'FCC to toughen internet rules' in the US

[kicknhorse]

The stage has been set for what many predict will be an ugly fight over broadband plans for US citizens.

The Federal Communications Commission has taken the first formal steps towards tougher rules for broadband.

It asked for public comment on three different plans, igniting an expensive lobbying campaign by all sides.

The looming battle follows a court ruling questioning the FCC's right to regulate internet service providers after one throttled traffic to users.

That court ruling dealt a major blow to a central plank of the FCC's broadband plan called net neutrality which demands that all data traffic be treated equally.

The five commissioners on the FCC board were split 3-2 in putting out for public comment proposals on new regulations for the broadband industry.

'Third way'

One of the three plans the public is being asked to comment on, and which is favoured by FCC chairman Julius Genachowski, is called the "third way".

This would involve reclassifying broadband so it went from being a lightly regulated service to one with more vigorously oversight.

The other two options include leaving the existing regulatory framework in place or imposing the full force of stricter regulations.

ISPs, such as Comcast, AT&T and Verizon, prefer the status quo and have come out against the "third way" proposal.

"This is impossible to justify on either a policy or legal basis and we remain confident that if the FCC persists in its course - and we truly hope it does not - the courts will surely overturn their action," said Jim Cicconi, AT&T's senior executive vice president for external and legislative affairs.

Full article here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8745078.stm


Where are all those Americans who said nothing like this would happen to them, this whole 'I'm proud to be an American' rubbish.

This is just in addition to the 'kill switch' Obama will be getting for the entire US internet. So in the 'interest of national safety' Obama can kill your entire internet at any time... Now, as always, I am so glad I live outside of Amerikana.

 

[Matt140]

I guess this has was somehow inspired by our Digital Economy Bill :/

 

[kicknhorse]

You Might be right, but there is still a very good chance ours could be scrapped within the next year before in comes into force.

 

[TM2-Megatron]

Where are all those Americans who said nothing like this would happen to them, this whole 'I'm proud to be an American' rubbish.

This is just in addition to the 'kill switch' Obama will be getting for the entire US internet. So in the 'interest of national safety' Obama can kill your entire internet at any time... Now, as always, I am so glad I live outside of Amerikana.

?

As I understand it, it's not their government that Americans should fear in this instance, but the large telecom companies. Net Neutrality is a good thing, and Obama has already said he supports it. The FCC is trying to formalize it and prevent the telecom companies from picking and choosing what their customers are "allowed" to access. In no way does Net Neutrality give the government control over the internet, or create any kind of "kill switch". It's about exactly the opposite of giving anyone control over the access, or the ability to censor. It's about giving the public the freedom to access whatever they want, without being made victims of the telecom industry's greed. Right now, all the telecoms do is sell access to the internet, and have no control over what you do access when you're connected... however they do want that control, so they can block or throttle services as they deem fit, and coerce their customers into paying extra for "superior" internet packages with features they could've otherwise gotten for less, or even free.

Maybe you should actually read about the issue before starting on the America "this and that" rant.

 

[Bladexdsl]

you guys will have to make your own internet with it's own rules and put whatever you want on it. but than the fcc will come and shut it down than they'll try and censor real life

 

[kicknhorse]

The 'kill switch' was in another article posted a few days ago which was within some new legislation, and unrelated to this one.

(for example here: http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technolog...tml?autostart=1

US President Barack Obama would be granted powers to seize control of and even shut down the internet under a new bill that describes the global internet as a US "national asset".

- but I cannot see how America can assume the 'global internet' as theirs. This is like the bill they tried to pass to say America owned everything outside fo the o-zone Layer a few years ago.)

But the FCC do also want to stop people from going to certain areas of the internet.

 

[TM2-Megatron]

But the FCC do also want to stop people from going to certain areas of the internet.

Such as?

Even if they did, they have neither the power nor ability to actually do so. But as it stands, they're pushing to keep the internet the way it is now, instead of what the telecom companies want to turn it into. So what you're saying doesn't particularly make sense. Net neutrality, as it says right in the article you've quoted, is treating all data equally. It has nothing to do with censorship or control. The only thing they want to "regulate" in this instance is the companies that are interested in restricting the access of their customers.

