FCC Boss Celebrates As Net Neutrality Gets An End Date: June 11
from the Comcastic dept
Nearly six months after the Trump FCC voted to kill net neutrality protections, we finally have an official date for the formal elimination of the rules. According to an FCC announcement, (pdf) the FCC's comically and misleadingly-named "Restoring Internet Freedom" order will formally take effect on June 11, eliminating rules that have the bipartisan support of a huge majority of Americans (not to mention many of the people that built the damn internet).
In a statement patting himself on the back for a job well done, FCC boss Ajit Pai simply doubles down on all of the routinely-debunked falsehoods his agency has used to justify the repeal up to this point, including the claim that killing consumer protections and pandering to Comcast somehow lowers prices and protects "free expression":
"On June 11, we will have a framework in place that encourages innovation and investment in our nation’s networks so that all Americans, no matter where they live, can have access to better, cheaper, and faster Internet access and the jobs, opportunities, and platform for free expression that it provides."
Of course if you've been following the net neutrality fight this claim is laughable. Giving telecom monopolies operating in a broken market unchecked authority to abuse a lack of competition will raise rates and stifle free expression in a myriad of ways. From bogus usage caps and zero rating to interconnection shenanigans (where ISPs use their power to drive up costs for transit and content competitors), these costs and unfair restrictions, sooner or later, will be dropped in the lap of consumers, startups and smaller competitors across the entire internet ecosystem.
Meanwhile, Pai also tries to double down on the claim that next-generation networks are only made possible by gutting oversight of some of the least-liked and least-competitive companies in America. He also tries to float the idea that "special interests" (not an overwhelming, bipartisan majority of Americans) are to blame for the massive backlash to his repeal:
"And we will embrace a modern, forward-looking approach that will help the United States lead the world in 5G, the next generation of wireless connectivity. For months, many politicians and special interests have tried to mislead the American people about the Restoring Internet Freedom Order. Now everyone will be able to see the truth for themselves."
Yes, yes we will.
Unfortunately, starting in late June, ISPs, the Pai FCC, and the industry's dollar-per-hollar consultants are going to try to argue that because the Earth didn't immediately shatter into a million pieces on June 12 it must mean that the net neutrality rules weren't important. But anybody expecting ISPs like Comcast to immediately begin behaving badly in the wake of the repeal doesn't understand how this is going to work.
While there's certain to be some providers that just can't help themselves, most large ISPs are going to try and be on their best behavior for a while, even after the rules are repealed.
Why? They're wisely concerned that the FCC may lose in court, thanks to all of the procedural missteps, half truths and flimsy data belched forth from Pai's office during the repeal. ISPs are also worried about the fact that more than half the states in the nation are now pursuing their own net neutrality rules (something they maybe should have considered before rushing to kill modest federal rules).
Of course there's also the looming threat of a future less cash-compromised Congress or FCC coming in and just re-instating the rules during future administrations. There's also an ongoing effort to reverse the FCC repeal via the Congressional Review Act.
This is why ISPs have been advocating (so far unsuccessfully) for a bogus net neutrality law in Congress.
Pushed by Marsha Blackburn in the House and John Kennedy in the Senate, these bills are being promoted as a "solution" to the longstanding net neutrality debate. But their real intention is far more nefarious: to pass a flimsy, loophole-ridden law designed specifically to pre-empt tougher federal or state laws (and block the FCC from restoring the 2015 rules should they lose in court). In short: they want to make a lack of net neutrality permanent via legislation that...pretends to protect net neutrality (AT&T, Verizon and Comcast lobbyists are nothing if not clever).
As ISP lobbyists nervously try to prevent a return to real net neutrality rules, ISPs will try to be on their best behavior for a while to try to suggest all of the concerns about the repeal were breathless hyperbole. But it's important to understand, killing net neutrality is just one part of a much broader plan that involves effectively gutting nearly all FTC and FCC oversight of the broken telecom sector. Should that come to pass (and they're having a hell of a lot of success at the moment), the end result is not going to be subtle.
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Filed Under: ajit pai, broadband, competition, fcc, innovation 5g, investment, net neutrality
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There's been lies all right...
