The Obama FCC has regulated the Internet

On December 21, 2010, in General, by Neil Stevens

Today the FCC defied the courts, the Congress, and a clear national consensus in favor of an open Internet, when it claimed the authority to regulate the Internet and passed so-called Net Neutrality regulations.

On a 3-2 vote, FCC Democrats Mignon Clyburn, Michael Copps, and Chairman Julius Genachowski voted to pass not just new Net Neutrality regulations, but an entire “framework” for future government meddling online. Republicans Robert McDowell and Meredith Baker voted against the plan.

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Could Obama actually lose?

On December 6, 2010, in General, by Neil Stevens

The more I think about it, the more I really wonder if Obama could lose in 2012. Consider what was supposed to be making people support him and his party in 2008:

[ ] Lower the seas
[ ] Stop the "bailouts"
[ ] Free the GTMO prisoners
[ ] End the fighting in Iraq
[ ] End the fighting Afghanistan
[ ] Don't fly regular Predator missions in Pakistan
[ ] End the "Bush Tax Cuts"
[ ] Free people from the "tyranny" of having to buy medical insurance
[ ] Allow openly gay people to serve in the military
[ ] Replace a Supreme Court justice opposed to Casey
[ ] Cap and Trade
[ ] End the secret ballot for union certification
[ ] World respect at venues like Copenhagen, Olympics, World Cup
[ ] Lower unemployment
[ ] Reduce dependence on foreign oil

But then what have they achieved?

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An FCC Net Neutrality sunset is a no-win scenario

On November 30, 2010, in General, by Neil Stevens

In my Tech at Night series at RedState we’ve been waiting on the FCC to tell us what they intend to do in December about Net Neutrality. Rumors say that the FCC may come to a compromise on the issue. Instead of declaring war on industry and attempting to take over the Internet under Title II, Chairman Julius Genachowski may try to pass a set of regulations similar to the draft bill Henry Waxman put out that I supported.

One of the provisions of that bill was a sunset clause, forcing us all to reevaluate the industry as it develops, instead of passing a set of regulations that immediately become obsolete and possibly even harmful. Verizon is now pushing for that same sunset to apply to the FCC compromise.

Despite the fact that I wish the FCC would take a lighter touch with wireless ISPs going forward, I think the sunset would be a bad idea for the FCC compromise. It gives Republicans no benefit, but it gives Free Press and the radicals possibly a second bite at the apple that we can’t afford to give them.

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Tech at Night: Red Alert

On November 20, 2010, in General, by Neil Stevens
Tech at Night

I know it’s a big day for Net Neutrality when I wake up and my Email Inbox is jammed full with links, so many basically saying the same thing: The FCC is on the move. I’m told it all goes back to a November 15 speech by FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, in which he expresses an urgency for the FCC to pass a bunch of new rules quickly. It’s a crisis, he says.

He then called out Google and Verizon, saying that their temerity to contribute to the debate “slowed down some other processes.” You see: the whole process of talking to industry is apparently a sham, and the only speech that counts is speech that leads the FCC closer to the Obama administration’s predetermined outcome.

And it’s that Net Neturality outcome we may be nearing after all. That’s the Red Alert.

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Tech at Night: ADA on the Internet, Net Neutrality

On November 18, 2010, in General, by Neil Stevens
Tech at Night

Good evening. I don’t know how I managed to do a Tech at Night on Friday night. Just barely I guess. Because I’ve been sick from Friday night on, though I was mostly alright today. And so we’re back in business.

And we’ll start with a note on more Internet control that the Barack Obama administration is mulling. Yes, again, the content of webpages is to be controlled under the Obama Presidency through DOJ bullying via the ADA. The fact is, if businesses are forced to make expensive changes to their websites, they may instead be forced to go out of business, killing jobs, driving innovation overseas, and creating a chilling effect across our economy.

This must not stand.

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Tech at Night: Net Neutrality, Google, Privacy

On November 13, 2010, in General, by Neil Stevens
Tech at Night

Good morning. Last night Tech at Night didn’t quite come because I was not feeling well at all. But there’s stuff I want to highlight so this morning I’m going to make it happen. Here we go!

Want to be more like Europe? Well, in one way, we do: The EU has rejected Net Neutrality regulation as unnecessary. The EU’s equivalent of an FCC Chairman says “We should allow network operators and services and content providers to explore innovative business models.”

Can we actually stand to be more regulated than Europe, and drive innovation across the Atlantic? I don’t think so. We absolutely cannot tolerate proposals like this to force AT&T, Verizon, and others to open their wireless networks to each other, essentially partially nationalizing and socializing a major part of our telecommunications infrastructure going forward.

I can think of no better way to kill the wonderful wireless revolution we have going on, and end investment in it, than to turn everyone into free riders off of each other. This would devastate rural Internet access by creating a tragedy of the commons out there. We cannot let this happen.

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Obama sets the modern record for Midterm losses

On November 8, 2010, in General, by Neil Stevens

Here are the the last 60 years’ worth of midterm losses, going back to the second Truman midterm, according to Wikipedia for election-on-election losses, which is the standard I use all around. For 2010 I’m using the current CNN projection of a 65 seat Republican gain and a 243 R – 192 D House. Click for full size goodness.

Midterm Losses

Congratulations, Mister President.

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The Democrats did not have to lose this year

On November 2, 2010, in General, by Neil Stevens

Some will try to minimize the importance of any Republican gains tonight by saying the Democrats were bound to lose. Some will even say Democrats had a baked-in loss of 45 or more seats, which implies they had no hope of keeping the House at all, no matter what policy aims they worked to implement. The problem is, that’s nonsense.

Cutting to the chase: while the 2008 electorate was never, ever going to be duplicated in this or any midterm election’s turnout, previous midterm elections showed that the Democrats were capable of keeping the House, and therefore capable of keeping midterm losses down to reasonable figures. Here’s how.

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Tech at Night: Net Neutrality, Google, For The Children

On October 29, 2010, in General, by Neil Stevens
Tech at Night

Good evening. Through the magic of Claritin, my favorite drug, I’m able to bring you tonight’s edition. On the Net Neutrality front, the progressive left is getting delusional. They’re pretending that it matters what their members of Congress think when their President has done not one thing to stop his FCC from going off on its own to break the law, defy the courts, and go ahead with Title II Reclassification. This is not Sparta. This is madness.

Of course, the online petition? Meaningless of course except as a trap to build mailing lists. And it’s not me who says that, it’s Clay Johnson who says that, founder of Blue State Digital and the New Media Director of Barack Obama’s Presidential campaign. The Progressive Change Campaign Committee’s petition is nonsense upon stilts.

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Tech at Night: Google, FCC, Net Neutrality

On October 26, 2010, in General, by Neil Stevens
Tech at Night

Yes, we’re talking about Google again tonight. Of course they never did delist Daily Kos after the Chris Bowers manipulations, despite having gone after Kay Bailey Hutchison for breaking their rules. But we have more to ride them about:

They’re blocking pro-life ads again. These ads are running on local television in DC for Republican Missy Reilly Smith who is challenging Delegate Holmes Eleanor Norton, or Norton Eleanor Holmes, or whatever her name is. I mean really, she doesn’t even get a vote. Local television will run the ads, but Youtube will not. Interesting, eh?

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Nima Jooyandeh facts.