I think a lot of my friends and family who aren't political, are shell shocked. Everyday is a new outrage. Or two or three.

I don’t mean it as “nothing is being done” but the outrage meter was pegged the last time this came up.

I agree on the shell shock though. It’s mind numbingly frustrating how fast and loud things are coming at us byt we have to prioritize our concern and outrage and I would say that this merits the top of the list between now and Dec 14th.

but we may not have time left.

go to this site.

https://www.freepress.net/

I just worry, last time this came up websites had black banners and Goggle and Wikipedia and everyone was on board now it’s a lot less zeal for the fight

No amount of emails or letters or phone calls will change the opinions of the Republican majority making this decision.

Our efforts will be better spent trying to find a legal challenge to this eventual reversal.

and decide what we get to view.

I hate this!

Today I'm feeling like we should just write America off and move someplace else.

That would effectively slow down the internet for the non-privileged while allowing Dump and his KGB buddies to build an enemies list.

Personally, I'd like to keep the USofA intact (America is a much larger organization) but invite all the plutocrats, 'uglican congress-critters, thumpers, etc. to marelago for a joyous vacation and rounds of golf while it is flooded and surrounded by real critters (alligators).

All other issues will become invisible without an open internet!!!!!!

Although it's possible that the legislators and other officials beholden to the telcom companies with obsolete business models are about to feel the wrath of Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple and other powerful players... not that I'd ever choose giant intrusive corporations to be defenders of my rights.

My personal act of resistance has been to boycott cable, satellite, and broadcast television entirely. I told Comcast they could go suck a cholla cactus a long time ago.

In the 1980's I had the internet thru satallite then Comcast came - $15 a month for the internet now it is $140.00 a month and they want more!.........poor babies

My local Comcast and Pacific Bell customer service people didn't know what the internet was back then. Asking for it would only confuse them.

I got lucky to live in a place where ex-Silicon Valley types settled, many essentially retired, so there was a lively local market of independent Internet Service Providers. You could connect by dial-up, or the next step up, by what was then called an "alarm line," which was simply a twisted pair of copper wires leading from your house, through Pacific Bell's downtown switching station, to the ISP. If the stars were aligned it was faster than dialup, and much less expensive than a telephone company ISDN or fractional T1 connection. That connection has morphed into DSL. The independent ISP I use also does a lot of line-of-site wireless to places with poor landline phone connections and no cable. They are competitive with the usual cell phone carriers, offering "unlimited data" at a lower price. (My wife's parents, living in a more rural area, are stuck with AT&T wireless for their internet.)

My wife and I used to have Comcast. Everyone has cable television, right? I think it was about $29 a month, and it wasn't terrible.

Somewhere around the time it got above $50 a month for a much lesser service saturated with advertising, we said no. Rather than disconnect us as requested, Comcast left a small positive balance on our account and badgered us with "special" deals for almost a year, including some $29 a month deals. They'd call at least once a week, and would even send people knocking on our door.

I got fed up and went to their office. I threatened to attach a cable winch to their line at my house and see what I pulled up. They refunded my thirty-something cents, and didn't call for a few weeks.

But then, sure enough, they returned, knocking at my door, offering a "move in special."

I felt sorry then for the customer service guy I'd ranted on in the Comcast office. He was so afraid that disconnects would hurt his numbers that he'd marked us down as "moved."

My biggest problem with cable television is that some of my subscription money pays for corporations I despise, for example Fox News.

Why am I paying to have garbage I don't want delivered to my house?

That's why internet neutrality is important to me. You shouldn't be able to buy a few elected officials and appointed regulators to get yourself a fast lane on the internet to the exclusion of others.

But we don't watch T.V. so don't have to worry about junk spewed on the screen.

Price is around $70/mo with very decent speeds (10-20Mbps). Back in the days of bonded dial-ups of 24,400 baud I would have paid handsomely for this capability.

However I also worry about what this will do to the "content" providers like Google-youtube. I think the ripple effects will allow more and more providers to favoritize certain customers, certain messages.

