Net neutrality

White House: Net Neutrality Repeal Raises Annual Incomes by $50 Billion

A White House Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) report released this week found that the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) repeal of the agency’s 2015 net neutrality regulation raised annual incomes by $50 billion. According to the CEA’s February “Economic Report of the President,” the FCC’s repeal of net neutrality regulation raised real annual incomes by more than $50 billion per year and consumer welfare by nearly $40 billion per year. Net neutrality passed under former Democrat FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler in 2015. The rule, known as the Open Internet Order, reclassified the Internet as a public utility. Critics criticized the rule, stating that it would diminish the freedom of the Internet. Proponents argue that the regulations prevent Internet service providers (ISPs) from discriminating against content providers. The Restoring Internet Freedom Order reclassified the Internet as an “information service” and requires Internet service providers (ISPs) such as Comcast or Verizon to release transparency reports detailing their practices on blocking, throttling, and data prioritization for consumers and businesses. The FCC’s net neutrality repeal order restored the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) traditional authority and expertise to regulate and litigate unfair, deceptive, and anti-competitive telecommunications practices without onerous regulations and increased cost. The CEA said that FCC’s regulations against blocking, throttling, and paid prioritization as well classification of ISPs as public utilities “restricted the vertical pricing arrangements of ISPs—that is, monetary transactions between ISPs and the providers of Internet content such as Netflix and Yahoo.” The council added that the rule “imposed government oversight on communication services, making it difficult for these companies to quickly respond to competition and provide new goods and services on the market.” The CEA also found that Congress’ repeal of the Wheeler broadband privacy rule would raise incomes by $22 billion every year. The council found that Congress’ repeal of the rule led to lower broadband prices. “Wireless service prices fell at the same time that Congress was considering the resolution of disapproval, and wired Internet prices fell a couple of months later,” the CEA wrote.

So, to be clear..  When Dems are in power, they take away our freedoms, regulate everything, and make things more expensive.  Then, when someone like Trump comes along, he gets rid of such red tape nonsense, and the private sector does better and we all make more money.

FCC Repeals Obama-Era Net Neutrality Rule

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) passed the FCC’s “Restoring Internet Freedom Order” on Thursday, which will repeal the agency’s 2015 net neutrality regulation. Chairman Pai told Fox News host Tucker Carlson on Monday, “I think what net neutrality repealed would actually mean is we once again have a free and open Internet. The government would not be regulating how anyone in the Internet service providers, how anyone else in the internet economy manages their networks.” The FCC’s Restoring Internet Freedom order will reclassify the Internet as an “information service” compared to the FCC’s 2015 net neutrality order, which regulated the Internet as a public monopoly. The order will also require Internet service providers (ISPs) such as Comcast or Verizon to release transparency reports detailing their practices towards consumers and businesses. The FCC’s net neutrality repeal order will also restore the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) traditional authority and expertise to regulate and litigate unfair, deceptive, and anti-competitive telecommunications practices without onerous regulations and increased cost. On Monday the FCC and the FTC agreed to share the responsibility to police unfair ISP practices regarding unfair or deceptive practices to block, throttle, or promote web content. Chairman Pai explained in an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal why repealing net neutrality will preserve a free and open internet. Pai wrote: ” We have proof that markets work: For almost two decades, the U.S. had a free and open internet without these heavy-handed rules. There was no market failure before 2015. Americans weren’t living in a digital dystopia before the FCC seized power. To the contrary, millions enjoyed an online economy that was the envy of the world. They experienced the most powerful platform ever seen for permission-less innovation and expression. Next month, I hope the FCC will choose to return to the common-sense policies that helped the online world transform the physical one.”

And they apparently did, today.  Excellent!!  To read the rest of this story, click on the text above.

Comrades for Net Neutrality

Today’s vote by a bitterly divided Federal Communications Commission that the Internet should be regulated as a public utility is the culmination of a decade-long battle by the Left. Using money from George Soros and liberal foundations that totaled at least $196 million, radical activists finally succeeded in ramming through “net neutrality,” or the idea that all data should be transmitted equally over the Internet. The final push involved unprecedented political pressure exerted by the Obama White House on FCC chairman Tom Wheeler, head of an ostensibly independent regulatory body. “Net neutrality’s goal is to empower the federal government to ration and apportion Internet bandwidth as it sees fit, and to thereby control the Internet’s content,” says Phil Kerpen, an anti-net-neutrality activist from the group American Commitment. The courts have previously ruled the FCC’s efforts to impose “net neutrality” out of bounds, so the battle isn’t over. But for now, the FCC has granted itself enormous power to micromanage the largely unrestrained Internet.

As we’ve been saying all week… This fight is FAR from over.  BUT, we ALL need to do our part to fight this outrageous, fascist,  power grab by the Dem-controlled FCC.  To that end..  If you’ve not already done so..  PLEASE PLEASE call or email your member of Congress and both of your U.S. Senators and let them know you want them to do whatever they can to stop this power grab by the FCC, and that you’re against this so-called “net neutrality” nonsense!

House Chairman Demands FCC Net Neutrality Gag Order Lifted

Chairman of the House Oversight Committee Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) demanded yesterday that the Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler make public the details of the proposed net neutrality regulations that will regulate the Internet under the same rules as the old AT&T monopoly. Chaffetz also asked the FCC Chair to appear and answer questions at the House Oversight hearing Wednesday, prior to the planned Agency vote on the draft rules now scheduled for Thursday. The 332-page final draft FCC order was only delivered to the four other FCC commissioners three weeks ago. When Wheeler delivered the document, he took the unusual step of issuing a “gag order” to prevent its release before the FCC vote.

Hopefully Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) will make some progress tomorrow with this before the FCC’s vote on Thursday.  Again, if you’ve not done so already, PLEASE email your member of Congress and BOTH U.S. Senators and express your outrage at the FCC’s push to regulate the internet.  Tell them you want the FCC to vote to NOT approve the so called “net neutrality” proposal!!

Opinion: Here’s What ‘Net Neutrality’ Is… and What to Think About It

Unless you’re a dork, you will have no idea what “net neutrality” means, although chances are you’ve seen a headline about it in the last few days.

This is a pretty good op/ed by Milo over at Breitbart.  Although, he’d probably consider me a “fanatic.”  My stance on the whole “net neutrality” issue is pretty libertarian.  Just allow the carriers and users to figure the issue out, for crying out loud.  The internet is probably the last bastion of total freedom on this planet.  And, because of that fact, Obama wants to regulate it.  Obama is a fascist Nazi, and wants to regulate everything he can get his hands on.  For that reason alone, I’m all for letting the free market figure out how best to handle the issues surrounding it.  After all, why on earth would we want to trust the brain trusts who put the multi-BILLION dollar failed Obamacare web site together, to work on regulating the internet and addressing the may complex problems facing it?  Yeah..  I don’t trust them either.  I would much rather Apple, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Verizon, Comcast, and all the other gazillion companies that do business on the internet (including smaller ones) to figure out how best to handle these issues, and let the consumer drive the market without Obama and his minions telling us what to do, and how to do it.

Amid Protests, FCC Advances New Internet Regulations

Amid Protests, FCC Advances New Internet Regulations

AWFUL!!!!!!!  BOO!!!!   And, wouldn’t you know, the three Dems on the FCC voted FOR these new restrictive internet (so called “net neutrality”) regulations, and the two Republicans on the committee voted against them.  The internet should be left alone.  And, the courts have been agreeing. The last two times this bunch tried to impose regulations on the internet, they were struck down. Lets pray that happens again.