Net Neutrality

[Winehole23]

looks like Verizon will get away with it:

Under the 2015 Open Internet Order, the Federal Communications Commission did two things. First, it established that all broadband Internet service providers were common carriers subject to the federal laws that protect consumers, promote compe ion, and guard user privacy. Second, it established a set of “net neutrality” rules based on its le II authority through the bright line rules of “no blocking, no throttling, no paid prioritization” as well as a general conduct rule.
So when the FCC repealed that order, it not just ended a ban on blocking, throttling, and paid prioritization, it also declared federal laws that would be directly applicable to Verizon’s conduct to no longer apply.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/0...-repealed-open

[ElNono]

get em Santa Clara FD

Facing 'Net Neutrality' Criticism, Verizon Suddenly Lifts Data Caps On All Public Safety Workers

Verizon testified Friday before a California State Assembly committee about why its "throttling" of county firefighters was completely unrelated to net neutrality. Then they surprised everyone by announcing that they were lifting all data caps on public safety workerswith unlimited data plans, including federal justice agencies like the FBI, CIA and Secret Service.

Verizon claimed this was completely unrelated to the fact that 13 California Congressmen are now demanding that the FTC investigate Verizon's throttling of firefighters battling California's 290,692-acre wildfire. "It is unacceptable for communications providers to deceive their customers," the Congressmen wrote, "but when the consumer in question is a government en y tasked with fire and emergency services, we can't afford to wait a moment longer."

Meanwhile, the California Professional Firefighters, which represents more than 30,000 firefighters and emergency personnel, came out in support of a strict new California law that restores net neutrality provisions, saying their group had "come to conclude that if net neutrality is not restored, the effect could be disastrous to the public's safety."

One county fire chief even testified this was the third time in eight months they've been throttled by Verizon.

[Winehole23]

caved to the threat of regulation and even worse PR

[boutons_deux]

Golden State passes gold-standard net neutrality bill by 58-17

SB 822, passed by Senate and Assembly, now has to be passed by, er, the Senate again


The bill received a 58-17 majority vote from the state assembly following a heated debate and amendment process.

Because some provisions of the bill were changed by the Assembly, it will have to once again be voted on by the state Senate before it can head to the desk of Governor Jerry Brown.

Backers of the bill hailed the vote as a major milestone in the effort to get net neutrality legislation on the books in California.

“California just took a huge step toward restoring protections that prevent companies like AT&T and Comcast from screwing us all over more than they already do.

This historic Assembly vote is a testament to the power of the internet,”

Big ISPs spent millions on campaign contributions, lobbyists, and dark ads on social networks,

but in the end it was no match for the passion and dedication of net neutrality supporters using the Internet to sound the alarm and mobilize.”

The passage of the bill comes after a bitter fight in Sacramento between

tech companies and digital rights groups who had backed the bill and

telcos and conservatives who saw the bill as an unnecessary government effort to control the internet.

https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/0...et_neutrality/



https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/0...et_neutrality/

[Winehole23]

ISPs lobbying FCC to ban state regulation:

The shorter version: the FCC’s Restoring Internet Freedom order effectively cripples the FCC’s ability to protect consumers, then shovels any remaining enforcement authority over to the FTC, which is ill-equipped to actually police the telecom market. Predicting that states would then try to jump in and fill the oversight accountability vacuum (which is precisely what started happening on both net neutrality and privacy), ISPs have also been urging both the FCC and the FTC to ban states from doing so.


This is all being done under the pretense that blind deregulation of the telecom sector magically results in greater industry investment and broader deployment. But as we’ve explained countless times, that’s not how the U.S. telecom sector works. With neither compe ion nor reasonable government oversight to constrain it, natural monopolies like Comcast are simply free to double down on all their worst behaviors. To ignore this historical fact, one is required to pretend that the broadband industry is actually compe ive

https://abovethelaw.com/2018/08/comc...onsumers/?rf=1

[boutons_deux]

My guess is the Repugs will pass legislation to pre-empt CA (and any state) from setting fuel economy standards and requiring net neutrality.

Repugs invoke "states rights" only when Repugs want to oppress the non-whites.

[boutons_deux]

Ajit Pai calls California’s net neutrality rules “illegal”

CA enforcing neutrality because "Pai abdicated his responsibility," senator says.

California's attempt to enforce net neutrality rules is "illegal" and "poses a risk to the rest of the country," Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai said in a speech on Friday.

Pai's remarks drew an immediate rebuke from California Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), who authored the net neutrality bill that passed California's legislature and now awaits the signature of Governor Jerry Brown.

California's net neutrality rules are "necessary and legal because Chairman Pai abdicated his responsibility to ensure an open Internet," Wiener said in a press release.

