Help protect and maintain Net Neutrality! Make your voice heard!
Blind Sniper
Moderator
[Disclaimer: Moderators are only community volunteers; our views are our own and we do not represent Telltale.]
Help protect and maintain Net Neutrality!
Prevent the future of the Internet from looking like this!
As you might have heard from recent events, the FCC is attempting to remove protections in place that uphold Net Neutrality.
What is Net Neutrality? Explain it in plain English:
Net Neutrality means, in plain terms, that all data is equal. Your internet providers can't discriminate against what data moves through, meaning they can't arbitrarily charge you to view certain content, or that they can't arbitrarily increase/slow down speeds depending on if you are viewing certain websites.
Read here for more info at thestreet.com:
When you go online you have certain expectations. You expect to be connected to whatever website you want. You expect that your cable or phone company isn’t messing with the data and is connecting you to all websites, applications and content you choose. You expect to be in control of your internet experience. [...]
Net Neutrality is the basic principle that prohibits internet service providers like AT&T, Comcast and Verizon from speeding up, slowing down or blocking any content, applications or websites you want to use. Net Neutrality is the way that the internet has always worked.
Why is it bad if Net Neutrality is gone?
To use my own analogy in plain terms: if Net Neutrality is removed, your Internet Service Provider (ISP) can treat your internet traffic like an arbitrarily placed toll bridge on a highway. You could theoretically have to pay more to use a certain website, but instead of the money going to the person who owns the website, the money would go straight to your ISP instead.
Unless your favorite websites pay your ISP to avoid throttling your speeds or otherwise have shared interests, your browsing experience on your favorite websites will likely be worsened to a notable extent. Businesses will be hurt badly by this, and we the consumers might have to foot the bill if websites start to charge more to compensate for this. If your ISP has an interest in promoting their own competition to online businesses like Steam, Discord, Netflix, Google, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, etc, then they could slow down sites we use and charge us extra to use certain websites.
Mozilla's website (https://advocacy.mozilla.org/en-US/net-neutrality) describes this in more detail:
Net neutrality is fundamental to user choice. Without net neutrality, ISPs could decide you watched too many cat videos in one day and throttle your Internet speeds leaving you behind on the latest Maru memes.
Net neutrality is fundamental to free speech. Without net neutrality, big companies could censor your voice and make it harder to speak up online. Net neutrality has been called the "First Amendment of the Internet."
Net neutrality is fundamental to competition. Without net neutrality, big Internet service providers can choose which services and content load quickly, and which move at a glacial pace. That means the big guys can afford to buy their way in, while the little guys don't stand a chance.
Net neutrality is fundamental to innovation. Without net neutrality, creators and entrepreneurs could struggle to reach new users. Investment in new ideas would dry up, and the internet would start to look more and more like cable TV: a zillion channels and nothing on.
What can I do to help?
- Visit Mozilla Advocacy to stand up for Net Neutrality - You can learn more here about Net Neutrality. Unlike the FCC link below, this is more anonymous and your personal info will not be shared, but the message might not be as direct.
- Visit https://www.gofccyourself.com - John Oliver (of Last Week Tonight) has created a website that conveniently forwards you to the appropriate subsection of the FCC website to leave an appeal. Unlike the Mozilla Advocacy website, this is not completely anonymous as your information might show up on official documentation, but this is the more direct approach.
- Donate to Electronic Frontier Foundation! - What is the EFF? "The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading nonprofit organization defending civil liberties in the digital world. Founded in 1990, EFF champions user privacy, free expression, and innovation through impact litigation, policy analysis, grassroots activism, and technology development. We work to ensure that rights and freedoms are enhanced and protected as our use of technology grows."
- Visit r/MarchForNetNeutrality on Reddit r/MarchForNetNeutrality is a new Reddit community where you can learn more and also get involved in an upcoming event in August if you are interested
Comments
Bring back the political thread!!!
Trump's peons trying to screw up everything!!
That's just ridiculous. Why would anyone do such a thing? I mean if somebody told me "Hey they're getting rid of protections for net neutrality" I'd have probably said "Pfff, yeah right."
I remember hearing about this around 10 years ago, internet celebrities at the time even made a music video to try and go viral to raise awareness.
Edit: Come to think of of it i think this video is older than 10 years, youtube didn't exist at the time as i remember downloading the video from the website which doesn't exist anymore.
Ajit Pai, Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), has interests tied into big business as he used to work for Verizon as a lawyer. This is not about what is doing best for us as the constituents, but rather, what is best for big business interests, of which he will benefit from.
Profit, glorious profit!
Thanks, Trumpanzees! Another fine mess.
Goes to show that Trump and friends are just out of touch and elitist as the rest of the ruling class. Literally nobody wants this except the communications oligarchs and those on their payrolls. Yet our "populist maverick" of a President picked one of those oligarch's to run the FCC and bury net neutrality against the will of the people.
The important thing to note is that these rules have only existed since 2015. The internet worked perfectly fine before then. Just because there's no law against something, doesn't mean it's going to happen.
If I saw a headline "AT&T v. Alphabet Inc.", then I'd be concerned.
If the types of feared actions do take place, you would see this. Alphabet Inc. is more profitable than any ISP and they won't stand to lose that due to restricting traffic, paywalls, or throttling.
There were occurrences of throttling prior to the ruling, but it was only in certain markets. If it came to be part of your internet pay structure, you better believe action will be taken. It's good to let your voice be heard and to help protect rules that have been put in place, but let us also not resort to fear tactics, which some sites are doing.
