NNSquad - Network Neutrality Squad
[ NNSquad ] "The Sky is Falling!" exclaim anti-neutrality filings with FCC
"The Sky is Falling!" exclaim anti-neutrality filings with FCC http://bit.ly/3GGnNq (Washington Post) I'm continually reminded of the parallels between the network neutrality controversies and the current health care industry battle here in the U.S. Dominant ISPs and their minions, like the big health insurance companies, are entrenched and trying to protect their turfs at all costs, deploying all manner of mischaracterizations and outright lies that their fertile imaginations are capable of creating. In both spheres these firms act as arbitrary gatekeepers to external services that people need, and are protected by effective monopoly or oligarchy positions in the case of ISPs, and by antitrust exemptions in the case of health insurance companies. We see a rush by big ISPs to become content providers on their own terms, while simultaneously implementing usage caps and other restrictions to hobble potentially competitive outside content. We see deployment of DPI systems in various alarming manners from a privacy standpoint. And we still suffer an almost total lack of transparency regarding network operations and what subscribers are *really* getting for their money. The current FCC proposals are actually quite modest. The real reason that they're being fought so hard is that the same parties fear that when it's seen that the sky doesn't come crumbling down if these rules are implemented, there will likely be additional moves in the future to protect the public from the dominant ISPs' predatory practices. --Lauren-- NNSquad Moderator