"Unlike Pai's FCC, California isn't run by the big telecom and cable companies," Wiener also said.

"Pai can take whatever potshots at California he wants.

The reality is that California is the world's innovation capital, and

unlike the crony capitalism promoted by the Trump administration,

California understands exactly what it takes to foster an open innovation economy with a level playing field."

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...rules-illegal/

If the Repugs don't pass a law or ruling to screw CA's net neutrality, then Repug political hack judges will rule CA down, including SCOTUS.

Running country through the judiciary polluted with their right wing political hacks, rather than with legislation, is the oligarchy's strategy.

[boutons_deux]

FCC angers cities and towns with $2 billion giveaway to wireless carriers

Cities will get less revenue, and carriers won't face any new requirements.

The Federal Communications Commission's plan for spurring 5G wireless deployment will prevent city and town governments from charging carriers about $2 billion worth of fees.

The FCC proposal, to be voted on at its meeting on September 26,

limits the amount that local governments may charge carriers

for placing 5G equipment such as small cells on poles, traffic lights, and other government property in public rights-of-way.

The proposal, which is

supported by the FCC's Republican majority,

would also force cities and towns to act on carrier applications within 60 or 90 days.

The FCC says this will spur more deployment of small cells, which "have antennas often no larger than a small backpack."

But the commission's proposal doesn't require carriers to build in areas where they wouldn't have done so anyway.

Philadelphia is one of numerous local governments that objects to the FCC plan.

"The City respectfully disagrees with the Commission's interpretation of 'fair and reasonable' compensation,"

Philadelphia officials told the commission this week.

"For many cities, public rights-of-way are the most valuable and commonly used public asset."

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...less-carriers/

How Many Ways Can Repugs Screw Americans? Let Us Count the Ways.

[boutons_deux]

Here's the oligarchy getting their little Pai to kneecap cities, states as they work on 5G with BigNetwork,

costing the cities $Bs in revenue, enriching BigNetwork by $Bs forever

FCC to limit fees cities can charge for 5G deployment

The FCC says the new rules will cut red-tape, but critics say they weaken the ability of municipalities to negotiate with big carriers.

The Federal Communications Commission is about to pass rules that

will limit how much local governments can charge wireless companies to attach small radios to utility poles, part of the deployment of next-generation 5G service.

Critics argue, however, that the new rules leave little room for municipalities to negotiate with wireless carriers.

the new rules could "stifle local policy innovation, including efforts to bridge the digital divide."

the FCC proposal would prevent cities and towns from charging more than it costs them to process applications and manage rights of way, which the FCC estimates at $270 a year per cell site.

By contrast, cities such as New York City charge as much at $5,100 a year in some neighborhoods,

but as little as $148 a year in areas where it's trying to encourage broadband deployment,

On average, carriers pay about $500 per pole per year,

states have passed laws limiting the fees localities can charge to process construction and permit applications for small cells.

They also require local governments to approve or reject small cell deployments in a set period of time.

Now the FCC wants to make those policies consistent across the country.

https://www.cnet.com/news/fcc-to-lim...tag=CAD590a51e

[boutons_deux]

HOW BAD MAPS ARE RUINING AMERICAN BROADBAND

ISPs are painting over US broadband problems, and the FCC is letting it happen

Like countless other American cities, Cleveland, Ohio, suffers from a lack of meaningful broadband compe ion.

With only one or two largely apathetic ISPs to choose from, high prices, slow speeds, limited deployment, and customer service headaches are the norm.

It’s particularly bad in the city’s poorer, urban areas. AT&T has avoided upgrading lower-income minority neighborhoods at the same rate as higher-income parts of the city,

despite decades of subsidies and tax breaks intended to prevent that from happening,

Even in more affluent neighborhoods, users are lucky if they have an ISP that can deliver speeds over 50 Mbps.

The problem is much bigger than Cleveland, but the FCC isn’t ready to do much about it.

US customers pay some of the highest prices for broadband in the developed world, and

broadband availability is sketchy at best for millions of Americans.

But instead of tackling that problem head on,

the FCC is increasingly looking the other way, relying on ISP data that paints an inaccurately rosy picture of Americans’ internet access.

And as long as regulators are relying on a false picture of US broadband access, actually solving the problem may be impossible.

https://www.theverge.com/2018/9/24/17882842/us-internet-broadband-map-isp-fcc-wireless-compe ion

Just another fleecing screw job, among 1000s over decades of your lives, how the unregulated/unenforced Capitalist oligarchy blood-sucks your wealth.

