General Discussion

Moliere

(285 posts) Thu Jun 19, 2014, 01:07 AM Jun 2014

Former FCC Commissioner: “We Should Be Ashamed Of Ourselves” For State of Broadband In The U.S.

http://consumerist.com/2014/06/18/former-fcc-commissioner-we-should-be-ashamed-of-ourselves-for-state-of-broadband-in-the-u-s/

Copps, however, was anything but retrospective when he stood to speak. “I’m not here to celebrate,” he began, “I’m here to advocate.” And the landscape he laid out is indeed not one to cheer for.

He led off by agreeing with the several executive speakers that true competition is the way of the future, and the best way to serve consumers. “But we haven’t given competition the chance it needs,” he continued, before referring to how poorly U.S. broadband compares on the global stage. “We have fallen so far short that we should be ashamed of ourselves. We should be leading, and we’re not. We need to get serious about broadband, we need to get serious about competition, we need to get serious about our country.”

Yes we are ashamed. And yes we can get serious.

14 replies

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Highlight:

Former FCC Commissioner: “We Should Be Ashamed Of Ourselves” For State of Broadband In The U.S. (Original Post) Moliere Jun 2014 OP

K&R.... daleanime Jun 2014 #1

the new guy is all in favor of strangling the internet for corporate profit nt msongs Jun 2014 #2

+1 an entire shit load. Enthusiast Jun 2014 #8

Wish he coulda been the head commissioner Armstead Jun 2014 #3

Kudos to Copps! Uncle Joe Jun 2014 #4

Firefox has put out a great video concerning this... alittlelark Jun 2014 #5

Here are the Congressional opponents: freshwest Jun 2014 #6

I Agree 100% supercats Jun 2014 #7

Sitting here in West Cornwall (UK) intaglio Jun 2014 #9

Cognitive dissonance PATRICK Jun 2014 #10

i sell broadband to business--work with most carriers and availability is not good dembotoz Jun 2014 #11

When new tech goes it, it goes in at a fairly sophisticated level. Igel Jun 2014 #12

it's corporatized like our healthcare and schools. only morons cannot Doctor_J Jun 2014 #13

The fact that it's always "Former X" who speaks out tells you all you need to know phantom power Jun 2014 #14

daleanime

(17,796 posts)

1. K&R....

Reply to Moliere (Original post)

Thu Jun 19, 2014, 01:08 AM

Jun 2014

msongs

(67,395 posts)

2. the new guy is all in favor of strangling the internet for corporate profit nt

Reply to Moliere (Original post)

Thu Jun 19, 2014, 01:11 AM

Jun 2014

Enthusiast

(50,983 posts)

8. +1 an entire shit load.

Reply to msongs (Reply #2)

Thu Jun 19, 2014, 03:21 AM

Jun 2014

Armstead

(47,803 posts)

3. Wish he coulda been the head commissioner

Reply to Moliere (Original post)

Thu Jun 19, 2014, 01:12 AM

Jun 2014

Copps always made the most sense, and was always the one who advocated for the people.

Instead we're stuck with a media whore.

Uncle Joe

(58,355 posts)

4. Kudos to Copps!

Reply to Moliere (Original post)

Thu Jun 19, 2014, 01:13 AM

Jun 2014

http://consumerist.com/2014/06/18/former-fcc-commissioner-we-should-be-ashamed-of-ourselves-for-state-of-broadband-in-the-u-s/

For all that the current bout of mergers — Comcast with TWC, AT&T with DirecTV, and maybe even Sprint with T-Mobile — seems inevitable, it’s not. The mania for consolidation, Copps said, did not fall ordained from the hand of God, derive from natural law, or arise organically from an unfettered free market. It is, instead, the result of “conscious public policy choices” that shape the business environment we live in.

(snip)

He called back to an earlier speaker, who had pointed out that the internet, to most users, had become about the very core of freedom of expression: the freedom to say, read, and watch what we want. And with “the likelihood of gatekeeper control” impending, in the form of the FCC’s new proposed net neutrality rule, those freedoms are in danger.

In the end, Copps directly challenged both the FCC and current members of Congress to do more, and do better. “Our democracy depends on what happens between now and the end of this year,” he said. “Are we going to have regulators and legislators with enough gumption to make this happen?”[

(snip)

“Whose internet is it anyway? And whose democracy is it anyway?”