It's something that definitely deserves to be protected, but it's also not on an oh-my-god-we're-screwed level.
Your not wrong, but the simple fact remains, data transfered across the internet should be regulated under Title II as a common carrier. In the world we live in now, internet data is as vital as electicity and phone communications. Im not a big government supporter, but in this instance ISP's are something that they should be regulating.
I agree, but it sounds like the legislation itself isn't well-written(or obsolete with how internet use has been evolving). From what I've heard, it's being looked at being repealed because of how it is written. While I'm sure ISPs have another agenda, that's the loophole they're going with. I admit that I didn't read the whole legislation, but if it's flawed, I don't see how they're going to lose. I just don't want people freaking out if that happens. Nothing is stopping it from being re-proposed either.
https://www.reddit.com/r/MarchForNetNeutrality/
Here is a new subreddit community that was founded today, where you can read more about the negative consequences of removing Net Neutrality. They are also organizing an event at some point in August if you are interested in that kind of thing.
...and if you want to leave Ajit Pai an email or a phone call, here is his FCC business contact info:
https://www.fcc.gov/about-fcc/finding-people-fcc?name=ajit+pai
wow.. this is insane, why would any political party support this? unless it means a lot of donations!
Unfortunately, there's your answer...
God I hate Trump.
The realities of a political system where politicians answer to those who pay for their campaigns and not those they represent.
There's still time to join and keep FCC from destroying net neutrality.
https://www.battleforthenet.com/july12/
This topic is a bit more relevant today in particular, as several companies are trying to publicly protest.
In Whatever's On Your Mind, @BigBlindMax made a good write up of the situation:
And here it is again.
https://www.battleforthenet.com/
Hello, United States. Listen up. The FCC is going to have another vote to change the rules of the internet on December 14th. If you like visiting your favourite sites on the internet with easy access, you won't like what this could do.
Do your part. Save the Internet. Visit the website link above for more info.
Not too proud of calling this one. Unfortunately, it'll keep happening until there's a new ruling on the matter. Hopefully we'll get one before there's an incident and judges get itchy trigger fingers.
You know that all it would take is another Columbine where they find out the person was researching all this terrorism literature and everyone will gladly hand ISPs control over content.
Right now, just the USA, but no one wants those flood gates to open.
Most countries don't have a particular law protecting against additional charges, so this is dangerous ground.
Possible censorship and higher costs(paywalling internet services).
The big deal is that about half of the USA do not have a choice of internet provider. There is no competition in those markets. So, if those ISPs decide to implement these changes, people will have to accept them, and how long until the competitive markets follow them?
This isn't a knock against America itself, but I don't understand how the government can do so little to protect it's citizens... Unless it involves politics, then they're all over it. For instance, in Canada(we have our own share of screwed up things, don't worry), we have 3 nationwide cellular service providers(mega corporations) and they still forced them to share their towers with small companies. Yet Comcast, AT&T, and/or Verizon have you by the balls. It's depressing.
i do not want to have to pay more for internet i pay enough for everything else i dont have to pay internet yet as i live with my parents but i get timed as i have complained about alot on here which is one of the reasons i am moving out and i dont need to have to pay more when i get my own internet
https://www.change.org/p/save-net-neutrality-netneutrality
Here's a petition supporting net neutrality. Their goal is 500,000. They have about 440,000 now. Everyone go sign it!
I feel like this is a good time to bring this back.
Oh hey. They're 6000 signatures away from 1.5 million. I hope that's enough to stop this from happening.
It’s honestly ridiculous we have to petition for our right
It won't; Ajit Pai has blatantly bragged at times that he wants to do this no matter what the people want. But, it's still important to speak out about this anyways to try and convince other people.
I just hope he's ready for the backlash he will get when this takes place. People have been killed for less than this, and what he's doing will be change history. But who knows, maybe having something like this instated will help some of us from being so dependant on our internet. If the internet as we know it isn't taken down by him, what's to stop it from being taken down by something else in the future? It could be for the best that we are prepared for that.
Recently I've read an interesting article about the Web, which said that it's been dying since 2014. I agree. Berners-Lee himself, the creator of the Internet, claimed his disappointment in what the Web has become. I'm young but I managed to see the last years of free Internet and I'll always remember them. Sadlym in our world nothing free can exist for long - sooner or later Internet would be split between big companies. Of course, it won't stop us from a fight; but I'm calling defeat.
Still signed the petition though. Hope for the ebst, prepare for the worst.
If anyone else was watching the livestream on youtube (the irony) did you see how the police walked in and made everyone evac?? More intense than I thought.
I kinda thought that was going to happen. Something like this is going to piss many people off.
When I seen they had K-9's, I was convinced they were searching for something. Not a clue for what though.
From what I've heard, Net Neutrality lost the agenda meeting, but we have another chance on January 30th.
Fuck's sake, he isn't even trying to hide his corruption
Stickman doesn't approve. I think I speak for all of my subjects when I say fuck Ajit Pai and fuck the FCC. No autographs please.
Oh. So Net Neutrality lost. Let's just hope no big changes happen yet. (And... only 5 people? Only 5 people have the deciding vote on how the internet is defined? That's terrible.)
Our Neutrality laws are still in place, though the only bad thing about this is that our prices might get jacked up to keep things equal between the U.S. and CAD services.
If this doesn't work out, you can always move to Canada!
It hurts to say it but on this, you and I agree, Stickman. Fuck Ajit Pai, and fuck the FCC.