For months, many politicians and special interests have tried to mislead the American people about the Restoring Internet Freedom Order.
Well, he's half right, it's just the half that he's wrong/lying about is what side he and his buddies in the telecom industry are on in that claim.
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I cant say anything...
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You guys haven't heard?
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Re: You guys haven't heard?
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What is this guy smoking?
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Re:
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It's so Obvious! Why isit so Obvious to Me and not to all you Sycophantic IDIOTS here on "Techdirt"! I think it is because only I eat Delicious, Delicious "apint Chips"! They are "Banned" by government "Regulations" because they contain "Lead"! Typical Government Regulatory Overreach! The "Free Market" should DEIDE whether people will Buy Leaded "paint"! and also eat it.
Every Nation eats the Paint chips it Deserves!
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The Karl Bode Drinking Game
Of course, the vast majority of Americans have no idea what Title II is, let alone which portions were foreborne and which were embellished in the Obama Title II Internet regulation.
How can you claim people support a totally mysterious concept? Bode can.
Third sentence continues the trend, claiming Pai's claims about the perils of Title II are "routinely-debunked falsehoods" when they're all supported by fact and analysis? They've certainly been disputed by partisans of Bode's ilk, but that's a far stretch from "routinely debunked."
The RIFO framework promotes innovation in real-time service delivery, something that makes Bode's head hurt, so he simply pretends "this claim is laughable" without saying why.
Karl Bode is the King of Fake News and Techdirt is his castle.
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Re:
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Re: The Richard Bennett Drinking Game
Rules: Every time Richard twists words or tells a lie, take a drink.
You didn't actually state what part wasn't true, just suggested that people can't support something they don't understand. Hate to break it to you Richard but people support things they don't understand ALL the time. That's kind of a fact of life. People support the flat earth theory who obviously know nothing about how impossible that is. First drink!
Well actually, almost every major co-inventor of the internet, the fact that how the internet ACTUALLY works directly contradicts Pai's delusional idea of how it works, everyone who actually works in IT, most major media outlets, the FCC's OWN DATA, Akamai reports, I could go on and on.... all have routinely debunked Pai's claims. That enough for you? Second drink!
It does no such thing and Bode and many others have explained, IN DETAIL, why it doesn't. You can't refute it so you just attack it. Third drink!
Actually, you and Pai are competing for that title. How many times now have I caught you in a direct, blatant lies and as soon as I provide incontrovertible proof of it, you just go silent? In fact, my entire comment so far has been pointing out your lies, this just adds one more to the pile. Fourth drink!
Try again Richard.
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Everyone should be calling up their providers and asking for a few things.
1) Internet anywhere in the USA including ANWR. (I think there are six or seven families still living there)
2) No throttling, latency, fast lanes, slow lanes etc. (better)
3) Discounts on my services. Start with $64.99 discount. (cheaper)
4) Faster downloads and Uploads too. 1G symmetrical. (Faster)
5) A better job than I have now. President / CEO would be fine. (jobs, opportunities)
ISP's should get right on that June 12
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The American Dream
Since we haven't gotten any of our previous American Dreams (e.g. An honest day's work for an honest day's pay) then maybe we could make up our own.
Since the US is giving up on the space program, is ignoring climate change and global warming and the EU has the LHC, I say we not only provide internet nationwide, but free high-speed WiFi to the entire planet.
If we weren't beholden to a tiny number of very very very rich people we could actually do it.
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Re: The American Dream
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Re: Re: The American Dream
Try again Richard.
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Richard Bennett drinking game round 2
Only one of those list items has anything to do with the cost of cable internet, number 3, a $64.99 discount. Considering that people routinely pay more than that for basic internet (DSL, cable, or fiber), he is in no way suggesting he get 'free cable'. Fifth drink!
Try again Richard.
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Why do you believe ISPs are throttling web pages? Web pages are bloated with ads and impaired by the slow-start that degrades the performance of each new TCP connection. And the average web page opens dozens of TCP connections.
Maybe think before you complain? It's a thought.
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Richard Bennett drinking game round 4
Seventh drink!
Try again Richard.
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Really? You think this is true?
