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FCC Has Voted to Repeal Net Neutrality Rules
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You are telling me man - We have a family house in a vacation type area where Cox literally is it.
No DSL, literally no other options save for Satellite or Wireless (and we know those aren't really options).
They just systematically raise the rates, year over year over year.
We are on the lowest possible TV + lowest possible Internet with 3 "mini-boxes" (cheapest option - same as cable card) and it's over $220/mo now.
The net speed is slower than it was at this price 5 years ago and we have less TV channels (mostly all total crap normal junk + ESPN basically).
They just keep squeezing and squeezing and your option is?
Pound sand
I'm already excited for their next round of "innovation and investment".
Step one: Bend over and touch your toes...
I watched through that video. I genuinely gritted my teeth and put up with the talking cat. I got about halfway through before wanting to smash my head off my desk.
I want to add, I’ve got a masters in electronic and electrical engineering, I program, have designed micro architectures, built countless computers and systems. I’ve got a very good technical understand on how the internet works. I’m probably in a far better position than the vast majority to understand the complexities and nuances of this issue. I’ve also spent a lot of time researching this specific issue.
The first point the talking cat made - after the George Soros conspiracy stuff - in regards to bandwidth...
Yes, Netflix uses a huge amount of bandwidth, as does Steam, Amazon etc. BUT THEY PAY FOR IT AT THEIR END.
Then the consumer pays for the connection at their end.
If Netflix’s usage goes up they then pay more - infact they actually use Amazon’s cloud servers to host much of their data. You do realise this is not a problem anywhere else. The cost of bandwidth to a major ISP is very very very low. It’s the cost of building infrastructure capacity. Something Comcast tries to shirk (despite the staggering $400bn they basically fleeced from the US tax payer in the 90’s amongst others).
Data isn’t like electricity or water. The cost of the data packets is tiny (just electrical signals). The real cost is in the pipes to yours house - be it fibre, coax, twisted pair copper etc. The cost of data is nothing. It’s costs more to provide me with 100kWh of electricity vs 10kWh, once the capacity is in place the cost of 1MB vs 1TB is tiny. There’s exceptions to this, for example wireless 4G internet where bandwidth is limited but again, the cost of the data is virtually nothing.
Where I live my ISP has doubled my connection something like 4 times in 7 years, the cost has never increased, data caps do not exist. The economic argument being put forward by the talking cat is false and it’s based on a false idea of how internet works.
The other point the cat makes about censorship on major social media platforms is a very real problem and one I also have a serious issue with. But you’ve got to be suffering brain damage to equate that with net neutrality?
Those are private website platforms, they are legally free to do whatever they like. It would be like a news paper choosing which stories they do or don’t want to publish - it’s their free choice to make. What worries myself and many others is ISPs which are often part of major media corporations deliberately manipulating search results and even website data - WHICH THEY’VE ALREADY BEEN CAUGHT DOING. I can choose which sites I want to visit, I can’t choose if my ISP is manipulating the data it’s sending to me. This is a complete and utter straw man argument.
Oh man this cat is just great. I’m willing to bet you my dozen bitcoins that within 2 years you will have these cable style package deals from ISPs in website. The counter argument made; new ISPs will form...
How, how will they form when you have gigantic regional monopolies with powerful legal teams ready to crush any opposition? I could again post up source after source we’re local communities and municipalities have been blocked from building their own networks by major ISPs because they’ve completely bought out and corrupted local government and officials.
I hate that argument, ‘the free market will fix it’ yeh because the free market is doing so well with giant regional monopolies? I have over 20 different ISPs to choose from way out in the country where I live. My other half lives in a wealthy US city and has Comcast, that’s it. You can’t have your cake and eat it too. Google literally gave up because it was a beaucratic and legal nightmare trying to deploy fibre - and it’s one of the biggest companies in America.
Just wow - Netflix paid Comcast for priority streaming. No - Comcast threatened to throttle Netflix unless they coughed up. That’s called extortion and a prime example of why Net Neutrality is fundamentally important. Some of the biggest companies in the US would likely not exist today without net neutrality. It should absolutely be classified as a utility.
This video is not just wrong it’s deceitful.
