President Obama has come out in support of reclassifying internet service as a utility, a move that would allow the Federal Communications Commission to enforce more robust regulations and protect net neutrality. "To put these protections in place, I'm asking the FCC to reclassifying internet service under Title II of a law known as the Telecommunications Act," Obama says in a statement this morning. "In plain English, I'm asking [the FCC] to recognize that for most Americans, the internet has become an essential part of everyday communication and everyday life."There's been a growing battle around protecting net neutrality — the principle that all internet traffic, no matter what it is or where it comes from, should be treated equally — ever since the FCC's original protections were struck down in court earlier this year. Those protections were able to be struck down because the commission didn't make the rules in a way that it actually had authority over, so it's been trying to create new rules that it will definitely be able to enforce. It hasn't chosen to use Title II so far, but net neutrality advocates, now including President Obama, have been pushing for its use.Regulating internet service under Title II would mean reclassifying it as a utility, like water. This means that internet providers would just be pumping internet back and forth through pipes and not actually making any decisions about where the internet goes. For the most part, that's a controversial idea in the eyes of service providers alone. It means that they're losing some control over what they sell, and that they can't favor certain services to benefit their own business. Instead, providers would be stuck allowing consumers to use the internet as they want to, using whatever services they like without any penalty. If that sounds pretty great, it's because that's basically how the internet has worked up until now.
Instead, providers would be stuck allowing consumers to use the internet as they want to, using whatever services they like without any penalty. If that sounds pretty great, it's because that's basically how the internet has worked up until now.
My only concern with treating internet as a utility, is that ISPs will likely start charging you based on how much you use, rather than a flat monthly fee.
Quote from: Mad Max on November 10, 2014, 01:53:24 PMMy only concern with treating internet as a utility, is that ISPs will likely start charging you based on how much you use, rather than a flat monthly fee.I don't see what's wrong with that.
Quote from: Meta Cognition on November 10, 2014, 01:55:28 PMQuote from: Mad Max on November 10, 2014, 01:53:24 PMMy only concern with treating internet as a utility, is that ISPs will likely start charging you based on how much you use, rather than a flat monthly fee.I don't see what's wrong with that.Because it's nice to pay $x/mo and not worry about how much data I use. My house usually uses around 400gb a month.
Quote from: Mad Max on November 10, 2014, 01:57:06 PMQuote from: Meta Cognition on November 10, 2014, 01:55:28 PMQuote from: Mad Max on November 10, 2014, 01:53:24 PMMy only concern with treating internet as a utility, is that ISPs will likely start charging you based on how much you use, rather than a flat monthly fee.I don't see what's wrong with that.Because it's nice to pay $x/mo and not worry about how much data I use. My house usually uses around 400gb a month.Sucks to be you, then. People who suck up more data should be paying more, that's just supply and demand.
Quote from: Meta Cognition on November 10, 2014, 01:59:21 PMQuote from: Mad Max on November 10, 2014, 01:57:06 PMQuote from: Meta Cognition on November 10, 2014, 01:55:28 PMQuote from: Mad Max on November 10, 2014, 01:53:24 PMMy only concern with treating internet as a utility, is that ISPs will likely start charging you based on how much you use, rather than a flat monthly fee.I don't see what's wrong with that.Because it's nice to pay $x/mo and not worry about how much data I use. My house usually uses around 400gb a month.Sucks to be you, then. People who suck up more data should be paying more, that's just supply and demand.But internet isn't a finite commodity like water, gas, etc. It's just 1's and 0's.
Quote from: Mad Max on November 10, 2014, 01:59:55 PMQuote from: Meta Cognition on November 10, 2014, 01:59:21 PMQuote from: Mad Max on November 10, 2014, 01:57:06 PMQuote from: Meta Cognition on November 10, 2014, 01:55:28 PMQuote from: Mad Max on November 10, 2014, 01:53:24 PMMy only concern with treating internet as a utility, is that ISPs will likely start charging you based on how much you use, rather than a flat monthly fee.I don't see what's wrong with that.Because it's nice to pay $x/mo and not worry about how much data I use. My house usually uses around 400gb a month.Sucks to be you, then. People who suck up more data should be paying more, that's just supply and demand.But internet isn't a finite commodity like water, gas, etc. It's just 1's and 0's.Bandwidth is definitely finite.
Quote from: Meta Cognition on November 10, 2014, 02:00:30 PMQuote from: Mad Max on November 10, 2014, 01:59:55 PMQuote from: Meta Cognition on November 10, 2014, 01:59:21 PMQuote from: Mad Max on November 10, 2014, 01:57:06 PMQuote from: Meta Cognition on November 10, 2014, 01:55:28 PMQuote from: Mad Max on November 10, 2014, 01:53:24 PMMy only concern with treating internet as a utility, is that ISPs will likely start charging you based on how much you use, rather than a flat monthly fee.I don't see what's wrong with that.Because it's nice to pay $x/mo and not worry about how much data I use. My house usually uses around 400gb a month.Sucks to be you, then. People who suck up more data should be paying more, that's just supply and demand.But internet isn't a finite commodity like water, gas, etc. It's just 1's and 0's.Bandwidth is definitely finite.The ISP's infrastructure, yeah. An ISP's bandwidth should accommodate its customers, not vice versa.
This seems like an unambiguously good thing.
Quote from: SexyPiranha on November 10, 2014, 02:49:15 PMThis seems like an unambiguously good thing.One would think so...
Quote from: Mad Max on November 10, 2014, 01:53:24 PMMy only concern with treating internet as a utility, is that ISPs will likely start charging you based on how much you use, rather than a flat monthly fee.It's like that in the EU and none of my national ISPs do that. Not that this means it'll be the same in the US, but just for reference.
This is a surefire way to make Republicans oppose Net Neutrality.
Never missing an opportunity to remind America how much he resents Obamacare, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) took to Twitter Monday to lash out against President Barack Obama's net neutrality endorsement by comparing it to the health care law.
Quote from: Lemy the Lizerd on November 10, 2014, 01:59:27 PMThis is a surefire way to make Republicans oppose Net Neutrality.Didn't take longQuoteNever missing an opportunity to remind America how much he resents Obamacare, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) took to Twitter Monday to lash out against President Barack Obama's net neutrality endorsement by comparing it to the health care law.
Quote from: IcyWind on November 10, 2014, 03:10:28 PMQuote from: Lemy the Lizerd on November 10, 2014, 01:59:27 PMThis is a surefire way to make Republicans oppose Net Neutrality.Didn't take longQuoteNever missing an opportunity to remind America how much he resents Obamacare, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) took to Twitter Monday to lash out against President Barack Obama's net neutrality endorsement by comparing it to the health care law.>ted cruz
Quote from: Kinder on November 10, 2014, 07:14:41 PMQuote from: IcyWind on November 10, 2014, 03:10:28 PMQuote from: Lemy the Lizerd on November 10, 2014, 01:59:27 PMThis is a surefire way to make Republicans oppose Net Neutrality.Didn't take longQuoteNever missing an opportunity to remind America how much he resents Obamacare, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) took to Twitter Monday to lash out against President Barack Obama's net neutrality endorsement by comparing it to the health care law.>ted cruzYour point? Cruz is likely one of the front-runners for the next presidential election. He isn't a nobody.
Obama: Classify internet as a utility
