The Internet will never satisfy its lust for Net Neutrality and Bandwidth
- Thread starter GasBandit
- Start date
Not the cable companies/isps who have been getting away with murder and anti-consumer practices. And that means less money funneled into politicians pockets, so of course they're against it.
GasBandit
Staff member
Cable and wireless companies have a LOT of money to throw around... who's a big corp gonna bankroll, a DEMOCRAT?
Hey, if it'll finally end the possibility of being locked into contracts forcing customers to acquire and pay for 25 to 75 years of crappy service whether they want it or not, I'm all for it.
--Patrick
Yes, though admittedly less than a Republican.
figmentPez
Staff member
My mom forwarded this email to me, that she got from a friend. The whole thing was in comic sans, so you know it's good.
- We've already got fast internets because people demanded it
- Domain name registration would become hella expensive because it would be a government tax!
- Mozilla would go out of business because they'd have to license everything they do at exorbitant gubernmint costs
- The big scary government will have the ability to shut down voices they don't like if the net is neutral
To sum up, net neutrality would be bad because:
- We've already got fast internets because people demanded it
- Domain name registration would become hella expensive because it would be a government tax!
- Mozilla would go out of business because they'd have to license everything they do at exorbitant gubernmint costs
- The big scary government will have the ability to shut down voices they don't like if the net is neutral
figmentPez
Staff member
Oh, and to be clear, my mother forwarded it to me because she thought I might be able to refute some points and help her understand. She knows it sounds fishy. But still, that's the kind of misunderstanding that's out there.
Kudos to your Mom then. I'd rather have people consult experts (or close enough) who are family members than blindly accept, or even blindly reject.
The pushback begins. Republicans have introduced "The Internet Freedom Act" which would essentially remove the FCC's power to regulate net neutrality.
(Ars Technica)
(Ars Technica)
But... that's... does anyone there know what freedom actually means?
GasBandit
Staff member
Well, to be perfectly honest, for both parties it means "pass this bill, stupid"
I want to propose a bill stating that the terms "Freedom," "Liberty," and all other such patriotic buzzwords cannot be used in bill titles.
What would you title your bill?
GasBandit
Staff member
I think it'd be fun to make it so bill titles must be made by the other party's whip.
"The Selling out America act"
"The enslavement of the underclass act"
"The we hate brown people act"
"The we want to exploit brown people act"
figmentPez
Staff member
Clearly the "freedom" in that bill isn't for the internet. It's giving cable companies the freedom to screw over internet customers.
GasBandit
Staff member
Because nobody cares if you're for or against HB343577349etc. The hoi polloi cares, however, whether you're for or against the "Saving babies with hugs" act.
It's the same emotional blackmail that is used in the name "Mothers Against Drunk Driving." Who could be against MOTHERS? Or FOR drunk driving? So you better not argue when they want to require breath-locks as standard in ALL new cars, and ban GTA. Because otherwise you're against mothers and for drunk driving.
GasBandit
Staff member
Though it's not canon by a LONG shot, Professor Quirrel in Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality lambasts how his subject is labeled "Defense Against the Dark Arts" and insists his students call it by its original name, "Battle Magic." Because you don't have to be a dark wizard to fight with magic.
GasBandit
Staff member
copypasta from Imgur:
Representative Marsha "Give Me Your Money And I'll say Whatever You Want" Blackburn, has proposed "The Internet Freedom Act" an ironically named piece of legislation that would wipe out any steps made to maintain freedom on the internet by the FCC.
Like most Republicans, however, she didn't actually come up with this herself. Mrs. Blackburn has been paid:
$25,000 from AT&T,
$20,000 from Comcast,
$20,000 from the Cable Industry Associated PAC,
$15,000 from Verizon,
$20,000 from the National Cable and Telecommunications Association, (which represents the largest companies in the industry)
$6,000 from Time Warner,
$5,500 from Dish Network, and
$5,000 from CenturyLink.
So clearly, she is in the best position to offer an unbiased and objective alternative to the FCC's plan. We should trust her implicitly because she obviously is acting independently of any outside source or influence, and is definitely not at all being controlled by anyone.
http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/contrib.php?cid=N00003105&cycle=2014&type=C&newMem=N&recs=100
Representative Marsha "Give Me Your Money And I'll say Whatever You Want" Blackburn, has proposed "The Internet Freedom Act" an ironically named piece of legislation that would wipe out any steps made to maintain freedom on the internet by the FCC.
Like most Republicans, however, she didn't actually come up with this herself. Mrs. Blackburn has been paid:
$25,000 from AT&T,
$20,000 from Comcast,
$20,000 from the Cable Industry Associated PAC,
$15,000 from Verizon,
$20,000 from the National Cable and Telecommunications Association, (which represents the largest companies in the industry)
$6,000 from Time Warner,
$5,500 from Dish Network, and
$5,000 from CenturyLink.
So clearly, she is in the best position to offer an unbiased and objective alternative to the FCC's plan. We should trust her implicitly because she obviously is acting independently of any outside source or influence, and is definitely not at all being controlled by anyone.
http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/contrib.php?cid=N00003105&cycle=2014&type=C&newMem=N&recs=100
GasBandit
Staff member
That's just how much they've donated this cycle. She probably gets that much every 2 years.
That's almost $125,000, and doesn't include whatever other "donations" and salary she receives.
--Patrick
Split between a half dozen corporations worth billions.
GasBandit
Staff member
It's not exactly expensive to buy a congressman. Who's going to pay them to do the RIGHT thing?
The European Parliament makes lovely bills and has great ideas; the European Council and European Commission hold all the actual power and one's made up of all the nation's government leaders, all just looking out for themselves and against any sort of push from Europe to do anything, and the other's 15 former national politicians who've been promoted away out of their little pond. both are surrounded by a horde of aids and assistants who make their policy for them, and who are...not that expensive, really. Same ballpark as that Congresswoman up there.
figmentPez
Staff member
figmentPez
Staff member
Remember the set of political cartoons recaptioned "The Cartoonist Has No Idea How Net Neutrality Works"? Well, apparently one of the cartoonists issued a DMCA takedown notice, because he has no idea how fair use works.
The most hilarious part is this quote from the cartoonist in question, Chip Bok:
The most hilarious part is this quote from the cartoonist in question, Chip Bok:
The amount of stupidity in that quote is astounding. "Hacking", ignorance of what parody and transformative work is, arrogantly assuming his own work was somehow destroyed, all with with a smattering of casual racism as well.