Seriously, this video was absolutely trash. I was hoping for some interesting counter arguments, instead I got strawmen and completely incorrect information.
Yep - And even if there were 1 other option, it's not enough.
A competitive marketplace needs many similar players so there's actually realistic choice and they have to earn your business.
That is simply a gigantic falsehood.
I’ll head you off at the pass since I’m certain you will hedge your response by including things like low bandwidth and highly asymmetric satellite access.
I have exactly ONE choice of internet provider when I am in the US. They haven’t materially changed their service in maybe 15 years.
Edit: fixed the spelling of asymmetric from assymetric. LOL I have a traumatic brain injury.
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remember cell companies charging by the text before apple put an end to that?
Don't worry guys - You can always use VerizonPay & vTexting if you opt out of the "Apple Services Pack Fee"
Hey! Buy the right machine and it'll come preinstalled!
How cool is that!?
Looks like a pretty interesting area. Something to be said for living in cool places, right?
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Please enlighten us, guru. We are here to listen to your wisdom.
Well done Trump voters. Hope you're enjoying America becoming great again
You can blame the left for putting forth a garbage candidate.
Americans split their time between being outraged, being offended, and forecasting doomsday. Not sure why today would be any different.
Way off -- nobody will be able to compete with the already established isp. they'll offer special rates to kill the incomers and then jack them back up.
I couldn't do the city anymore -- I prefer nice people, common courtesy and quiet.
Thanks, I’m not even American and it’s plain as day to see. I’m honestly questioning if a few of these posters aren’t trolls or ISP reps.
I’ve literally read every thread I can find on this debate, from Ars to Reddit and I’ve not seen a signal reasonable argument to get rid of NN, not a single argument. I’m actively seeking out opposing views to try and find a substantial argument but time and time again it’s either strawman or lies.
What on Earth is happening to your country? The economic damage from all this might possibly be measured in the trillions.
That’s a fair assessment of Americans.
But we do have the best pizza in the world (sorry Naples), the best music (sorry Colombia, Brazil, PR; salsa and reggaeton just get boring), the best landscapes (duh), and a whole bunch of other awesome stuff like Bieber and skateboarding and The Yankees and whatever. The only thing bad is our donuts. We seriously need Tim Horton’s to take over all the failing malls ASAP. Anyway, I’m getting a little weepy right now and need to put on Lee Greenwood. Back in 3 minutes and 35 seconds.
That’s the spirit. That’s not divisive at all.
/s
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You have no idea what “my party” is.
Exactly, my fiancé lives in one of the wealthiest cities in America in an extremely wealthy neighbourhood. She has Comcast or Centurylink with Centurylink offering up something like 2Mb/s is next to useless and Comcast price gouging to the extreme as well as introducing a 1TB cap.
They would rip your hand off for a competitive third choice - but there is none. Believe me, I looked!
You can’t have a completely deregulated market AND massive regional monopolies. It’s utter insanity - this is coming from a right wing, capitalist loving person. But one who’s also studied economics and understands regulation is vital to a healthy competitive economy.
Free markets tend towards natural monopolies or cartels. Does everyone forget Ma Bell or Standard Oil?
Jesus the Brit shouldn’t be having to educate the Americans on functional free market capitalism...
Edit: Just wanted to add, despite my many criticisms of the U.K. our ISP market is pretty healthy. Our defacto monopoly (BT) is heavily regulated and controlled with many smaller ISPs allowed to use their network. We also have many others building their own like Virgin (cable) or Hyperoptic (fibre). Where I live is a bit out there at the edge of civilisation and I have over 20 good ISPs I can choose from. Even the cheapest option is unlimited. Currently paying £37/m for 200Mb and could access 300Mb or 330Mb from two rival ISPs for not much more. But that’s what real free markets get you, low cost and choice.
But then again I also pay £1.20/L for fuel so
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Agreed. The day I move back to the city with the self-absorbed, pseudo-intellectual trash is the day I give up on life.I couldn't do the city anymore -- I prefer nice people, common courtesy and quiet.
My current iOS project takes FOURTEEN MINUTES to archive for enterprise release. I;'m salivating over the thought of trashing this POS 2016mbp. but sheesh....thats a lot of benjies.