Courtesy of ARS Technica:
“There are a lot of aspects to net neutrality,” Obama said in response to a question at an event hosted by Cross Campus in Santa Monica, CA. “I know one of the things people are most concerned about is paid prioritization, the notion that somehow, some folks can pay a little more money and get better service, more exclusive access to customers through the Internet. That’s something I oppose. I was opposed to it when I ran; I continue to be opposed to it now.”
Obama pointed out that the FCC is “an independent agency” but said he wants the commission to prevent paid prioritization.
“My appointee, [FCC Chairman] Tom Wheeler, knows my position,” Obama said. “Now that he’s there, I can’t just call him up and tell him exactly what to do. But what I’ve been clear about, what the White House has been clear about, is that we expect whatever final rules to emerge to make sure that we’re not creating two or three or four tiers of Internet.”
I know a lot of people are not really concerned about, or paying much attention to, the issue of net neutrality.
But as an independent blogger, with no big corporation to back me, this is constantly on my mind.
So hearing that the President is firmly in my camp makes me feel much better about this going forward.
I wish I shared your optimism, but IMO if Obama really gave a fuck about net neutrality, he wouldn't have nominated a total cable industry whore like Wheeler to head up the FCC in the first place. In this instance (as in so many others) Obama's elite-favoring actions speak so much louder than his phony populist words.
ReplyDeleteWhen the smoke clears, this president will be remembered as one the great chief executives this country has known and, along with Bill Clinton and, unfortunately Dick Nixon, maybe the smartest. It is indeed ironic that the stars aligned in such a fashion as to place he and Mrs. Palin on the political landscape at the same time. Nowhere that I can think of has there been a disparity between two individuals that is so rich with comic depth and so criminally unfair as to make someone such as myself almost believe in a Machiavellian sky puppeteer ; this cannot simply be chance. It's as if the great spirit decided to go fishing with the wife for eight years and told Mort Sahl he was in charge.
ReplyDeleteLuv your comment.
DeleteI'm having a hard time with this one. I was heartened to hear Pres. Obama say he was committed to net neutrality but that seems meaningless unless he uses his authority to fight for it. He can't direct FCC actions or fire Wheeler but he could remove him "from the chairmanship, promoting another commissioner to that spot and leaving Wheeler as one of the other four commissioners. In particular, both Mignon Clyburn and Jessica Rosenworcel, the two other Democrats on the five-person board, spoke out eloquently in official statements on Thursday, criticizing Wheeler’s proposal for authorizing fast lanes and being a “network neutrality” rule in name only."
ReplyDeletehttp://law.fordham.edu/newsroom/33220.htm
Anonymous3:23 AM
ReplyDeleteJust exactly who should he have appointed? You do realize that any industry's experts also happen to be in the industry? Maybe he should have appointed someone who can't spell FCC?
So if George Bush had appointed an industry whore like Ted Wheeler, you would have defended it on those same grounds?
DeleteWaiting for your answer.
Not holding my breath.
I agree with him one hundred percent. In Philadelphia, if someone starts a blog, they have to register and pay a three hundred dollar fee for using a service they paid for and their own computer.
ReplyDeleteA few years back, a company made millions building hot spots all over the city and supplying poor students internet access for free. Half way through, the company cashed the check and left town. They hired Net Zero (AKA commercials and pop ups twenty four seven) w/ shoddy overloaded lines (remember the early days when it took five minutes of nerve grating noise to connect via phone? This was much worse) So now we're totally wired with no isp nor service for free, as promised.