 

[George Dawes]

Like living outside of amerikkka is any better. The uk has the Digital Economy Act (which is in force now, as of last week) and Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act, amongst others. Plus the stuff that GCHQ and FIT get upto, that isn't "official".

Hierarchical "leaders" the world over want to desperately stay in control, and more draconian measures will continue to be put in place across the globe.

Megatron, you fail to see the larger picture. Once broadband is "highly regulated" by the FCC then they have the ability to control how an isp operates, what content they serve etc. An isp that doesn't toe the line will soon be shut down.

I'm all for regulation in the interest of the consumer (such as preventing certain protocols being throttled) but you have to be incredibly naive to believe that is the case here.

 

[TrapperKeeperX]

The FCC can suck it! They're nothing but Fucking Cockblocking Clanfuckers

 

[exangel]

at least they keep our AM radio signals from interfering with each other.

 

[chartube12]

Where are all those Americans who said nothing like this would happen to them, this whole 'I'm proud to be an American' rubbish.

This is just in addition to the 'kill switch' Obama will be getting for the entire US internet. So in the 'interest of national safety' Obama can kill your entire internet at any time... Now, as always, I am so glad I live outside of Amerikana.

?

As I understand it, it's not their government that Americans should fear in this instance, but the large telecom companies. Net Neutrality is a good thing, and Obama has already said he supports it. The FCC is trying to formalize it and prevent the telecom companies from picking and choosing what their customers are "allowed" to access. In no way does Net Neutrality give the government control over the internet, or create any kind of "kill switch". It's about exactly the opposite of giving anyone control over the access, or the ability to censor. It's about giving the public the freedom to access whatever they want, without being made victims of the telecom industry's greed. Right now, all the telecoms do is sell access to the internet, and have no control over what you do access when you're connected... however they do want that control, so they can block or throttle services as they deem fit, and coerce their customers into paying extra for "superior" internet packages with features they could've otherwise gotten for less, or even free.

Maybe you should actually read about the issue before starting on the America "this and that" rant.

Correct. W/o this law we could of been F***ed over by ISPs. This regulation provents Internet from becoming the next tv.

 

[SixtySixHundred]

you guys will have to make your own internet with it's own rules and put whatever you want on it. but than the fcc will come and shut it down than they'll try and censor real life

You watch too much 'Family Guy'... "His chin looks like balls, shall we cover that too?"

Censorship can suck my b*lls

 

[DeltaBurnt]

I find it quite disturbing that every country is like "We're going to censor this on the internet and that on the internet". What these guys don't realize is that the internet isn't like TV. The parts of the internet that are shown to Americans, or Australians, or another country aren't specifically made/hosted in that country (as is with most of TV).

Basically it's like having the ice cream truck drive around your neighborhood 24/7, but your parents only let you buy one flavor, and when your friends tell you about some awesome other flavor that you can't have you have no idea what they're talking about.

Also OP sounds like he's butthurt from the world cup

 

[MelodieOctavia]

Honestly, the FCC's way is the lesser of two evils.

Either have a very small percentage of the internet blocked or censored...or...

Have the ISPs decide on a "whitelist" of sites you CAN visit (based on your current package of coarse), oh! And you can forget about "unlimited" bandwidth. anything over 20GBs will get you either shut off for the month, or dial up speeds.

 

[DeltaBurnt]

I can totally foresee ISPs charging you extra to be able to visit piracy sites and sites like here :\

 

[omgpwn666]

I don't worry about this kind of stuff since it seems to never pass. And if it does, damn. (Still don't think it will happen)

 

[chrisrlink]

.geez i can see anarchy all over the world sooner or later and a pollutede world thanks in Part to BP if my country bans importing video games and such I'll got balistic

 

[DeltaBurnt]

I would imagine that the democracy of America (not trying to be an air head here saying "democracy always works" and "America is the only free country" being completely serious) would prevail.

We can easily petition and seriously protest this if it does pass. There's enough serious internet users to repeal it.

 

[Slyakin]

I just have a bad feeling about this...


DRM. AAAUUGGH.

 

[iamthemilkman]

The FCC needs to stay the fuck out.

And how I ironic it all is -- the people who supposedly love free speech also love dictators and stricter regulation. Scumbags.