Telcos Close To 'Deal' On Net Neutrality That Gives Them Everything They Want
from the careful-what-you-ask-for dept
Can't say we didn't warn people on this one. Way back in February, we suggested that people pushing for net neutrality legislation were going to be disappointed after the telco lobbyists got done with it. The telcos came ready for battle, hiring hundreds of former government employees, including 18 former members of Congress to lobby on their behalf. Back in June, we noted that the telcos were privately saying they were okay with net neutrality rules, so long as they helped shape them. Then, last month, we noted that, contrary to its promises of transparency and openness, the FCC was meeting behind closed doors in secret with those telco lobbyists.Well-connected telco-beat reporter Dave Burstein is now claiming that this past weekend, the top broadband lobbyists finalized the deal on their version of net neutrality, with part of the deal being a back-scratcher promise to dump a bunch of money into the campaign coffers of Democrats this upcoming election season:
This weekend, uber-lobbyists Cicconi (AT&T), Tauke (Verizon) and McSlarrow (Cable) are at the FCC to make a final deal on net neutrality, Arbogast and Kaut report. Ivan Seidenberg has put enormous pressure on the White House to intervene, and the rumor is that chief of staff Rahm Emanuel is telling agencies to go along. Seidenberg, who has been to the White House 16 times,made a major D.C. speech suggesting that the business community would throw their money and power against the Democrats in the campaign. NN was one of the specific points he demanded.Now, as Burstein notes, this isn't "final," so things could change, but everyone should have seen this coming. Yes, network neutrality principles are important, but fighting for network neutrality and understanding how the political process works are two different things -- and it's been obvious for years that any attempt to enshrine net neutrality in the law would almost certainly be twisted by telco lobbyists.
Under pressure like that, Julius has already agreed to almost everything Cicconi really wants, including loopholes wide enough to carry 350 TV channels. K & A say there is still some opposition so that nothing is final and that the public interest groups are ready to assail Julius. Meanwhile, Verizon and Google are discussing a separate peace that will make the FCC irrelevant.
This one is about power and money, not principle. The likely outcome is an agreement that will allow everyone to say noble things, will allow Julius to look himself in the mirror, and will essentially have no substance.
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Filed Under: lobbyists, net neutrality, telcos
Companies: fcc
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He discussed how the entire process of debate has gone from the hands of people to those of lobbyists. It's very frustrating to try to debate things when it's so far out of your reach, as to have no say in the outcome.
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This is why corporate disobedience is so good.
Unfortunately most people do not want to live at the edges, or should have to, so this attitude doesn't really resonate with the populace. Guerrilla warfare in this case, though, is entirely appropriate.
-C
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Re:
However, it can't happen with the way our government is run today. The politicians on both sides of the aisle prefer corporate campaign cash over satisfied voters. The people they represent don't matter nearly as much to them as the corporate donors who pay for their reelection campaigns. We went and legalized bribery and this is what we get for doing that.
If people ever want to have their voices heard in Washington again, we need to get corporate money out of the elections. Until that happens, corporations run the country. And since corporations are citizens now thanks to the Supreme Court, actual people are 2nd class citizens. We're the proles now; the megacorps are the plebes.
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Re: Re:
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Missing bits
Okay, what are those loopholes? This story is missing some key bits.
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Government needs to stay out
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Re: Government needs to stay out
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Re: Re: Government needs to stay out
They are competing - just not in the way you would like.
The problem is that providing a "vanilla" internet service doesn't really provide much scope for increasing profits so they are trying to add extra channels for revenue - most of which run counter to net neutrality.
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Re: Re: Re: Government needs to stay out
Yep, true capitalism at work, with laws going to the highest bidder. Don't like the laws? It's a free country, go outbid them!
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Re: Government needs to stay out
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Re: Government needs to stay out
Anyway, even if it WERE Obama's job to do this, do you really think he would?
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Re: Government needs to stay out
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Democracy my foot
It would make more sense, save more time and money for the (so-called) citizens, and be more realistic to have an auction every 4 years. Businesses can make bids on congressmen, the President and so on.
This would do wonders for equal opportunity in government - I bet Black or Hispanic candidates would come cheaper than the white ones and would quickly became the majority.
In this vein, Obama's next campaign slogan could be "Yes You Can Buy a Black President" (or did he use that last time? I forget...)
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Re: Democracy my foot
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Re: Re: Democracy my foot
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Re: Re: Re: Democracy my foot
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Democracy my foot
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Re: Re: Democracy my foot
Geld über alles!
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Re: Democracy my foot
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Just goes to show..
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Re: Just goes to show..
If you don't like it, vote the B#$T^&Ds out next election cycle.
This is how a Democracy works.
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Re: Re: Just goes to show..
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Net Neutrality
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In other words, wouldn't those participating in this lobbying be digging themselves into a hole?
I can't think of a single service I can live without online if paying more for it is the only option.
I guess I just don't see the big deal with this. It should work itself out.
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Re: You are correct
For instance. Why are we "paying" for connections at all? I know "why" - because historically everything was done via landlines. But the technology exists today to buy cheap $30 routers that can connect in ad-hoc mode.
Why not start a new network that simply requires the purchase of an ad-hoc router and build a global mesh network? Have one policy on the network - no walled gardens. Done.