[boutons_deux]

These maps show why internet is way more expensive in the US than Europe

https://www.theverge.com/2015/4/1/83...pe-compe ion

================

Price Rankings by Country of Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) (Utilities (Monthly))

Select Region: Africa America Asia Europe Oceania

1.	United Arab Emirates		99.53 $
2.	Qatar		83.42 $
3.	South Africa		65.22 $
4.	Saudi Arabia		61.29 $
5.	United States		61.10 $
6.	Iceland		60.68 $
7.	Switzerland		60.22 $
8.	Costa Rica		58.02 $
9.	Ireland		57.87 $
10.	New Zealand		56.44 $
11.	Canada		55.89 $
12.	Puerto Rico		55.87 $
13.	Norway		54.24 $
14.	Australia		53.42 $
15.	Panama		51.46 $
16.	Dominican Republic		50.43 $
17.	Belgium		49.85 $
18.	Jordan		46.63 $
19.	Spain		46.46 $
20.	Cyprus		45.62 $
21.	Lebanon		44.50 $
22.	Netherlands		42.83 $
23.	Iraq		41.19 $
24.	Japan		40.36 $
25.	Peru		39.93 $
26.	Chile		39.70 $
27.	Ecuador		38.67 $
28.	Malaysia		38.18 $
29.	Philippines		37.97 $
30.	United Kingdom		37.70 $
31.	Denmark		35.95 $
32.	Slovenia		35.07 $
33.	Algeria		34.32 $
34.	Portugal		34.21 $
35.	Germany		33.78 $
36.	Malta		33.77 $
37.	Greece		32.90 $
38.	Uruguay		32.53 $
39.	Palestinian Territory		32.30 $
40.	Colombia		32.22 $
41.	Italy		31.98 $
42.	France		31.94 $
43.	Sweden		31.90 $
44.	Singapore		31.89 $
45.	Indonesia		31.85 $
46.	Austria		30.88 $
47.	Brazil		30.77 $
48.	Morocco		29.69 $
49.	Montenegro		29.32 $
50.	Iran		29.32 $
51.	Bangladesh		28.35 $
52.	Hong Kong		27.96 $
53.	Argentina		26.94 $
54.	Finland		26.83 $
55.	Taiwan		26.41 $
56.	Croatia		26.02 $
57.	Mexico		25.34 $
58.	Estonia		25.03 $
59.	Israel		24.90 $
60.	South Korea		24.07 $
61.	Bosnia And Herzegovina		23.12 $
62.	Pakistan		22.23 $
63.	Thailand		22.19 $
64.	Serbia		21.70 $
65.	Albania		21.36 $
66.	Czech Republic		20.18 $
67.	Slovakia		18.52 $
68.	Nepal		17.99 $
69.	Tunisia		16.96 $
70.	Latvia		16.82 $
71.	Egypt		16.74 $
72.	Georgia		16.64 $
73.	Macedonia		15.47 $
74.	Hungary		15.14 $
75.	Azerbaijan		14.80 $
76.	China		14.65 $
77.	Poland		14.09 $
78.	Belarus		14.07 $
79.	Sri Lanka		13.82 $
80.	India		13.60 $
81.	Turkey		13.36 $
82.	Lithuania		12.57 $
83.	Kosovo (Disputed Territory)		12.25 $
84.	Bulgaria		11.59 $
85.	Kazakhstan		11.04 $
86.	Vietnam		10.60 $
87.	Moldova		9.59 $
88.	Romania		8.92 $
89.	Russia		7.17 $
90.	Venezuela		5.12 $
91.	Ukraine		4.14

https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/country_price_rankings?itemId=33

[dbestpro]

What I don't get is you pay for the Internet to your phone, and then have to pay for it a second time, if you connect your phone to another device. Don't care what side your own, that just ain't right.

[boutons_deux]

Trump administration plans to sue California over net neutrality law

The Trump administration plans to sue California over the new net neutrality law the state enacted on Sunday

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-u...e=domesticNews

[boutons_deux]

Senate voted to override Pai and to retain net neutrality

If Dems win the House, the House could vote with the Senate to override Pai.

[baseline bum]

Senate voted to override Pai and to retain net neutrality

If Dems win the House, the House could vote with the Senate to override Pai.

And then get vetoed by the orange head

[Th'Pusher]

Trump administration plans to sue California over net neutrality law

The Trump administration plans to sue California over the new net neutrality law the state enacted on Sunday

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-u...e=domesticNews

States rights bad now.

[Winehole23]

"someone" faked public input:

[CosmicCowboy]

States rights bad now.

Yeah the internet can't cross state lines.

[boutons_deux]

Yeah the internet can't cross state lines.

the issue is that killing net neutrality is BigNetwork's cheap PAI enabling fleecing of Americans, more $$$ for less access.

This is why Trash's mob voted Repug, to get even more screwed, along with more polluted air, water, land, and rural post offices, hospitals, clinics closed.