If anybody has ideas for small-cell non-corporate communications networks that can be put up with solar panels and no state/federal/Russian interference, I'm all ears!

... or they do it anyways because they can still profit from it.

For example:

https://www.corp.att.com/wholesale/docs/internet/isp_listings.html

Maybe build out an independent ISP from there, or find someone nearby who's already doing it. (I'm not selling AT&T, it's simply their page was first up in my google search. I've had disagreements with them too...)

My parents used to live in a remote place with a one-man ISP. I think he started out as a contractor getting the local schools and libraries connected. The local phone company wasn't yet interested in selling internet services. The big players always install lots of excess fiber capacity, in excess of the market they expect, since the biggest expense is digging the trenches, hanging the fibers, or snaking them through existing conduit.

I can go pretty low when it comes to "viable" internet. I grew up in 300 baud modem days. My first few years on DU were through a 24k modem, images turned off, using the Opera browser which could be set up to refuse the bulkier cruft of any website. Comcast has got no handle on me. (I haven't tried the modern https DU3 on dialup.)

Politically, I think there ought to be universal free wireless. We have an interstate highway system and public streets, so why not free internet? Rural electrification and telephone service were successful. Put wifi on every streetlight and along every highway. Take away some television channels that will never be occupied in rural areas and reallocate their use to rural wireless internet.

I don't know how we teach people hypnotized by their televisions to demand it. In several nations they've decided internet access is a basic human right; life and liberty in the twenty-first century.

We have the technology, and here in the U.S.A. we certainly have the resources.

Unfortunately too many of our politicians are bought and do not truly represent the best interest of the people who elected them. U.S. politicians are always waving their arms saying certain things are impossible, things that have already been accomplished in other nations.

It's a political problem.

Of course going from the 029 card punch to the ASR-33 was even better.

I truly believe that only grass-root rebellion will open up communication channels that allow people to talk to one another using the public airwaves and without being snooped upon by every link along the internet chain-of-control. Let alone the US and other corporations changing the messages that we all see on our "smart" phones and/or "entertainment" devices.

This

Disaster politics. Make so much turmoil that one more thing will get lost in the all the outrage.

WE CANNOT BE DISTRACTED TO THE POINT OF IGNORING THIS THREAT.

We will reimpose net neutrality and force companies to pay back customers for the damages

The vote on this is in the first part of December. If Internet providers begin throttling soon after, that will have enormous harm on Democratic effort to Get Out The Vote. As well, there's no guarantee we will take back anything.

There is no reason to put off the fight to save Net Neutrality.

It's one thing to deregulate a market where there is a lot of competition. It's something else to deregulate a market like Internet service where there is little competition.

Because there is so little competition, I'd like to see local high-speed Internet service municipalized and regulated as necessary by local governments for everyone's benefit, i.e. public utility.

to dissolve Net Neutrality.

Left a message. I expect him to fall in line with DOTUS on everything.

They are framing this as "Internet Freedom", the lying jackals. Please go to https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/filings/express and under "Proceedings" type in 17-108 and fill out the form along with your comments. You will regret it if you don't do everything you can to stop this.

Thankfully I live in a blue state where my representatives vote on the right side of the issues. Please call your representatives right now if they are voting against Net Neutrality. Thank you to all who have already called or are planning to call.

just sent my filing in.

And it appears to be working because too many people want their "facts" handfed.

I tweeted at the FCC this morning but this one seems much better (with a confirmation number).

I told them how my grandsons rely on the internet and to keep it free and equal!

You would think that would be a huge deal, but it isn't. Outside of places like DU I never hear anyone talking about it. But even on DU, did people care enough about it that the top priority was making sure Trump wasn't elected, the number one thing that would have prevented this? Nope. Instead, the priority was making sure one's candidate won a primary and/or their hatred of another candidate that might win instead. It's just never been a priority for just about anyone. And now we're paying the price.

Link to tweet

Ro Khanna ?Verified account @RoKhanna

In Portugal, with no net neutrality, internet providers are starting to split the net into packages.

And yet, here we are.

I'm sorry to be such a downer about this, but I do believe there are some things we are past the point of doing anything about. Consequences. The only hope is fixing the damage in the future. Hopefully, this is something that can be repaired.