-CF
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Re: Re: You are correct
The telco's have put a ton of money into the internet, and are largely responsible for how good it is. That swings both ways, as it has fallen behind in the last few years and is on the downswing, but it IS mostly theirs.
They have a right to be concerned about any laws drafting specifically in response to their business, but the behind-closed-doors nature of this makes it clear that they will go above and beyond protecting their interests into leaving themselves more rights than they should have. Because just because the network is mostly theirs, it isn't all theirs.
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Re: Re: You are correct
Isn't that how the Internet started? People hosting some sort of content (like a BBS or something) and other people dialing to that server?
That new network would be s*** in the beginning, but as soon as it picked up, boom, Internet 2.0.
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Re: Re: You are correct
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What are the loopholes?
I'm not saying (and I certainly wouldn't expect) any such deal to primarily and directly benefit business at the expense of consumers. But, it's a little difficult to get up in arms about it if there aren't any details.
I certainly expect better from TechDirt than just repeating unsubstantiated rumors.
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Re: What are the loopholes?
Read that as:
While I certainly would expect that any such deal would primarily and directly benefit business at the expense of consumers, it's a little difficult to get up in arms about it if there aren't any details.
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Re: Re: What are the loopholes?
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Re: What are the loopholes?
and exactly what did Techdirt report wrong? If you read the OP, it does mention that they are rumors, and I see nothing wrong with reporting rumors so long as they are reported as such.
and as far as getting upset, we should be getting upset. The govt expects to leave the public out of the legislative process so that when we get upset they can argue that we shouldn't be getting upset since we don't know anything yet? What, we're only supposed to get upset after the laws pass when it's already too late to do anything about it? In the meantime we're just supposed to trust that the govt has our best interest in mind better than we do and hence we shouldn't be allowed to participate? I think not. Getting upset is the appropriate response and it would be nice if more people were informed about this so that more people can be upset and hopefully pressure the govt to stop being so secretive.
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Any doubt now?
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Re: Any doubt now?
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haha bribery by a new name
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i think lobbiests should lobby for...
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and lobbiests should
hes bribable
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Since "the people" didn't make this law, and it doesn't benefit them, are they allowed to ignore it?
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Funny thing that no one noticed or seems to have commented on
The combination of Google launching 1Gbps fiber-to-the-home trial and Verizon Axing the FIOS Expansion happening with in a month of each other make me wonder. What is going on between the search giant and the Verizon? Could this be rolled out on a limited scale, then use the fiber Verizon has laid to the home. If googles trial occurs on the east coast this could well be a possibility.
Also Mike - "peace" should be "piece"
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No Doubt
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You're wrong
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USA
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Metallica said it best...
Or into it what you read?
You can do it your own way
If it's done just how I say
Independence limited
Freedom of choice
Is made for you, my friend
Freedom of speech is words that they will bend
Freedom with their exception
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Re: Metallica said it best...
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Money talks
Money buys access in a lot of places.
What I am curious is why anti-IP folks think that the world will change if there are no IP protection laws. Seems like those with access to capital will be able to control the markets under that scenario, too.
Let's say you have a good idea. A big company with deep resources hears about it and beats you to market with it.
It's been often argued here that ideas are easy and execution is hard. So if a company has access to all the necessary resources, they should be able to execute quickly if they are nimble.
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Re: Money talks
It's been often argued here that ideas are easy and execution is hard. So if a company has access to all the necessary resources, they should be able to execute quickly if they are nimble.
Let's say you have a good idea. A big company with deep legal resources hears about it and beats you up with bogus patent claims.
It's been often argued here that ideas are easy and execution is hard. But if a company has access to all the necessary legal resources, they shouldn't need to execute at all.
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Re: Re: Money talks
Is the concept of IP protection wrong, or is it just a matter of the system being abused? People who don't have a legitimate claim shouldn't be able to do this and the system should be fixed to disallow it.
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Re: Money talks
What I am curious about is why pro-IP folks think that laws should go to the highest bidder.
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Re: Re: Money talks
I suppose until we have strong election finance reform and also rein in lobbyists, everything will go to the highest bidder. But that means more legislation. If it is entirely a free market economy then it probably will be about money, don't you think?
I guess I think corporations will always act like corporations if given the chance. So even if we eliminate IP protection, they will use whatever resources they have to their advantage.
So that's what I am asking. If we eliminate IP protection, won't corporations still use their resources to their advantage? Will the playing field be leveled or will it go even more in favor of those who have resources?
Seems like corporations buying what they want in DC is exactly what they should be doing.
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Re: Re: Re: Money talks
I suppose it boils down to whether you think *everything* should be in the market or not.
I guess I think corporations will always act like corporations if given the chance. So even if we eliminate IP protection, they will use whatever resources they have to their advantage.
They will do so anyway. IP laws are just more way, they don't eliminate other ways.
So that's what I am asking. If we eliminate IP protection, won't corporations still use their resources to their advantage?
They will use everything at their disposal, regardless.
Will the playing field be leveled or will it go even more in favor of those who have resources?
Greed knows no bounds. They can never be given "enough".
Seems like corporations buying what they want in DC is exactly what they should be doing.
Like I said, it depends on whether you think *everything* should be for sale. For those who worship money, the answer is obvious.
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Money talks
Would you support new legislation that limits contributions to political candidates and limits the access lobbyists can have to lawmakers?
If not, do you see other solutions to corporations influencing laws?
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ANARCHY!
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