Tag: net neutrality

Posted on

FCC Plans Vote to Overturn Net Neutrality, Just in Time for the Holidays

We have a problem when companies that control access to the internet also have a vested interest in distributing content on the internet. We have a problem when service providers have unrestricted control to throttle or make access more expensive. We have a problem as major corporations find easier paths to mergers and acquisitions rather than compete.

There really isn’t a “both sides” to this issue. Far smarter individuals than I have spent months clearing the fog of misinformation surrounding this topic. I would highly recommend following Gigi Sohn as one example, she was legal counsel to Tom Wheeler when he was Chairman of the FCC. Her interviews are fantastic. I would also read the dissenting opinions of Mignon Clyburn, an FCC Commissioner opposed to ending Net Neutrality.

In a nutshell, you either want unrestricted access to the internet at fair and competitive prices, free of any influence over the speed of competing services, OR you want Verizon, Comcast, and AT&T to decide what you can access, how you can access, and to charge subscribers and content providers arbitrarily for what you access. Continue reading “FCC Plans Vote to Overturn Net Neutrality, Just in Time for the Holidays”

Posted on

FCC Publishes Plan to Repeal Net Neutrality: We need your public comments!

FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai has published plans to repeal Net Neutrality and end Title II regulation of the Internet. Now begins TWO more rounds of public comments. We need to keep the pressure on not only the FCC, but also local politicians and other elected officials. You can leave your public comment on the FCC’s proposal by following this link:
https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/search/filin…
Read the filing here https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/att…

Continue reading “FCC Publishes Plan to Repeal Net Neutrality: We need your public comments!”

Posted on

FCC to kill Net Neutrality: Help Me Fight This


Chairman Pai’s public comments on ending Net Neutrality https://www.c-span.org/video/?427558-…

The fight for internet privacy and freedom is getting ugly. This administration has already taken its first steps in dismantling the open internet. Now we’ve received comments from FCC Chairman Ajit Pai on what the next steps are for killing the remaining communications regulations. It was a long and difficult fight getting protections in place, but we can’t stop putting pressure on elected officials to keep those protections in place.

The EFF’s reply to Chairman Pai’s comments https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/04…

I wrote a book! If you want to take your smartphone photography and video skills up a notch, you’ll want to read my book! ‘Take Better Photos: Smartphone Photography for Noobs!’ is now available – http://amzn.to/1LZMa52

Continue reading “FCC to kill Net Neutrality: Help Me Fight This”

Posted on

Tennessee approves $45 Million for Broadband, but no Gigabit Fiber? Why?

Home to one of the most successful experiments in municipal funded broadband, Tennessee is working diligently to prevent that experiment from improving data and energy infrastructure throughout the rest of the state. Now a new bill will fund ISP’s through tax payer funds, instead of expanding on city funded fiber? Why?

I wrote a book! If you want to take your smartphone photography and video skills up a notch, you’ll want to read my book! ‘Take Better Photos: Smartphone Photography for Noobs!’ is now available – http://amzn.to/1LZMa52

Continue reading “Tennessee approves $45 Million for Broadband, but no Gigabit Fiber? Why?”

Posted on

Your Replies! Should Netflix Throttle DC to Protest Anti-Net Neutrality Policy?

Last week we asked if a company could (or should) engage in civil disobedience to protest political policy that would harm their business. I got some great replies to this question, and here are some of my favorite comments.
Original Netflix vs Washington DC video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yA7bCPtQKG0

Continue reading “Your Replies! Should Netflix Throttle DC to Protest Anti-Net Neutrality Policy?”

Posted on

Should Netflix Fight Congress by Throttling in Washington DC?

Tech and politics will be common discussion points over the next several years. One idea which keeps circling net neutrality is the idea of tech companies like Netflix, Google, and Amazon purposely degrading their services in areas like Washington DC, to protest an moves made against net neutrality. Continue reading “Should Netflix Fight Congress by Throttling in Washington DC?”

Posted on

AT&T Revives Unlimited Data for AT&T TV Subscribers

ATT logoAs we’ve seen another carrier struggle recently with unlimited video streaming, and the Net Neutrality implications of throttling or degrading performance for network stability, AT&T looks to be returning to a business model consumers will understand easily: Unlimited Data.

Of course there’s a small catch. Unlimited data plans will be offered as part of a bundled service with AT&T TV (formerly DirecTV).

Earlier this week, Big Blue took the wraps off of their new Unlimted plan for DirecTV, AT&T TV, or U-Verse TV subscribers. They’ll pay $100 a month for the first phone, additional phone lines will cost $40, and the fourth phone line will be free.

It’s an exciting move. Instead of cherry picking a handful of individual services or apps, a fully bundled AT&T customer will have few restrictions on streaming any content they desire. As of now, the only limit appears to be a vaguely worded footnote that at 22GB of usage in a month “reduced speeds may apply”. How that might be enforced is still unseen, but it’s a fairly healthy chunk of mobile data for folks looking to move up from plan that often start users off around 10GB per month.

You can read the full AT&T press release below.

Continue reading “AT&T Revives Unlimited Data for AT&T TV Subscribers”

Posted on

Do You Feel More Free? Net Neutrality Rules Go Into Effect Today!

FCCThe FCC’s new rules protecting Net Neutrality go into effect today.

The rules were published in a 400 page document back in March, detailing all of the web protections. To oversimplify, reclassifying the Internet as a utility means carriers and ISPs will no longer be able to prioritize some services over others. Nor can they degrade a service for the benefit of another.

Internet Service Providers are challenging these new rules, claiming they overstep the FCC’s authority and violate federal law. The United States Telecom Association requested a hold on implementing these rules as they try to fight them in court, but a three judge panel Appellate Court in DC denied their stay. We will see an accelerated time table for litigation however, in two weeks the Telecom Association and the FCC will present schedules for additional briefing.

In the meantime however, Net Neutrality will be the law of the land. The real test will come from this first year of implementation, to see if any of the doom and gloom predictions of the Telecom industry come true.

Proudly powered by WordPress