[ NNSquad ] Re: FCC rules on Comcast (as expected)

[Brett Glass <brett@lariat.net>]

At 11:52 AM 8/1/2008, Lauren Weinstein wrote:


> FCC rules on Comcast (as expected)
>
> http://www.charlottesvillenewsplex.tv/news/headlines/26181059.html

The scary part of this is that the FCC did not just bypass its own 
rulemaking process and take action that was against the law -- it 
also patently false statements about the ruling. For example, FCC 
Chairman Kevin Martin's public statement regarding the ruling said, 
"The specific practice Comcast was engaging in has been roundly 
criticized and not defended by a single other broadband provider."

Did he somehow not hear my tesimony -- which I delivered while 
looking him in the eye -- after I spent than $1,000 on a last 
minute trip to present it at the FCC's hearing at Stanford?

At that meeting, I did defend and explain the reasons for Comcast's 
network management practices and for P2P mitigation in general; see 
my testimony at http://www.brettglass.com/FCC/remarks.html. I 
furthermore defended it in my filings with the FCC at

http://tinyurl.com/2wf6nd

http://tinyurl.com/5elsy5

http://tinyurl.com/5gfn6p

We can only hope that this arbitrary, capricious, and illegal 
action will be promptly overturned.

--Brett Glass 

  [ Ya' know, I disagree totally with the substance of Brett's
    complaints of course, but it's certainly impossible to deny
    that he has broadcast his point of view loudly enough, and
    directly to all parties involved -- frequently and repeatedly.  

    However, the "Godzilla vs. Bambi" effect explains the situation.
    For reasons that mystify many observers, Brett insists on
    supporting the very actions of the giant ISPs and their
    brethren, who would as willingly crush small ISPs and WISPs like
    bugs as to give them the time of day.  

    Small ISP operations -- whether we agree with any particular
    one's policies or not -- simply don't really count to the
    commercial and governmental powers that be.  To paraphrase from
    "Casablanca" -- their issues end up not counting for a hill of
    beans in the dysfunctional Internet access environment -- the
    giant carriers have worked long and hard to make it so.  And we
    let the big boys get away with it.

    So really, there's no mystery involved at all.

    -- Lauren Weinstein
       NNSquad Moderator ]