Terminalcoffee discussion

Do y'all know about the whole net neutrality issue? I don't see it get covered much in mainstream media, so I'm always curious about what people know.

Here's Google and Verizon's platform:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/craig-a...

Here's a site to register your opinion and get it heard by the FCC:http://savetheinternet.com/fcc-comments

What do you consider "mainstream?" It has been reported regularly in the Salt Lake Tribune, and has been mentioned on a few of the cable "news" programs.

I think it sucks that businesses would be able to control access to information in that manner; basically, pay-to-play. If we consider internet access to be critical for surviving and thriving in society, then I believe gov't has a role in ensuring a level playing field.

You know, I almost posted this same story this morning. I have to say, I'm so sick of the "Google is such a good, cool, friendly company!" horseshit. But I'm biased because my brother in law works for them, so I tend to stay quiet on this issue.

Well, their company vision says "do no harm" or something like that, but they've been skirting that line on a few things lately.

That's putting it nicely. They're a mega-huge conglomerate who work their asses off to look like a "nice friendly company!" who just wants to, you know, control every media source in the free world and put an ad next to it.

So, are they trying to control the whole internet? What if China or Canada or Mexico don't agree with this, is this not the World Wide Web? I think there are way too many parameters for this to be feasible. It also can't just be up to the FCC, there are too many countries with a stake in this.

They're trying to turn the internet into a tiered pay system, worldwide. I think the FCC has a say because it's American companies and bandwidth and servers etc.

It sounds like a made up boogeyman, but it's a fight that has been going on for several years, but Google previously stood on the other side, if I remember correctly.

Tea Party taking a stand against net neutrality
http://www.atr.org/files/files/081110...

They say it's an assault on individual liberties and an affront to free market.

How they can say that net neutrality is the threat to free speech is beyond me. They're just choosing a different master, like you said.

Huh? Equal access to the net is against free speech? Whaaa?

BunWat wrote: "Sometimes I just feel like big portions of the right is composed of shills for multinational corporations...."

I certainly think there ARE shills on the right now. I don't think their numbers are big, but the money that backs them certainly is.

I believe the majority of conservatives in this country are just what they've always been -- thoughtful and concerned for the good of the nation -- but their voices are currently drowned completely out by these extremist wingers who've taken over their party. And these wingers are corporate led and backed. We can trace the origins of the Tea Party to the extreme right-wing groups "Freedom Works" and "Americans for Prosperity," both of which spring from the extremely powerful and industry-funded "Citizens for a Sound Economy." That's a group worth reading about:

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?...

If there's one thing characterizing these wingers besides their megabucks, it's their megacontempt for us citizens and our Constitution. Therefore, I believe that acting as if Tea Partiers' "political stands" are taken in good faith is a big mistake. Instead, I think their outrageous statements, like the one above, should ALWAYS be met by simply pointing out the roots from which they spring. Sometimes an ad hominem ISN'T a logical fallacy....

Thanks so much for posting that link, Lori! In case anyone missed it (it didn't come across as a link), here it is again:

http://savetheinternet.com/fcc-comments