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FCC Changing the Broadband Rules

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Posted on May 7, 2010
Flickr / fccdotgov

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski at a meeting in Washington.

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski has announced that the agency will work to reclassify broadband Internet as a telecommunication service, like the telephone, effectively allowing the agency to oversee Internet transmission.

The idea is to ensure that Internet service providers do not discriminate in delivering services. The FCC will not regulate rates or content. —JCL

The New York Times:

The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission outlined a plan on Thursday that would allow the agency to control the transmission component of high-speed Internet, but not rates or content.

In announcing the F.C.C. decision, Julius Genachowski, the commission’s chairman, said the agency would begin a process to reclassify broadband transmission service as a telecommunications service, subjecting the Internet to some of the same oversight as telephone services.

But, he said, the commission would also exempt broadband service from many of the rules affecting telephone service, seeking mainly to guarantee that Internet service providers could not discriminate against certain applications, Internet sites or users.

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By DoctorStrangeLove, May 12, 2010 at 3:54 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

You’re all forgetting something very, very important:
If the FCC does not regulate broadband, then private companies will. Meaning they can decide (like satellite providers) to charge more for access in certain homes than in others; or allow greater speeds for content-providers who pay more.  In other words, they can throw ‘net neutrality’ out the window.

FCC regulation is a necessity to enforce ‘net neutrality’ and to ensure a free, democratic, and open internet for EVERYONE (not just those who can afford it!).

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By mike112769, May 8, 2010 at 12:20 pm Link to this comment

Yeah, right…I’m sure they wouldn’t regulate content…just like China.

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Leefeller's avatar

By Leefeller, May 8, 2010 at 7:02 am Link to this comment

Maybe while they figure out how to add another tax on my satellite service like all the taxes on my cell phone, they can figure out a way to tax the pope!

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By samosamo, May 8, 2010 at 6:51 am Link to this comment

*****************


I’m still trying find out and/or want to know why the
$70,000,000,000.00 worth of PUBLIC BROADBAND was given
away as a gift to the private corporations mainly because of slick
willie’s just giving the OK in his 1996 FCC act and that bleeds us
dry by something that is OURS.
******************
““Consumer activist Ralph Nader argued the act was an example
of corporate welfare spawned by political corruption, because it
gave away to incumbent broadcasters valuable licenses for
broadcasting digital signals on the public airwaves.[22][23]
There was a requirement in the act that the FCC not auction off
the public spectrum which the FCC itself valued at $11-$70
billion.[22][24]”“
******************

From wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telecommunications_Act_of_1996

From fcc
http://www.fcc.gov/telecom.html

One of many insidious pieces of corporate welfare that blatantly
and openly shows the criminal bribery of elected officials, called
lobbying, which is really two complimenting acts of crime; those
who pay for the influence of government officials(elected,
appointed or hired) and those taking the bribes to enhance their
own personal financial gain at the expense of US the taxpayer.

FORD= Fucked On’a REAL DEAL!

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G.Anderson's avatar

By G.Anderson, May 7, 2010 at 8:51 pm Link to this comment

And why should we trust them?

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By TheBrix57, May 7, 2010 at 8:42 pm Link to this comment

And this brings about competition in the broadband field by doing what?

None of the rates will go down. New technology will be at whatever the company decides. Connecting rural America will stay at the same pace as before.

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