Net Neutrality

5 entries. 3,983 words.

November, 2017

• Net Neutrality Homework. 2017-11-21 10:02 PM.
  • Politics
  • Technology
  • swampip.com
  
  Net Neutrality is the hot topic of the day (so far-give it a few minutes, it will probably change). The FCC is planning to introduce a plan before Thanksgiving that completely repeals #NetNeutrality. Here's what you need to know. https://t.co/dEHkO49vIw #SaveNetNeutrality — ACLU (@ACLU) November 21, 2017 JUST IN: FCC will vote to repeal Obama-era net neutrality rules https://t.co/xSTAtvfZwZ pic.twitter.com/WLryAUwCt7 — The Hill (@thehill) November 21, 2017 Activists are telling us that we must act fast to save net neutrality. We are not told this specifically, but it’s strongly implied that our way of life and our immortal souls are in imminent danger! Call your congressman! Call the FCC! Call anyone, just do it now! 2,071 words.
• Net Neutrality Panic, Day Two. 2017-11-22 2:24 PM.
  • Politics
  • Technology
  • swampip.com
  
  Well, I guess I’ll be writing about this for a second day in a row. So just for the record, I prefer Net Neutrality. But I’m a realist and a pragmatist. The Utopian dream of The Internet as a level playing field for all of humanity to come together will collapse as more and more businesses and governments get involved. Frankly, it already collapsed a good ten years or more ago. Mobile smart devices weren’t made to make people’s lives better and bring them together, they were made to trap consumers on a platform they can’t escape. They are antithetical to openness. The very existence of cell phones is the death of the Utopian Internet, because it was the opportunity businesses needed to get people off of “open” PCs and on to more controlled environments. 438 words.
• Net Neutrality Panic, Day Three. 2017-11-23 11:04 PM.
  • Politics
  • Technology
  • swampip.com
  
  The panic has died down a bit because of Thanksgiving Day, but just for the record, here is the actual proposal the FCC will be considering on December 14th. Proposal To “Restore Internet Freedom” I added the quotes to indicate where the authors decided to change the title of the document from what it actually is (Proposal To Change Boring FCC Regulations) into something that would make Republicans who don’t understand computers feel good. 123 words.

December, 2017

• Behind The Tweet: Fake Comments. 2017-12-14 3:09 PM.
  • Politics
  • swampip.com
  
  Surprisingly few post-election tweets yesterday, but today is the FCC’s vote on “net neutrality,” and this appeared this morning: https://twitter.com/AGSchneiderman/status/941025240129441792 You just identified them yesterday, huh? I could have told you most of the comments were fake a long time ago. In fact, I think I did write that in one of my previous blog posts on net neutrality (it was to that same AG guy). Because obviously, when you open up “public comment” in the form of electronic submissions (Internet, texts, faxes, phone calls), you are just asking for a botnet assault. Only in-person comments from someone with a valid identification, and maybe even two forms of photo identification these days, can really be trusted. A handwritten letter is probably genuine, but could also be fake, given that you could pay someone on Fiver two cents an hour to sit around writing thousands of letters, gather them up, then drive around the country mailing them from various post offices with fake return addresses. It’s not like anyone is going to double-check that the sender actually sent the letter. I mean, it would be a lot of work, obviously, but people do crazy things to try to force their opinions down everyone’s throat. The point is that almost every form of communication is gameable by Russians, anarchists, hackers, or activists these days. 418 words.
• Live Blog: FCC Meeting. 2017-12-14 3:49 PM.
  • Politics
  • swampip.com
  
  Since I’m just sitting here watching C-SPAN3, I thought I would write some thoughts about what I’m seeing. 10:30 AM - Meeting begins. 10:46 AM - These witnesses for the Blue Alerts are heart-breaking. I’m not sure I agree that Blue Alerts are a good idea (but I don’t know the full story of it), but I hope this passes for their sake. 10:55 AM - Oh I guess the Blue Alerts are being adopted. Sounds like this is something that began in the Obama administration. Jessica Rosenworcel delivered a harsh rebuke of the cost-benefit analysis. 933 words.