Net Neutrality

[badrose]

What's going on with it and how concerned should we be?

[PedroDaGr8]

What's going on with it and how concerned should we be?

It is about to be gutted by Ajit Pai. You should be VERY concerned if you value your internet in its current form and you don't have many competitors. In its future form without net neutrality, expect to have heavy data caps unless you use your ISPs sanctioned providers, slower connections to non-sanctioned providers (as well as very limited data caps), etc. We already see signs of this with AT&T imposing strict and very limiting datacaps which exclude their own online video service. Nothing about repealing net neutrality is good for the consumer, literally nothing. On the other hand, if you are a high level investor in an ISP, you will be super happy to see it go because profits will be through the roof. In summary, expect limited choices, throttling of connections and higher prices, etc. without net neutrality.

[badrose]

Can it be stopped?

[PedroDaGr8]

Can it be stopped?
Complain to your Republican representatives. Call, write letters, encourage your friends to do the same. I'm not hopeful though.

ISPs are functional monopolies and duopolies in the USA. There are a few solutions, but none are truly capitalistic. It's just the nature of the market, the obscenely high barrier to entry makes it nigh impossible to have a true free market. Both CBBN and I agree on this, it's one of the few places where capitalism fails. My favorite system is in Idaho where the municipality handles the wiring of the entire city. They run what's commonly called the last mile, which is the really really expensive part. Then all sorts of ISPs offer their services as an exit point to the city network. It allows capitalism to flourish as best it can, while removing the market externalities. ISPs compete on speed and services offered, without suffering a huge start up coast. Great Britain did something similar as British Telecom handles the last mile but anyone who wants to be the ISP can. The result is the average user has 8 ISPs to chose from.

Ajit Pai hides this fact claiming he wants to reduce overhead and spur innovation by eliminating regulations, using the usual pro-business rhetoric. As a former Verizon lawyer, he is very very aware of the issues with the market and exploits the fact that the average American and average politician is not.

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[PedroDaGr8]

This is an example of why net neutrality is important:
https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2017/02/one-mans-losing-fight-to-use-his-own-cable-modem/

Notice what they are doing. Low data caps to prevent people from cutting TV service, can't use your own device, etc. All are to keep your use in a very specific way, locked in to only their approved services and effectively punished for using non-ISP services.

[badrose]

I've been getting emails from Fight For The Future for a while now. I donated some money last night.

http://fightforthefuture.org