Along with the link to call congress critters.

https://www.battleforthenet.com/?ref=fftfad8266

That meme is Meo's Smart Net packages giving the option of buying a group of apps which won't consume your internet data use. From what I've read, it's controversial for sure, but the good news is last year, the EU's telecommunications regulator (BEREC - Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications) published guidelines which would implement net neutrality.

Easy, quick, and you know it will be tallied. Also, here is the script:

I’m urging FCC Chairman Ajit Pai to preserve real Net Neutrality under the FCC’s existing rules and keep broadband internet access classified under Title II.

Copy, paste. Done.

I can't say I am optimistic but dammit this needs to be splashed across all sites front pages... Because kiss DU and millions more sites bye bye if NN is killed off.

wired magazine has a slightly different take on how much net neutrality there is to save, putting that aside for now they point out the need for COMPETITION

Wall Street and our version of capitalism works AGAINST competition.


https://www.wired.com/story/fcc-prepares-to-unveil-plan-to-gut-net-neutrality/


comment here, self deleted, cant talk about how we got here, not allowed

Knowing Skinner as I do, I seriously doubt he will. I'd like to be wrong.

And hence,
I'll post the link again.

https://www.battleforthenet.com/?ref=fftfad8266

Example: A "Video" package for $10 / mo would allow you access to YouTube. If you don't buy this package, you'll be blocked from using the site (like with cable). You'll also get a "social media" package that grants you access to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. Access to news sites would be restricted unless if you buy the "News" package for another $10 / mo.

Unapproved sites will be blocked entirely, or slowed down to a crawl. That includes DU. If you want to access unapproved sites, you'll need to buy the "external sites" package for $20 / mo.

That, or "Unapproved" businesses must pay the telecom to be given an "approved" status so that people can visit their website. This would be a subscription-type model for businesses. Example: DU would need to pay Comcast a set fee per month or year to be unblocked.

This would all be on top of your current internet fee, which won't change. Basically, the entire internet will become like cable - segmented into channel packages. Major websites like YouTube will be stuck behind paywalls. Here's an example:



Of course, this would probably crash the economy, but I doubt the telecom companies would care. Have to fleece every last dollar from your customers!

Hi DU! I don't post often, basically visit to read. But this NET Neutrality is very disturbing.

The picture above is exactly what they're planning to do, block & create subset site packages. Back in the day when I was a child my grandmother was the first person I knew of who had "Cable" it was only HBO & some public access channels. It was $10 a month it was installed on every television in the apartment (we live in NYC) & included a thick book listing all the movies they had to offer. That was in the 70's; fast forward to 2017. Granny's long gone; I have RCN installed on one telly & the cost is over $150 per month.

This is only going to increase w/NET Neutrality. When the republicans in the RED states are unable to access their porn & NAZI sites for free then they'll complain...to late.


Oneironaut may I copy & tweet your picture?

More on this today link below

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/11/fcc-will-also-order-states-to-scrap-plans-for-their-own-net-neutrality-laws/

Senior FCC officials also provided some more details on the rollback of federal net neutrality rules. For the most part, all consumer protections in the 2015 net neutrality order are being eliminated. That goes beyond the core net neutrality rules that outlaw blocking, throttling, and paid prioritization.

For example, rules requiring disclosure of hidden fees and data caps will be overturned. The FCC will relinquish its role in evaluating whether ISPs can charge competitors for data cap exemptions and will no longer oversee interconnection disputes that harm Internet service quality. For a longer list of what's being eliminated, check out this previous article from July. As we wrote then, numerous consumer protections rely on the FCC's Title II common carrier authority to regulate broadband providers, and those rules will go away as a consequence of Pai's plan to eliminate the Title II classification.

Pai's proposal does add one new requirement—ISPs will have to make public disclosures if they engage in blocking or throttling of Internet content, and they will have to disclose deals that prioritize content from affiliates or content from companies that pay ISPs for priority access.

