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Read about McCain’s opposition here and below.
Last week, Senator John McCain [Republican-Arizona] introduced his “Internet Freedom Act”. McCain’s press release says the proposed bill “would prohibit the Federal Communications Commission from enacting rules that would regulate the Internet.” What McCain should have said in his press release was ‘The lobbyist told me to do it…’
McCain’s bill came on the same day as the FCC [Federal Communication Commission] decided to move forward on an official Net Neutrality policy that would prevent ISPs from making arbitrary decisions.
Senator McCain had been the long time chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, a position he held from 1997 to 2001, and again from 2003 to 2005. This is the committee which has jurisdiction over the US Senate legislation dealing with policy about science, engineering, and technology research and development.
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Typical disingenuous right-wing lies. Call taxing air a “freedom fee”. Allowing businesses to decide on what level of communications you may have with your information providers is “keeping the internet free”.
Democrats are incompetent spineless idiots, but the GOP is truly an evil group full of those who lie with every breath to benefit the interests of those with the money to buy it.
Even when loons have facts on their side, they cannot refrain from their favorite ad hominem fallacies…its sad.
It shows their minds are subverted…their conscience seared…
Everyone is listening to lobbyists, they often are the industry paid experts…Obama’s Administration has them everywhere, in everything they are doing…
Do we hear leftists citing that against his heal care plans…
Rather than imply McCain is corrupt…prove it or shut up.
While regulation to insure net neutrality may be necessary…I prefer we wait till the Establishment Media has been replaced with a real watch dog on Government corruption and despotism…
I don’t trust Government to have my best interests at heart…I am amazed leftists are so certain they do now, when in the past, everything Government did, was always decried as a conspiracy.
They must have been laughing their ass off when they came up with the name. It’s Orwellien – war is peace, freedom is slavery etc.
McCain must not care anymore. It’s so retarded. It’s so obvious, with the Comcast contributions.
alfred1,
You answer your own statement.
“While regulation to insure net neutrality may be necessary…”
Of course they will. Business has demonstrated time and again they will do what is best for their bottom line, not their customer base, unless regulated to do so. Name one unregulated industry that performs without reproach (or even a reasonable amount thereof).
#4 Your premise the Government is beyond reproach is odd…
I don’t say Net Neutrality isn’t a worthwhile end…I only say let’s not trust the Government blindly.
I prefer we have a news media that are watchdogs on Government abuse of power, not the lapdogs…cheerleaders we have now.
Your argument isn’t sound…while some regulation may be necessary to protect the public…it doesn’t follow this regulation is necessarily good…it must stand or fall on its own merits.
It certainly doesn’t follow Government control is necessarily good because businesses in the past haven’t always conducted themselves in a moral manner.
Its truly amazing leftists have crossed into blind faith…the dark side, with nary a backward glance…from “everything Government does is to be distrusted” to “everything Government does is to be trusted and anyone who doesn’t is BLAH BLAH PICK YOUR FAVORITE AD HOMINEM”
How much we forget that the US internet was first run by the government. It was a communication link for defense and for other government offices. I believe University were also included. Then it was opened up to the public and the rest is history. Now, I guess the government wants control again. But is the internet not world wide? So how is the US government have any more right then any other country to control any part of it. Yet we know they do. Just look at China for a good example.
Maybe the US government wants that same thing?
The picture is exactly what I fear will happen if we let the ISPs do what they want.
“or for five dollars a month more, you can choose between your favorite conservative sites like world net daily and newsmax or your favorite liberal sites like huffington post and daily kos”
As I said before, the web is now becoming a necessary utility for more and more people. People’s livelihoods depend on a fast stable connection. It is only a matter of time before it is regulated like electricity water and gas.
After all two other regulated utilities telephone and cable TV, are becoming irrelevant thanks to the internet.
And as for the misleading name of the bill that is a GOP standard operating procedure. Think Patriot Act and No Child Left Behind which both did the exact opposite of what their name implied.
#5, Alphie,
I only say let’s not trust the Government blindly.
