner and a Federal Election Commission commissioner. They warn of the dangers of "net neutrality", and show how it has resulted in poorer service in Europe.

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/02/fcc-internet-regulations-ajit-pai-115399.html#ixzz3SadiXEIL

[davew]

What is broken that needs fixed?


Sorry, I keep forgetting that 0bama and his cronies need to tax it so they can spend more money on themselves.

[Clocker]

What is broken that needs fixed?



The Dems claim that if the internet remains unregulated, the ISPs will eventually create classes of service, with the rich bastages paying premium prices for high speed service and other goodies, while the peons have to struggle along with the basic service we all have now.

In the Politico article I linked above, they point out that European countries with net neutrality have slower broadband speeds than here, because the regulated companies have less incentive to upgrade their networks.

[LottaKash]

What is broken that needs fixed?


Sorry, I keep forgetting that 0bama and his cronies need to tax it so they can spend more money on themselves.

I don't even think that is what it is....I'd say it is about "control" of information....They already have control of the TV information people, along with the newspapers, so when the internet is controlled, that will be it for the truth as we once knew it.....We will become a "Pravda" nation then... :eek:

[DJofSD]

Initially, the FCC regulated access and use of the public airwaves, i.e. the part of the spectrum which is used to broadcast radio and TV over the air. As technology advanced it include different parts of the spectrum to control slivers for pagers, CB, garage door openers and cellular telephones. Regulating the use of a limited resource and standardizing its access and usage made sense.

What part of the internet space needs regulating? Where has the industry failed that requires government to step in?

I'm fairly open minded to here both sides of the debate, however, this net neutrality smacks of government overreach. What am I not understanding?

[Clocker]

What part of the internet space needs regulating? Where has the industry failed that requires government to step in?

There is no evidence that the market is not competitive. The FCC says that given the size and importance of the market, and given the lack of regulation, there is potential for abuse. Therefore, regulation is needed to prevent future abuse, and to make sure that provision of service is fair to everyone. Can anyone think of a very high official in the White House that likes to consider himself the final arbiter of what is fair for all of his subjects?

While the FCC is supposed to be independent of the administration, the Chairman is an Obama appointee, and this whole thing reeks of the heavy hand of Obama. The new rules were supposedly written by the Commission, but few if any saw the final version until a few weeks ago, with a gag order from the Chairman not to release them. The rules are referred to off the record as Obama's plan for the internet, and the FCC Chairman has refused to answer pointed questions from Congress as to the role of the president in writing the rules.

Welcome back my friends, to the show that never ends. The most transparent administration in the history of the universe.