There won't be any specific FCC rules preventing Internet providers from blocking, throttling, or prioritizing content in exchange for payment. It would be up to the Federal Trade Commission or other consumer protection agencies to determine whether specific conduct should be allowed, FCC officials said. The new disclosure requirements will help the FTC and other agencies decide whether to take action against ISPs, the officials said.

like roy moore and all things trump and russian, this too can be protested at 88 universities that continue to broadcast sports on, and therefore support, 257 pro-trump, pro-moore, pro-putin limbaugh republican radio stations.

limbaugh and the others have spent many hours lying that net neutrality keeps internet costs high and is goverment control of the internet instead of govt protection from corporate control. those are the same arguments they used/screamed for 9 years after reagan killed the fairness doctrine in 87 to push the tel com deregulation and create fox 'news' in 96.

ignoring talk radio continues to be the biggest political mistake in history and limbaugh will soon be able to add net neutrality on his trophy wall next to trump.

republicans would freak out at the thought that a few universities deciding to start looking for apolitical alternatives would shame others and their most important media advantage would fall apart as more schools did the same and advertisers fled by the 1000s.

media would notice.

From republicanradio.org:

ALABAMA 8  Auburn 3, Alabama 2, Southern Alabama 2, Troy 1
ARIZONA 2 Arizona St. 1, Arizona 1
ARKANSAS 3 Arkansas 3
CALIFORNIA 5 San Jose State 2, USC 2, Fresno St. 1
COLORADO 4 Air Force 2, Colorado 1, Colorado State 1
CONNECTICUT 1 Connecticut 1
FLORIDA 20 Florida 10, Florida St. 4 Miami 2, South Florida 2, Central Florida 2
GEORGIA 14 Georgia 7, Georgia Tech 5, Georgia Southern 2
IDAHO 7  Boise St. 4, Idaho 3
ILLINOIS 7 Illinois 7
INDIANA 11 Notre Dame 6, Purdue 4, Indiana 1
IOWA 5 Iowa 4, Iowa St. 1
KANSAS 4 Kansas St. 2, Kansas 1, Wichita St. 1
KENTUCKY 3 Louisville 2, Kentucky 1
LOUSIANA 3 LSU 2, La.-Monroe 1
MARYLAND 2 Maryland 2
MASSACHUSETTS 1 Boston College 1
MICHIGAN 19 Michigan St. 11, Michigan 7, Western Michigan 1
MINNESOTA 4 Minnesota 4
MISSISSIPPI 6 Mississippi St. 3, Mississippi 2, Southern Miss 1
MISSOURI 6 Missouri 6
NEBRASKA 6 Nebraska 6
NEVADA 1 Nevada 1
NEW JERSEY 2 Rutgers 1, Seton Hall 1
NEW MEXICO 3 New Mexico 2, New Mexico St. 1
NEW YORK 7 Syracuse 6, Army 1
NORTH CAROLINA 16 North Carolina 8, North Carolina State 3, Duke 3, East Carolina 2
OHIO 10 Ohio St. 6, Toledo 1, Dayton 1, Bowling Green 1, Xavier 1
OKLAHOMA 5 Oklahoma St. 3, Oklahoma 1, Oral Roberts 1
OREGON 12 Oregon St. 7, Oregon 5
PENNSYLVANIA 14 Penn St. 11, Pittsburgh 2, Temple 1
SOUTH CAROLINA 4 South Carolina 2, Clemson 2
TENNESSEE 7 Tennessee 4, Memphis 3
TEXAS 16 Texas A&M 9, Texas Tech 4, Texas 1, Texas Christian 1, Baylor 1
UTAH 1 Utah St. 1
VIRGINIA 6 Virginia Tech 5, Virginia 1
WASHINGTON 6 Washington 5, Washington St. 1
WEST VIRGINIA 2 West Virginia 1, Marshall 1
WISCONSIN 5 Wisconsin 5

Absolutely powerless, assuming that we don't individually have $10M to spend on lobbying.

Before anyone criticizes me for complacency, let me state that I would love to hear what I might have done and what I might now do to influence the Senators, Representatives and officials completely beholden to their corporate masters.

