Monty Solomon posted:
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2018/02/fccs-attempt-to-kill-net-neutrality-challenged-by-new-washington-state-law/
The article states:
"The Washington bill was approved in the state House on February 9 by a vote of
93-5. The bill passed in the Senate yesterday by a vote of 35-14."
What it didn't say is that the Washington State House consists of 50 Democrats
and 48 Republicans, which is heartening. You really do NOT have to be
self-destructive and brain-dead to be a Republican. Republicans can actually
think on their own, as opposed to chanting some nonsensical libertarian mantra,
even when it goes against their best interests.
Furthermore, the Washington State Senate consists of 25 Democrats and 23
Republicans, so one has to wonder why these Republican Senators aren't quite as
awake and aware as their cousins in the House. Still, a rather overwhelming
majority in both houses. Good to see.
"CenturyLink opposed the bill, saying that Internet service should be regulated
by the federal government instead of 'multiple state jurisdictions,' according
to The News Tribune. Of course, net neutrality was regulated by the federal
government, but the FCC decided to repeal its rules at the urging of ISPs like
CenturyLink."
Well, that was a given. I guess CenturyLink isn't quite as logical as AT&T
finally became. But let's see if we can introduce a bit of common sense to
these silly recitals of prepackaged drivel.
The reason the FCC supposedly takes precedence over individual states, in
deciding on matters like telecom neutrality, is this:
BECAUSE TELECOM NEUTRALITY IS A MATTER THAT INVOLVES FOSTERING INTERSTATE
COMMERCE. That's why mandated telecom neutrality has been the law of the land
for so long. The idea was to prevent individual companies, or even individual
states, from HINDERING interstate commerce. These laws had never considered
that a federal official could ever stubbornly oppose interstate commerce.
Now we get this corrupted FCC saying that they take precedence over the states
on matters of telecom neutrality, because this law has to do with fostering
interstate commerce. Whooeee! And then, they attempt to hinder interstate
commerce.
"More than half of US states have pending net neutrality legislation."
And the tone deaf and corrupt FCC is stubbornly dug in. I can't begin to
understand how this can be allowed to continue.
"The bill comes in response to the Federal Communications Commission decision
in December 2017 to scrap federal net neutrality rules. The state bill still
needs the signature of Governor Jay Inslee, who previously pledged to enforce
net neutrality 'under our own authority and under our own laws,' calling it 'a
free speech issue as well as a business development issue.'"
Exactly! It is only pro-business to mandate the neutrality of common carriers,
and it is much like free speech. Only a minuscule number of special interests
can possibly oppose the neutrality of common carriers. No government official
should remain in office, if they can understand something so obvious.
Interestingly enough, Chairman Pai was recently in Barcellona, at some 5G
wireless summit. But no one wants to hear about 5G, in the face of this net
neutrality travesty. It was like he was filibustering, rambling on about 5G
spectrum. And even there, his reckless anti-regulatory mantra is overdone,
considering the density of 5G cells. You have to use your head on all such
matters, not just mouth off idiotic slogans.
Bert
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