Which is why we elect our government.
I don’t recall the last time we voted for AT&T or Comcast to run things. We know who you would trust though.
McCain and the rest are confused.
They’ve reversed the definition of net neutrality believing its the same as the fairness doctrine. And hoping the average American is gullible enough to believe it.
Take away parties for a second and look at the problems in other countries. In Canada here, my ISP Shaw traffic shapes things like GoToMeeting and Skype which means they are useless for business. The government lets them do it and since only a few companies have infrastructure so you have limited options.
I don’t mind paying for bandwidth. If someone says here is how much data costs – the more you use the more you pay. No problems. Exactly the same as water or electricity.
The problem that the large service providers have is that they built a huge amount of infrastructure, subsidized by the US government, and then sold it at fire sale prices when times were tough. Google, Amazon, EDS and others now own it and aren’t going to sell it to anyone. They screwed up and this flag draped mess called the Internet Freedom Act (or whatever the hell it’s called) is trying to keep them in business by offering sub-par service to the US public.
#8 Hitler was elected…how does that square with your argument?
Abe Lincoln was elected, therefore he was a fascist. Only makes sense.
#6 I don’t know what they want…I only know I distrust them.
Our lapdog zombie Establishment media has ignored everything negative about this present administration…applauding its lies…
If Obama’s Marxist czars decree only the Huffington Post was a valid news organization, the lapdogs would applaud even their own death at his hand.
I have no confidence in them to alert us to anything devious in Government regulation…until I do…I prefer everything stay as it is…
As John C. Dvorak once opined, there really isn’t any need to legislate net neutrality now…there are enough checks & balances, from lawsuits, to stop abuses.
#12 Debate, argument, requires one be conscious…
He argued our Government is elected…unlike businesses…thereby implying the former can be trusted…or should be…
Hitler was elected…as he could not be trusted…Mr. Fusion’s argument is unsound.
You would know that…if the last thought you had…didn’t render you unconscious.
I think it is not any evil intent. It is just the naivety of a bunch of senior citizen Congressmen. Ask your grandmother (who asks if she needs to right click or left click before each time she clicks the mouse) what she thinks about net neutrality and it will probably be similar to the McCain view.
Senior citizens don’t understand the Internet. Most Congressmen are senior citizens. Most Congressmen don’t understand net neutrality. QED.
Allowing the FCC to require net neutrality is a slippery slope. And it may have unindented consequences.
If the FCC is allowed to issue regulations about then internet, then it is not much of a step to require them to start censoring the internet.
My concern is that the social conservatives will exploit the FCC’s ability to issue rules to censor adult content, or anything else that might offend someone. They will demand that the internet become as clean as prime-time OTA broadcast TV that the FCC does control.
The point is not what this FCC rule contains, but instead it is the fact that the FCC is claiming jurisdiction at all.
At least McCain’s bill would prevent mission creep on the FCC’s part.
I think we need net neutrality. Just look at Canada and how their ISP’s screw over Canadians as a preview of what we can expect. We need to figure out a better way to implement it so it doesn’t bite us in the ass later.
I love how the scaremongers take “regulation” and spin that right up to scary “Government Control”
So I suppose its ok to be controlled by our corporate overlords, and there should be no rules to limit their power.
#16 yanikinwaoz
Very sensible view. AT&T especially is forcing the FCC’s hand here. If the big carriers had followed the Verizon model then the governing legislation wouldn’t be needed.
Is the FCC proposed law perfect? Nothing is. However it’s not a giant earthquake but is slanted towards consumers and tech companies. Compare Genachowski to McCain and figure out which one has a better handle on this.
$49.99 a month for what I get now for $20??
And non-guaranteed access to what some government appointed censor says what I can or can’t see??
NO FRIGGIN’ WAY, JOSE!
Just what we need, a republican creationist that hates technology, science and innovation chairing the committee that governs just that!! Kudos GOP! This is starting to sound like the Texas BOE, I can’t wait to churn butter again while praying for my crops to grow.