Just a dumb pipe when they want to be :)
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Wonderful, now your ISPs get to deal with up to 50 different flavors of regulation. Stroke that Pai-flavored erection while you can, Dick. Have fun poking that hornet's nest!
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Maybe if you weren't surgically grafted to Pai's AT&T-funded phallus, you wouldn't have people pointing it out. But whatever makes you feel good, just don't count on others to agree.
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Richard Bennett drinking game round 3
Funny, I was going to say the same about yours.
Hey, an actual, relatively, true fact for once. Provided you ignore the fact that under the RIFO rules, ISPs can slow down any website they choose to their hearts' content. I'll give it to you on being technically true.
Where did he say that? Nowhere. When he was talking about speeds, he was talking about overall internet bandwidth a customer has access to from their ISP. Contrary to your belief, total bandwidth speed does matter.
Website loading time is a pretty small fraction of all internet traffic. There's many other things that greatly benefit from fast speeds, like, I don't know, OS updates, streaming video, streaming audio, any kind of download at all (unless you want to go back to waiting days for whatever it is to download), game updates, VPN connections, VoIP, video calling, etc...the list goes on.
You know what this means...Sixth drink!
Try again Richard.
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Re: Richard Bennett drinking game round 3
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---------
@the FCC... sure Jan. After people get rich and are able to afford it, you mean? Shame on you all for taking away REAL free and fair internet from all. People know your game and don't buy into your LIES.
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Or is your name ... Rumpelstiltskin?
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Karl Bode's comments
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Re: Karl Bode's comments
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Re: Re: Karl Bode's comments
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Re: Re: Re: Karl Bode's comments
But thanks for laugh. Honestly, I couldn't have hoped for anything better than you thinking I'm Karl. Wow, talk about an epic face plant/egg on face.
All my debates with you were worth it, just for this.
Try again Richard.
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Karls, karls everywhere...
What's even sadder is the paranoia you're apparently suffering that has you thinking that the person responding to you simply must be Karl, rather than someone who just enjoys poking at you.
Unless of course you have actual evidence for your claims...?
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Re: Karls, karls everywhere...
Karl's posts are amusing because they consist entirely of gossip - he said this, they said that, this other person said this other thing - so they're all dirt and no tech.
I feel sad for him.
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Re: Re: Karls, karls everywhere...
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Richard Bennett drinking game round 5
Show me one. Remember, verbatim means exactly word for word.
So, what, all the links he puts in his article back to primary sources are what? Hallucinations?
Eighth drink!
Or are you talking about my comments that you claim were written by Bode? Because I've provided you plenty of links in the past, and you usually go silent right after they show you to be a liar. Now granted I haven't provided any in this article comments section but if you really want to go down that rabbit hole I am MORE than happy to deluge you with all the primary source links you can shake a stick at. And I guarantee they will NOT be of the he said/they said variety, but they will likely make a fool out of you, again.
Ninth drink.
So you're upset that people speak and have conversations?
And net neutrality and ATT have nothing to do with tech at all?
That's nice.
Try again Richard.
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Re: Karl Bode's comments
You think I'm Karl Bode? HAHAHAHAHA!!!
Oh my gosh, that's hilarious! You tried for an epic insult and ended up with an epic fail! HA!
Try again Richard!
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Re: Re: Karl Bode's comments
Shit, you guys. Richard Bennett was MyNameHere all along!
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Re: Re: Re: Karl Bode's comments
*sycophant: a servile** self-seeking flatterer
**servile: of or befitting a slave or a menial position
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Karl Bode's comments
Try again Richard.
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Karl Bode's comments
Any passer-by could easily debunk that rubbish if this is the best you can come up with.
Small wonder you had to rely on bots to drum up support for the repeal.
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Bode's Law
So here's the deal in a nutshell. I maintain that every post written by Karl Bode contains at least one sentence that's a total lie. So I created the Karl Bode Drinking Game to celebrate this fact. When reading a Karl Bode post, you take a drink every time you you find a lie.
This sport was inspired by Bode's claim that Comcast speed upgrades are only available to customers who buy bundles. This claim is easily disproved by checking the Xfinity web site for plans available in Houston. Other bloggers who, like Bode, are fanatic in their support for a highly regulated ISP business have not made the claim that Bode has made about Comcast; Jon Brodkin, for example.
