McConnell: Net neutrality? What the hell.

FCC Net Neutrality Ruling: What Does It Mean For You?
Are some versions of the Internet more equal than others? The Federal Communications Commission passed its first-ever Regulation of the Internet today, in a Net Neutrality Compromise that saw its 3-2 vote split sharply along party lines. The full text of the new regulations will not be published until later this week, but the broad strokes of the deal are now known. There will be two sets of regulations governing the way an Internet service provider is allowed to control your access, depending o...

Net Neutrality Vote: Twitter Users As Divided As FCC
On Tuesday, the FCC voted to adopt a framework that aims to preserve an "open Internet" by prohibiting Internet service providers from discriminating in how they handle information traveling over their networks. "The rules," according to the AP, "require Broadband providers to let subscribers access all legal online content, applications and services over their wired networks -- including online calling services, Internet video and other Web applications that compete with their core businesse...

Internet Access is Not a Civil Right
Michelle Malkin, CNSNews.com When Bureaucrats talk about increasing our “access” to x, y or z, what they’re really talking about is increasing exponentially their control over our lives. As it is with the government Health Care takeover, so it is with the newly approved government plan to “increase” Internet “access.” Call it Webcare. By a vote of 3-2, the Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday adopted a Controversial scheme to ensure “net ...

Economic Outlook: Poor Dr. Frankenstein
Published: Dec. 23, 2010 at 8:58 AM How did American Airlines get tangled up in the Federal Communication Commission's net neutrality rules? It didn't. That's the punch line. But lessons might be learned. American Airlines, a day after the FCC passed rules establishing constitutional guidelines for the Internet, severed ties with Orbitz, an online ticket-seller it had helped create. Think of poor Dr. Frankenstein trying to change his creation's diet. American Airlines had been trying to push Orb...

FCC Votes Itself Judge Dredd of the Internet
In a Speech delivered on January 19, 2010, Julius Genachowski, the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, declared that transparency “is particularly important for Consumer Protection and Empowerment.” He praised “access to information” as “essential to properly functioning markets” and stated that “policies around information disclosure...can be enormously helpful in ensuring that markets are working.” Does Genachowski believe it’s less imp

Internet access is not a civil right
Meet the new Internet Traffic cops Internet access is not a “civil right” by Michelle Malkin Creators Syndicate Copyright 2010 When Bureaucrats talk about increasing your “access” to X, Y, or Z, what they’re really talking about is increasing their control over your lives exponentially. As it is with the government Health Care takeover, so it is with the newly-approved government plan to “increase” Internet “access.” Call it Webcare. By a vote of 3-2,

Will the FCC Net Neutrality become that Catalyst for American Civil War?
I both rejoice and am deeply saddened at the brink of Civil Unrest that this lameduck session has brought the Country to. I rejoice that my fellow citizens have drawn a line in the sand and have awakened to the Python of Tyranny slowly tightening its grip on we the people. I rejoice that my fellow citizens recognize the Edward Bernays Propaganda style of misrepresenation.  Our Elected officials call a bill that something that appears to be helpful or at least harmless... But my fellow Count...

Malkin Op-Ed: 'Net Neutrality' - Obamacare for the Web
When Bureaucrats talk about increas ing our "access" to x, y or z, what they're really talking about is in creasing exponentially their control over our lives. As with the government Health Care takeover, so with the newly approved government plan to "increase" Internet "access." Call it Webcare. By a vote of 3-2, the Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday adopted a Controversial scheme to ensure "Net Neutrality" by turning unaccountable Democratic appointees into meddling online traffic c...

'Net neutrality': ObamaCare for the Web
Michelle Malkin When Bureaucrats talk about increas ing our "access" to x, y or z, what they're really talking about is in creasing exponentially their control over our lives. As with the government Health Care takeover, so with the newly approved government plan to "increase" Internet "access." Call it Webcare. By a vote of 3-2, the Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday adopted a Controversial scheme to ensure "Net Neutrality" by turning unaccountable Democratic appointees into meddli...

No constituency for Network Neutrality compromise
As much as I support it, I freely admit that Net Neutrality is never going to be an issue that will rank highly in the minds of voters. It just won’t. People certainly care about access to the Internet, but Internet specific regulartory practices will never appear on any list of top national priorities. Ever. The only people who will care about Net Neutrality to the point of translating their beliefs into electoral Activism are highly engaged consumer Activists and corporate interest grou...

Four takes on why net neutrality matters
In Internet time, things change fast. Google is moving into television. Wikileaks is changing the paradigm of international relations. Newspapers, movies, radio and TV are all available on handheld devices. And the FCC is poised to act on far-reaching rules of the road for the Internet. Four new books offer different maps of this territory from different angles, none capturing completely the thin line we tread between information utopia and a preprogrammed cultural dystopia. One book, Internet A...

The FCC Pleases No One
On Tuesday, the Federal Communications Commission voted to approve new rules for "Net Neutrality." And as a Compromise between net neutrality Activists, Conservatives and telecommunication companies, the rules don't seem to satisfy anyone. For wired Internet, the new rules maintain the status quo. Cable and DSL providers can't meter your internet access, and have to let you use the applications, online services, and devices you want, regardless of how they affect the network. Verizon...

They're Calling It Net Neutrality, But It Isn't
It's no exaggeration to say that this decision marks the beginning of the end for the Internet as we know it. Senator Al Franken laid out what's at stake with this ruling, saying: "The FCC's action today is simply inadequate to protect consumers or preserve the free and open Internet. I am particularly disappointed to learn that the order will not specifically ban paid prioritization, allowing big companies to pay for a fast lane on the Internet and abandoning the foundation of net neutralit...

