Tag / FCC

by steelef

The FCC Sold You Out…

…and is that really a surprise?

As if we all didn’t see this coming. After throttling Netflix and other services in knowledge that the Supreme Court would rule in their favor, it was all but certain that internet service providers were going to institute a “fast lane” for certain distributors that would be willing to pay a fee. What was shocking (read: not shocking at all) was that the FCC would beat them to it and simply hand over the reins. This coming after a decade-long fight in which the FCC practically gutted itself in some Kurosawa-esque ritual of seppuku that mirrored Japan’s existential crisis on the economic world stage.

Or something like that.

Or something like that.

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by steelef

Why You Should Care

It’s January 13th. The Supreme Court rules that the FCC cannot regulate wireless broadband services as common carriers. Why? Because back in 2002, FCC head Michael Powell reclassified broadbands as information services rather than telecommunication services. That Michael Powell is now a lobbyist for said broadband industry is both prologue and beside the point (though if you want to drop him a line, here’s how). The upshot is that ISP’s could now treat different websites with different services, charging both consumers to access better quality and providers of content to not be throttled. So what do you think happened?

It's like looking at a timeline of Shia Labeouf's credibility.

It’s like looking at a timeline of Shia Labeouf’s credibility.

That’s right. Verizon and Comcast began throttling websites, using extortion legal tactics to get bribes market rates.
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