In this post, Bode claims that Tom Wheeler's Title II order has "the bipartisan support of a huge majority of Americans (not to mention many of the people that built the damn internet)."
Of course, the vast majority of Americans have no opinion about the Title II Internet service classification or any idea what it means. Polling indicates that no more than 28% of voters support rolling back RIFO in favor of Title II. And half of them believe Title II applies to the social media and advertising interests that fund this site.
From a poll by AAN:
Almost half of voters across the country, forty-six percent (46%) indicate that they believe that the rules of net neutrality apply to both internet service providers and internet companies alike. Only two in ten voters, twenty-one percent (21%) are aware that net neutrality rules only apply to internet service providers. Among those who say they are familiar with net neutrality, sixty percent (60%) believe the rules apply to all companies.
There's another funny little thing about the proposed CRA: it will only have a legal effect on the enhanced transparency rule included in RIFO. The Title I reclassifiation can't be reversed by a CRA resolution.
If you got your news from reliable sources rather than a troll blog funded by Internet-based companies and following Bode's Law you might know these things. But you don't because you've been scammed.
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Re: Bode's Law
From the Comcast's own press release
And that looks like bundling to me. If that is not what the intended, they should get a better press officer·
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Re: Re: Bode's Law
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"I don't engage with anonymous commenters"
Maybe consider trying that tact with the rest of the commenters as well.
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Re: "I don't engage with anonymous commenters"
Also Richard thinks that all anonymous posters who disagree with him are all Bode. He'll engage. He can't help it. Look at the other articles where he rants about Google.
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Re: Re: Re: Bode's Law
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Re: Re: Re: Bode's Law
Try again Richard.
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Richard Bennett Drinking Game
Try again Richard.
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Richard's Lies
So here's the deal in a nutshell. I maintain that every comment written by Richard Bennett contains at least one sentence that's a total lie. So I created the Richard Bennett Drinking Game to celebrate this fact. When reading a Richard Bennett comment, you take a drink every time you find a lie.
This sport was inspired by Richard's claim that free Comcast speed upgrades are available to customers who just buy internet and not bundles. This claim is easily disproved by checking the press release direct from Comcast. (first drink!) Other bloggers who, like Bode, logically and reasonably support net neutrality have ALSO made the claim that Bode has made about Comcast; Jon Brodkin, for example. You can read Jon Brodkin's same claim that Bode makes over at Ars Technica. Link provided: https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2018/04/comcast-wont-give-new-speed-boost-to-internet -users-who-dont-buy-tv-service/ (second drink)
In this TD post, Bode claims that Tom Wheeler's Title II order has "the bipartisan support of a huge majority of Americans (not to mention many of the people that built the damn internet)."
Of course, the vast majority of Americans do have an opinion about the Title II Internet service classification and at least a basic idea of what it means. Polling indicates that more than 80% of voters supported rolling back RIFO in favor of Title II. And three quarters of them found arguments by consumer groups and tech companies (like social media and advertising interests that occasionally donate to this site) much more convincing than arguments from ISPs that were in favor of repealing Title II. (third drink!)
From a poll by UoMPfPC:
(fourth drink!)
There's another funny little thing about the proposed CRA: it will have a legal effect on the entirety of the RIFO. The Title I reclassifiation can absolutely be reversed by a CRA resolution. (fifth drink!)
If you get your news from reliable sources rather than a forum troll funded by ISP companies who has to constantly lie to support his claims, you probably already know all this. But I post this anyway for the benefit of our new readers so they too can get ludicrously drunk while enjoying a good laugh at TD's worst resident troll.
Try again Richard.
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Re: Richard's Lies
Well for those interested it's supposed to be:
The Anonymous Coward That Richard Claims He Won't Engage With But Has On Numerous Occasions
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Re: Richard's Lies
At least for the moment, anyway. His recent rants against Bode of late are starting to make "your mom" rebuttals look like Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal...
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Re: Re: Richard's Lies
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Re: Re: Richard's Lies
Considering he is officially advising the government on net neutrality, he is far worse than a troll.
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Re: Re: Re: Richard's Lies
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