But you’re not in this fight alone. It adding you voice to millions that make a difference.

Go to here:
https://www.battleforthenet.com/?ref=fftfad8266

Kamala Harris has a petition:
https://upload.democraticunderground.com/10029873910

Common Dreams link:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.commondreams.org/news/2017/11/21/internet-defenders-urge-mass-revolt-fight-fccs-scorched-earth-attack-net-neutrality%3Famp

plures voces ad unum

That's not sarcasm--she's a force of nature. If I have one complaint about her, it's that she's not already in the White House.

Can't access her petition from work, but I'll sign when I get home.

Trump's FCC knows that most people don't want it...and it doesn't care.

A lot of the smarter ones know Obama was right. But they're outnumbered by about 10:1 on the freeper thread on this last I looked.

Anyway, too late, elections have consequences and all that. Get ready for shite telecom content and paying extra for the "premium" stuff you're now accessing along with everything else.

Loosening rules on internet providers would let big
companies charge more for their services. But a suit to
block a merger signals a tougher stance against big business.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/21/business/net-neutrality-antitrust-.html?

A VPN is an outside service that encrypts your internet transmissions, both incoming and outgoing.
You send encrypted data to them and they decrypt it, send it out to the internet, receive replies, encrypt them and send them back to you.

That way your ISP knows you are sending data to the VPN company but they have no way to see what it is or where it goes after that.
This way you can continue to connect to sites your ISP censors without them interfering.

-- Until they censor data going to VPN companies that is, which will be perfectly fine under the new laws.

ISPs can also increase your fees by charging you based on your data use. It would become more prohibitive to stream a movie or listen to music online whether you are using a VPN or not.

What a wonderful world we are heading into courtesy of Donald Trump.

Plus all those congress critters who don't get it, and those who would love to be able to censor the net.

You = everyone at DU

I watch gamers, both amateur and professional, play video games at twitch.tv. It's a growing form of entertainment and broadcasting, and pretty much all of them will be dead in the water if net neutrality fails. Granted, Amazon runs Twitch but Amazon is more worried about the bottom line than Twitch's well-being. I could see Amazon demanding more money from the Twitch "broadcasters" (currently around 50% of gross proceeds) and I could see many of the Twitch people saying f that and quitting.

At any rate, last night I was watching this 23 year old pro gamer. Like most young people, he's obviously pretty apolitical and ignorant of the issues. He is a bright guy, however. There was a long discussion of net neutrality live on air, and he seems to get it. This is a really big deal, that ordinarily apathetic and apolitical gamers care enough to discuss it.

Net neutrality was saved earlier, and I think it will be saved again. I'll do my part.

Great story, my children and I are avid gamers (WoW, PUBG, CSGO, Eve Online and several others) so it would be great if the MMORPG and others, especially CSGO and PUBG players and teams and sponsors, advocated to and educated it’s viewers about it.

He's been playing Counterstrike more or less professionally for many years and he's very good. Hopefully he'll keep talking about this issue.

He was a famous CSGO player that played with Cloud 9 and quit and it now on PUBG

He's amazingly fast at PUBG.

A friend and I was talking about him yesterday. If I didn’t know better, and I do, cheating in PUBG is almost impossible, I’d say he is aimbotting. His aim is scary accurate and fast.

When I was watching him I saw him miss at times and even die. He even talked a lot about cheaters and how they might get banned by PUBG but maybe not Twitch.

Link to tweet

That's awfully vague and inflammatory. Can you elaborate? Where did you read that "very disturbing" bit of info? When did you read that?

If someone is going to accuse a Democrat of being "beholden to" any corporate entity, it's probably a good idea if you back it up the accusation with facts, rather than preemptively excusing yourself by letting us know that "you can't find current info".

And what's up with the collusion accusations? I mean, honestly, come on! Seriously? That's tin-foil-hat stuff right there... and again, you've offered nothing to support these inflammatory statements.

And I'm sorry to tell you that simply admitting to being "cynical" isn't enough to get you a free pass.



PS: Welcome to DU!

That seems to be the "divide and conquer" strategy of most, not all, Republicans.