Internet Might Get Ruined

[tinytherese]

"The FCC is about to announce a vote to slash net neutrality rules, allowing ISPs like Verizon to block apps, slow websites, and charge fees to control what you see & do online. Once they announce the vote, it's hard to stop. But if we flood them with calls now, *Congress* can stop the vote.

Cable companies are famous for high prices and poor service. Several rank as the most hated companies in America. Now, they're lobbying the FCC and Congress to end net neutrality. Why? It's simple: if they win the power to slow sites down, they can bully any site into paying millions to escape the "slow lane." This would amount to a tax on every sector of the American economy. Every site would cost more, since they'd all have to pay big cable. Worse, it would extinguish the startups and independent voices who can't afford to pay. If we lose net neutrality, the Internet will never be the same."

https://www.battleforthenet.com 

 

To sign the Petition https://cms.fightforthefuture.org/tellfcc/

[Era Might]

There are other ways that the Internet has been controlled. Think about who gets funding. Basically, companies like Facebook, Twitter, Amazon get corporate welfare (i.e., investment) based on their potential, not on their actual worth. They are funded in order to grow. IOW, banks and big money pretty much control what gets funded and what doesn't...there is no abstract "free market" where everything competes evenly. From what I know about net neutrality, it seems an important principle to uphold, but let's not imagine the Internet is this pure zone of democracy. I mean, Congress just pulled in the execs of the big social media companies to testify because Russians were paying for advertising to influence content during the presidential election. I can see the argument from the cable side: yes, they want to control the Internet, but so do Facebook, Amazon, etc. It's all about how they go about it, but they're all after the same thing.

[havok579257]

On 11/20/2017 at 7:56 PM, Era Might said:

There are other ways that the Internet has been controlled. Think about who gets funding. Basically, companies like Facebook, Twitter, Amazon get corporate welfare (i.e., investment) based on their potential, not on their actual worth. They are funded in order to grow. IOW, banks and big money pretty much control what gets funded and what doesn't...there is no abstract "free market" where everything competes evenly. From what I know about net neutrality, it seems an important principle to uphold, but let's not imagine the Internet is this pure zone of democracy. I mean, Congress just pulled in the execs of the big social media companies to testify because Russians were paying for advertising to influence content during the presidential election. I can see the argument from the cable side: yes, they want to control the Internet, but so do Facebook, Amazon, etc. It's all about how they go about it, but they're all after the same thing.

the difference is facebook and the like can not destroy other companies like the cable companies can.  just look at netflicks.  it is a major competitor of the cable companies.  if they get control of the internet and net neutrality is gone they can easily force netflicks out of business.  they will charge customers more for using the netflick website.  they will charge netflicks more for using the fast lane and thus force netflicks the charge customers more and put them out of business.  they will do this to all their competition.

 

the internet is and should be treated as a commodity.    something that in america you need to have to live such as electricity.  the fact is now, its almost impossible to get a job without the internet.  jobs won't even accept paper applications if you walk them in to the facility.  they make you go on the internet to their site to apply for a job.  not to mention most jobs require you to be able to receive emails to hear back from them on your interview.  the internet has become so important in american culture that most people can not function without it because of how important it is to even get a job or go to school.  

[Era Might]

On 11/23/2017 at 8:31 PM, havok579257 said:

the difference is facebook and the like can not destroy other companies like the cable companies can.  just look at netflicks.  it is a major competitor of the cable companies.  if they get control of the internet and net neutrality is gone they can easily force netflicks out of business.  they will charge customers more for using the netflick website.  they will charge netflicks more for using the fast lane and thus force netflicks the charge customers more and put them out of business.  they will do this to all their competition.

 

the internet is and should be treated as a commodity.    something that in america you need to have to live such as electricity.  the fact is now, its almost impossible to get a job without the internet.  jobs won't even accept paper applications if you walk them in to the facility.  they make you go on the internet to their site to apply for a job.  not to mention most jobs require you to be able to receive emails to hear back from them on your interview.  the internet has become so important in american culture that most people can not function without it because of how important it is to even get a job or go to school.  

Facebook, Amazon, etc. don't have to destroy companies, just acquire and absorb them. The future of tech isn't in this or that company, it's about platforms. Amazon dominates ecommerce but look what it's doing, Amazon Web Services, grocery, etc. Facebook aquired WhatsApp for $19 billion for the platform.

What's at stake for cable companies? Not just media distribution but advertising. TV is still prime advertising real estate. I don't disagree on net neutrality, but, I think there's more threat of Amazon and Facebook controlling our lives than cable companies. It's all about data, and that's what tech companies do best. Airlines were once regulated as a public utility until 1978. Transportation is at least as important as the Internet.