Thanks for the thread, Moliere.

alittlelark

(18,890 posts)

5. Firefox has put out a great video concerning this...

Reply to Moliere (Original post)

Thu Jun 19, 2014, 01:35 AM

Jun 2014

https://webwewant.mozilla.org/en/#video

I love my Firefox.....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025119703

freshwest

(53,661 posts)

6. Here are the Congressional opponents:

Reply to Moliere (Original post)

Thu Jun 19, 2014, 01:36 AM

Jun 2014

Meet the Republicans trying to sell the internet to the highest bidder

by Marcos Da Silva - June 18, 2014

In May, 28 members of the House of Representatives lobbied the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to drop net neutrality, the idea that Internet service providers should treat all data that travels over their networks equally. The lawmakers proposed instead a system that would allow Internet service providers (ISPs) to provide better access to some websites willing to pay a higher premium, creating new ways for ISPs to manipulate how internet users access websites and erecting new barriers to entry for small businesses.

The FCC heard them loud and clear and also proposed allowing the creation of Internet fast lanes, but hope is not lost. Congressional Democrats have heroically come to the rescue, unveiling legislation yesterday that would force the FCC to ban Internet fast lanes.

However, the bill may face strong opposition from those 28 lawmakers, who include House Speaker John Boehner, Majority Leader Eric Cantor, Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy and Republican Conference Chairman Cathy McMorris Rodgers of the House Leadership. They received more than 2.3 times the amount in campaign contributions from the cable and satellite TV production & distribution sector than the average for all members of the House of Representatives...

Walden — the top sector recipient by far at $109,250, and its most vocal supporter — had the audacity to claim that keeping the internet neutral is an “unwarranted and overreaching government intrusion into the broadband marketplace.” Walden also happens to be Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and most importantly, the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, which has jurisdiction over the FCC...

There is a lot more at the link, but I thought that last part I emboldened really tells the tale here. The GOP representatives are doing what they do best, graft and extortion.

http://www.occupydemocrats.com/meet-the-republicans-trying-to-sell-the-internet-to-the-highest-bidder/

supercats

(429 posts)

7. I Agree 100%

Reply to Moliere (Original post)

Thu Jun 19, 2014, 02:34 AM

Jun 2014

But it's the same old story these days...The corporations ONLY care about money and could care less about customer satisfaction especially when they know we have no where to go. That used to be a criminal offense but these days it's business as usual. Do away with monopolies and bring back competition.

intaglio

(8,170 posts)

9. Sitting here in West Cornwall (UK)

Reply to Moliere (Original post)

Thu Jun 19, 2014, 04:56 AM

Jun 2014

I am on broadband, not only that but I have a fibreoptic connection 50Mb per second download and 13 Mb per second upload

PATRICK

(12,228 posts)

10. Cognitive dissonance

Reply to Moliere (Original post)

Thu Jun 19, 2014, 07:32 AM

Jun 2014

or bald lies, true believer in the corporate memes or simple pocket liner. Get rid of him if he can't see himself as a dupe, a part of the problem. Or he should resign instead of acting surprised and expecting things to realign along his personal nice wish list.

dembotoz

(16,800 posts)

11. i sell broadband to business--work with most carriers and availability is not good

Reply to Moliere (Original post)

Thu Jun 19, 2014, 07:56 AM

Jun 2014

even is urban areas
it is like putting in electric lines all over again
the infrastructure just is not there.

and folks who claim not to worry because they can just use wireless--yah right
good luck with that

Igel

(35,300 posts)

12. When new tech goes it, it goes in at a fairly sophisticated level.

Reply to dembotoz (Reply #11)

Thu Jun 19, 2014, 09:20 AM

Jun 2014

And takes a lot of money.

Unless you're willing to reinvest every few years--undercutting the whole "we're engaging in long-term investing" and "investing for the future"--your tech gets outdated.

Our cable line went in in 2006 because it's a new subdivision. What it connects to was put in years before.

Most places still have heavy reliance on landline phones. Unless you go to someplace that only has really seen phone service introduced in the last decade to 15 years. Then you see exclusive reliance on cell phones. One thing that would speed up the transfer to cell phones in the US would be making it easy for landline #s to become cell numbers, and to have all the perks that you get with landlines--central switchboards, easy rerouting, etc. Stability in the interface and lower prices would be nice, too.

Doctor_J

(36,392 posts)

13. it's corporatized like our healthcare and schools. only morons cannot

Reply to Moliere (Original post)

Thu Jun 19, 2014, 09:53 AM

Jun 2014

make the connection between our dedication to profitizing everything and our third world status on essentials.

phantom power

(25,966 posts)

14. The fact that it's always "Former X" who speaks out tells you all you need to know

Reply to Moliere (Original post)

Thu Jun 19, 2014, 11:29 AM

Jun 2014

the people who actually make things happen -- the "current X" -- mysteriously never speak out, or do anything.

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