I read an interesting piece about President Obama's upcoming State Of The Union address, specifically concerning his plan to further open the internet. It goes beyond net neutrality. He will speak of opening the speed and access of the internet to all Americans. Amazingly, this is something to which many on the right object.
In the 30's, Franklin Delano Roosevelt controversially decided to bring electricity to as many Americans as possible. How was this controversial? Why did the republicans of the time object to people on farms and rural communities having electric power?
Well, because it was business. They felt that since there was no profit in providing electricity to those millions of Americans, no one should do so. When it did become profitable, private enterprise would step in and provide it. Government doing it was "socialist and communist" then, just as they say it is now. Privatization of absolutely everything is nothing new. It has long been the way of the world. FDR was the Obama of his time. Kids in New York City played with electric toys while people in rural Kentucky didn't even have electric light. That was America, That was business. The business of America.
Today, 19 municipalities have laws against the local government creating their own highspeed, fiber optic networks. These laws are created by ALEC- the same folks who bring us Stand Your Ground laws- to protect the interests of cable/internet monopolies that figure those local governments and the people in that area shall get what business wants them to have, when they want them to have it and pays the price they want. If you've ever been to Europe or had visitors from there use internet here, you'd know that the internet over there is far faster (and cheaper) than here. We not only pay more for slower speed, our internet providers want us (and websites) to pay even more for somewhat faster service- well, faster than the slower service they'll give to people and sites that cannot or will not pay.
You don't hear a lot about the American Mafia anymore. I think that is because Michael Corleone's literary dream of becoming "completely legitimate" came true years ago. You can steal billions as a bank as opposed to thousands robbing one with guns. Isn't what Internet Service Providers have in store for us nothing but a variation of the old protection rackets? They don't need a couple of guys named Fat Mike and Bruno to shake you down when all they need to do is legally slow down your wants and needs until you come around and pony up. And you will come around and you will pony up. There's no public option.
No public option if they take care of that, that is. From FOX *news* and Brietbart-type sites on down to dumbasses on the internet on message boards like Topix, you'll hear that Obama and "the gubmint" is plotting to take over the internet, your computer, specifically.
Ask yourself, how can they do this by improving speed and service at a cheaper rate? Are they murderous, insane animals? How dare they?! Seriously- think about it. Ninety percent of life is using your brain to think about things, to think them through, weighing the good, the bad and the indifferent. However, people from self-important, blowhard lawyers to 6th grade educated security guards all sound the same when they close their minds and refuse to think things through for themselves. If you think private enterprise has your back but representative democracy couldn't possibly, you are not a citizen, you are a consumer. And you will be consumed. You probably already agreed to be consumed when you signed on with your service provider...Well, OK, that's not legal. Not yet....
4 comments:
Your my favorite feisty Irishman. Excellent article.Tweeted!
This is the same kind of thinking behind the absorbent costs of medication.
Capitalism run amok
Indeed! I hadn't actually considered how it can slow progress until recently. Medicine is a prime example. And if there's no money in something, they opt to leave it be until someone can make it profitable. Until someone gets the rights to the sun and wind, why bother with those as energy sources?
I just have to laugh at those who think net neutrality is a sinister attempt by government to control what you can and can't see on the internet. What is does do is prevent ISPs from arbitrarily deciding what internet information will be more accessible to the public than other information. It actually does the opposite of what its opponents claim. Rather than censor, it opens up the internet to more diversity.
Take Topix- please! Think of all the government-hating, wannabe-politicos there and how they might want to end net neutrality because "obummer and libs like it..." Then think of Topix running sloooooooow until Tolles ponies up the change to just bring it back to the old speed. Then think of him charging folks to post on Topix....Topix probably wouldn't last and would not be there for 'tards to post about how wonderful the free market is to pick winners and losers via capitalism....
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