[boutons_deux]

Supreme Court Rejects Appeal of DC Circuit Decision Upholding Net Neutrality Rules

The D.C. Circuit Court found that the FCC was well within its authority to adopt net neutrality rules that prevented Internet service companies from blocking, throttling, or otherwise degrading traffic.

The Supreme Court’s rejection of this appeal ensures the

D.C. Circuit’s decision remains in the record as binding precedent for the FCC’s authority to adopt strong net neutrality rules.

“The Supreme Court’s decision is push-back against FCC Chairman Pai's effort to get rid of net neutrality.

Although his majority at the Commission has repealed the net neutrality rules, today's decision should weaken those who are contesting the now-binding 2016 DC Circuit Court's decision upholding the rules.

Proponents of Pai's repeal – monopoly phone and cable companies – are on shakier grounds than they thought as they try to dismantle an open internet.”

https://www.commondreams.org/newswir...?cd-origin=rss

[boutons_deux]

The net neutrality fight isn’t over. Here’s what you need to know

The rules have been rolled back.

But the battle is just heating up.

Here's everything you need to know.

https://www.cnet.com/news/the-net-ne...tag=CAD590a51e

[boutons_deux]

ATT, etc did EXACTLY what they said they wouldn't do

AT&T, Dish point fingers after HBO blackout

HBO and Cinemax are no longer available on Dish or Sling TV.

https://www.engadget.com/2018/11/01/hbo-dish-att/

Programming will be cartelized by BigNetwork exactly the way health care is cartelized by BigInsurance networks.

You may not be able to get some programming, or if so, you'll pay for it expensively.

Just another way the bullying, predatory oligarchy fleeces Americans.

[Winehole23]

Northeastern University study tells you what you already know about violations of net neutrality:

• Nearly every US cellular ISP (CISP) throttles (i.e., sets a limit on available bandwidth) at least one streaming video provider.
  
  • No ISP in our tests throttles all the video providers in our tests, meaning some video providers can stream at higher resolution than others (potentially unfairly).
  • Across the US, there is a wide range of throttling rate (i.e., bandwidth limits) set by CISPs. In some cases, the same CISP uses multiple throttling rates depending on the user’s service plan. This can make it difficult for video providers to give their users a uniformly high quality streaming session across different networks.
  
  
• The FCC rules permitting net neutrality violations went into effect on June 11th. Our data shows that all of the US CISPs that throttle after June 11th were already throttling prior to this date. In short, it appears that US CISPs were ignoring the Wheeler FCC rules pertaining to “no throttling” while those rules were still in effect.
• Throttling is not limited to video. We found that the telephony app Skype is throttled by Sprint and Boost.
  
  • We investigated the Sprint cases and found them to occur mainly for Android users. We are confident of the detected throttling, but cannot reproduce this behavior in the lab so we do not know why it is so prevalent for Android.
  • Skype throttling was detected regularly over the course of the year, and spread geographically across the US.
  
  
• We observed that T-Mobile has implemented what we call “boosting” behavior that is targeted at specific video streaming apps.
  
  • With “boosting” T-Mobile removes throttling for the beginning of a video streaming session. After a fixed number of bytes have been transferred, T-Mobile throttles the connection.
  • Different apps get different amounts of boosting, and YouTube gets none.
  • Our analysis indicates that such boosting detrimental to the video streaming session by causing network inefficiencies and confusing bitrate adaptation.

https://dd.meddle.mobi/USStats.html

[boutons_deux]

FCC Denies NY Times, BuzzFeed Logs Linked to Fake 'Russian' Comments, Made-Up Cyberattack

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai on Monday applauded his agency’s decision to keep secret months’ worth of data logs

sought by reporters trying to shed further light on su ious activity last year involving millions of fraudulent net neutrality comments.

The agency rejected two record requests filed by major publications, the New York Times and BuzzFeed,

arguing that turning over the logs would violate the privacy interests of Americans who commented on its net neutrality repeal.

The decisions comes after the Federal Communications Commission consistently misled major news outlets about a purported cyberattack against its comment system in the runup to its repeal of net neutrality rules in 2017.

Only this summer did Pai finally admit that this so-called attack never occurred, even though he’d claimed the opposite publicly on numerous occasions.

FCC officials defend their false claims that the comment system had been targeted by malicious hackers, even though Pai was himself aware that it wasn’t true.

Both requests were denied upon appeal, marking a new chapter in the

FCC’s ongoing efforts to keep potentially pertinent details about the 2017 incident—and others—from the public record.

https://gizmodo.com/fcc-denies-ny-ti...+%28Gizmodo%29

This is the MISgovernance and corrupt governance that all y'all rightwing assholes voted for, right?

[boutons_deux]

ing Repug lame House to vote on Senate's net neutrality protection bill.

Bill to save net neutrality is 46 votes short in US House

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...t-in-us-house/