I’ve been saying lately that the likely Net Neutrality outcome wouldn’t be bad at all, that we’d get a compromise that disappoints the radical left far more than it disappoints us. But it’s not a done deal. We’ve got to keep the pressure up, both as activists and through the incoming Republican majority in the House. The FCC must respect the 2010 elections and their consequences.
So we need to ask: Why isn’t the FCC even talking to the key ranking members of the relevant committees: Kay Bailey Hutchison and Joe Barton? Joe Barton and Cliff Stearns even sent the FCC a letter asking them to explain where in the law they get their authority to do what they’re planning. Why are Republicans being ignored and dismissed?
Do we have to threaten to defund come next year to get anywhere? If the FCC won’t work with Republicans then I don’t see how Republicans won’t have to play hardball in return and work actively to disrupt the FCC’s ability to do anything at all. So the FCC desperately needs to work with Republicans instead of letting the far left fringe be the swing vote in all of this.
Republican pressure is coming, to. Marsha Blackburn has an anti-Net Neutrality bill. I applaud this. The FCC is of limited accountability and all the pressure we can put on can only help.
Mike Wendy also proposes a legislative solution in his post over at Media Freedom. I’d definitely be able to sign on to this Internet Access Freedom Act, as it doesn’t butt government in where it doesn’t belong.
But yes, the pressure is on the FCC to turn to the dark side of radical Title II regulation of the Internet anyway. Hillicon Valley’s new Overnight Tech feature (Hmm, says Tech at Night) notes that Mignon Clyburn and Michael Copps are being lobbied hard. Copps would seem to be a particularly friendly vote to the radicals. If he’s a swing vote then it’s nervous time for the Internet in America.
But don’t lose hope entirely. Now is the time to fight, not to give up. Drink the sweet, nourishing tears of the radicals and stay loud, stay active, stay aggressive in informing people about the dangers of radical action by the FCC to regulate the Internet as a telephone service.
Apparently Level 3 hasn’t been entirely forthcoming with the facts in its accusations against Comcast. Apparently Comcast had already been tolerating a 2:1 ratio of traffic, says George Ou, but only pulled the trigger when that ratio jumped to 5:1. So the shills saying that perfectly balanced traffic is a myth and doesn’t matter, weren’t really on point after all.