Republicans roar 'No' to net neutrality
WASHINGTON, Dec. 22 (UPI) -- Republicans in Washington Wednesday vowed to take action to strike down the Federal Communication Commission's just-passe Net Neutrality rules. The FCC board, in a partisan 3-2 vote Tuesday, approved rules guaranteeing unbiased service from Internet providers. In effect, the rules say an Internet carrier cannot slow or block consumer access to Web sites that produce legal content, PC Magazine reported Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, the incoming House Majority Leader, sa...

They're Calling It Net Neutrality, But It Isn't
It's no exaggeration to say that this decision marks the beginning of the end for the Internet as we know it. Senator Al Franken laid out what's at stake with this ruling, saying: "The FCC's action today is simply inadequate to protect consumers or preserve the free and open Internet. I am particularly disappointed to learn that the order will not specifically ban paid prioritization, allowing big companies to pay for a fast lane on the Internet and abandoning the foundation of net neutralit...

Former Googler leaving White House (Politico)
Andrew McLaughlin, who for the past year has handled Internet policy issues in the White House, is resigning to launch two start-ups. McLaughlin was Google’s head of global Public Policy before assuming the role of Deputy Chief Technology Officer in the White House, working on a number of high-level Internet issues, such as Net Neutrality, cybersecurity, online Privacy and the nation’s Broadband strategy. Before joining the White House, he worked on Obama’s transition team. M...

Obamas FCC: Move aside, peasants, were in charge [Darleen Click]
John Fund points out this is just the beginning The Net Neutrality vision for government Regulation of the Internet began with the work of Robert McChesney, a University of Illinois communications Professor who founded the liberal lobby Free Press in 2002. Mr. McChesney’s agenda? “At the moment, the battle over network neutrality is not to completely eliminate the telephone and cable companies,” he told the website SocialistProject in 2009. “But the ultimate goal is to ...

sold out Net Neutrality and the future of free speech online.
Read the 3 reasons why -- then share with friends by filling out the form on the right. The rules passed today would allow big Internet Service Providers like Verizon and Comcast to charge for access to the "fast lane." Big companies that could afford to pay these fees like Google or Amazon would get their websites delivered to consumers quickly, while independent Newspapers, Bloggers, innovators, and small businesses would see their sites languish in the slow lane, destroying a level playing f...

Why we should be worried about "net neutrality"
The FCC's decision yesterday to grab for itself the power to regulate the Internet through so-called "Net Neutrality" rules is the latest grab for Federal Government power over private industry. There wasn't any big demand for such Regulation. The Internet has grown from the small source it was in the beginning to be the wonderful source that it is today through private companies investing and competing with each other. But that isn't good enough for the Democrats on the FCC. They want more cont...

Analysis: Europe seen needing regulation on Internet access
By Georgina Prodhan and Nicola Leske LONDON | Wed Dec 22, 2010 9:58am EST LONDON (Reuters) - Europe's confidence that it need not follow the United States in adopting rules to ensure fair Internet access may be short-lived, as competition between mobile operators and service providers like Skype intensifies. A debate over Net Neutrality -- the principle that all Internet Traffic be treated equally -- has been heating up in the United States for years but has so far generated little public con...

Analysis: Europe seen needing regulation on Internet access
Analysis: Will Google follow Microsoft in EU Probe? LONDON (Reuters) - Europe's confidence that it need not follow the United States in adopting rules to ensure fair Internet access may be short-lived, as competition between mobile operators and service providers like Skype intensifies. A debate over Net Neutrality -- the principle that all Internet Traffic be treated equally -- has been heating up in the United States for years but has so far generated little public concern in Europe. At stake ...

Divided FCC adopts Internet rules
By Jasmin Melvin WASHINGTON | Tue Dec 21, 2010 7:09pm EST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A divided Federal Communications Commission banned Internet service providers like Comcast Corp from blocking traffic on their networks, provoking warnings the rules would be rejected in the courts and threats from Republican lawmakers to overturn them. The 3-2 decision on Tuesday highlighted a huge divide between those who say the Internet should flourish without Regulation and those who say the power of high-sp...

Barack Obama And The United Nations Will Be Watching The Internet For You
All Internet users beware!  An Internet free of the heavy hand of government Regulation may become a thing of the past. First, we have the Obama Administration seeking to place controls on the Internet. Second, the United Nations establishment is trying to establish mechanisms for global governance of the Internet. The Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski, an Obama appointee, is seeking to carry out Barack Obama’s campaign promise to regulate the Internet, start...

Al Franken: The Internet as We Know it Is Still at Risk
In today's Net Neutrality action by the Federal Communications Commission there's good news and bad news. The good news is that, thanks to Commissioners Copps and Clyburn -- not to mention a nationwide network of Net Neutrality Activists -- the proposal approved today is better than the original circulated by FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski. For instance, the FCC has now stated that it does not condone discriminatory behavior by wireless companies like Verizon and AT&T; -- an important piece th...

FCC adopts net neutrality rules
Federal Regulators have issued new rules that ultimately will affect how Americans access videos over the Internet and how carriers charge for content. The 3-2 vote by the Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday strikes a balance between Silicon Valley content creators, who use digital networks to deliver their virtual wares, and the cable and telephone companies that want to sell their own content and services to customers in addition to hooking them up to the World Wide Web. The new rul...