Telecom Trying to Outlaw Local ISPs

[GoLeft TV]

From Ring of Fire:

Last week, a bill was introduced to the Kansas legislature that would have a devastating effect on the growth and implementation of local fiber and municipal broadband in the state, if passed.

According to Ars Technica, the bill was introduced by John Federico on behalf of the Kansas Telecommunications Association, which is a lobbying group. Its members include Comcast, Time Warner, Cox, and Eagle Communications.

You can read the full article here at Ring of Fire.

[Enthusiast]

1. Corporate rule.

[lark]

2. It's what's happening here in this country.

The ultra rich plotted and schemed and it's now all coming together when the Kochs admittedly are doing their dishonest best to buy a government even more in thrall to the 1%.

[DeSwiss]

3. Only. If. We. Continue. To. Punkout. And. Let. Them.

[lark]

4. I see little evidence that we will do much about this.

WE elected the supposedly progressive democrat and got another corporatist for the most part. I don't think a populist could win in a national election, don't think the TPB would let her/him take office. Washington Post threatened Bush, the crusading Katherine Graham dies mysteriously. The guy who had the good on the Repug theft of the 2004 election mysteriously dies with no real investigation. OWS smashed for daring to challenge the corporotacracy. When they first appeared, I was so hopeful, but all that's ashes now.

[DeSwiss]

12. ''You don't put new wine into old skins.''

- When enough of us figure that one out, we've a chance.

Whenever someone tells you that we've got to accept the system we've got now. And that there are no other systems that are better than the one we've got, always look at the person who is telling you this. It's usually someone who benefits from the existing system and would lose a lot if it was changed. It's like them saying: ''We've checked all the other systems and this is the best one of all of them -- the one with me in the castle.''

~Russell Brand

[Doctor_J]

10. Voting and LTTE are not going to help

Something really ugly is going to have to start happening in order to get this turned around. Radical cancer requires radical treatment. If I were strategizing the thing, Hate Radio would be the primary target. The fascist stronghold would be tough to maintain without those 1200 propaganda outlets.

[Enthusiast]

16. I hear that!

I used to listen to Limbaugh some to get a feel for the level of dishonesty. Make no mistake, the guy is very effective at what he does. These hate mongers fill the heads of the vulnerable by the millions. Ending the fairness doctrine and buying up the AM radio stations was central to the right wing coup.

[cantbeserious]

11. The Oligarchs, Corporations And Banks Own And Control The Politicians That Own And Control Us

eom

[DeSwiss]

13. But we control it all.

- Because it can't run without us. That's why they have to keep us divided. And poor. And appreciative.

And scared we'll lose it all and end up in the streets.

But only ''we'' can shut it all down.

TOGETHER.

[cantbeserious]

15. Roger That

eom

[Enthusiast]

17. Precisely.

I was born in the early 1950s. I never dreamed such a powerful force for evil would emerge in this nation. All we heard growing up was about the evils of communism.

[summerschild]

5. Another article stated this is more ALEC legislation.

[sulphurdunn]

6. They grovel at the feet

of corporatocracy and call it liberty.

[dembotoz]

7. yes lets make it even more difficult for folks to get decent broadband

what i find interesting is that putting infrastructure into areas with low population desity(ie Kansas) is really damn expensive.

so lets limit is even more.

I guess the legislators in kansas really do like their constituents barefoot and pregnant

[Jack Rabbit]

8. This serves the public interest how?

Some politicians don't even try to hide their corruption any more.

I suppose Comcast, Time Warner, et al., have plans, if this bill goes down in flames as it ought, to bring the state of Kansas before the kangaroo commission of corporate lawyers under the TPP and complain that Kansas is cutting into their profits by allowing competition.

And when they get their way, a corporate spokesman will proclaim how lucky we are to live in the age of the free market.

[Seedersandleechers]

9. Hears what I think

for what's worth. I live in Missouri and literally across the street is Kansas. I just received google fiber which gives me 100X the speed of what TWC or ATT&T can offer. They see competition nearby and they are shitting in their pants

[GoLeft TV]

14. Nailed it.

[jmowreader]

18. They also see what Moses Lake, WA, did, and that scares them more

Moses Lake is a very spread-out town in central Washington with 20,000 residents. The Internet providers told ML that installing broadband there would be too expensive...so the city floated a bond and built it themselves. Now Moses Lake has the fastest Internet in the US, and for some reason the teabaggers down there (who are dependent on their government-built internet, their government-built irrigation canals and their government-built electric generating network of dams) still say the government can't do anything right.

The private providers know something even worse: Governments talk to each other.

Since the government is thoroughly capable of doing anything the private sector can, but they can do it cheaper and better because there's no profit motive involved, they HAVE to shut down the government.