Internet Access Under Attack in Congress

[merkins]

need to nip this one in the bud:


A bill just introduced in the House could destroy universal, affordable Internet access everywhere.

The “Preserving Innovation in Telecom Act” (H.R. 2726) would let big cable and telecom companies shut down Community Internet and municipal broadband projects being planned across the country.
The bill would prevent state or local governments from providing “any telecommunications service, information service or cable service” anywhere a corporation offers a similar service.

This outrageous legislation was introduced by Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas) — a former SBC executive — and is a blatant effort by the telecom and cable companies to cement their monopoly control of communications at the expense of innovation, competition, and local choice.


petition and more here:

http://www.freepress.net/action/sessionsbill

[B Calm]

1. This pisses me off. Whats next? PBS??

[rzemanfl]

2. I trust you know that your screen name is the plural of "pubic

hairpiece." Welcome to DU.

[izzie]

3. Sorry but I think it is only time until Corp. try to take it over

Just look at how lights were put into use in this country and who owns it now. It is odd when you think that GM is going under to over seas corp. who's health care is paid for by the taxes and their govt. How can GM fight this? Large corp. need to look at that they are killing their own golden goose---The US middle class. Want to bet Bush will have this INTERNET thing in line before he leaves office?

[kiki]

5. But how many of the internets will he monopolise?

[Deja Q]

7. Warning: Reality bytes.

Warning: Considering our economy was created on unsustainable conditions (PEAK OIL (or their belief in it) being the pinnacle of an ill-conceived idea for an economy):

it will crash.

They want it to crash.

They want to cull the populace.

To only people they agree with.

And then to make them their slaves.

They do not want the middle class at all.

They want power and dominance, as any animal is wont to do.

They want to restructure things so they remain in power, wealthy for the new currency they will have to make, for good.

And to keep us from reaching the so-called "American Dream".

To keep us poor. To keep us slaves. You'll also notice they are also dismantling human rights protections (ADA, FMLA, you name it.)

THAT is the end result of the Reagan revolution, of which they still hit us over the head with and say how many more millionaires are created while willfully ignoring the increasing amounts of homeless, jobless, and working poor.

We will either get civil war or a lot of people dying in agony from starvation and dehydration. Never mind the rise in crime that WILL happen because nobody has any money. I'd therefore recommend people either buy guns according to the 2nd amendment (so stop fighting against the damn thing, folks) or buy/rent/steal "Final Exit" (3rd ed.) by Derek Humphrey. It'll save you weeks of hunger and thirst and negate the need for a gun. It's up to you.

--
I know I've offended people before with my "simplistic" tone of recent (I hid that thread out of anger), but at least it's universally accessible (everyone can understand it the first time) and not my usual chaotic/convoluted style of writing that often achieves the same effect. I'm damned either way but I also don't like repeating myself because I was confusing in the first place.

[TomClash]

4. I call this the "I hate competition" bill

Monopoly Capitalism at its best

[Deja Q]

6. Wasn't the internet designed so people could readily access it?

This is an outrage.

I hope Americans wake up; they can say "it's all politics and I don't care and I hope things go for the best", but at some point they're going to get bulldozed.

It's also a clandestine attempt to prevent lower-income and the poor from using the internet; e.g. political discussion forums.

[NashVegas]

8. Here's the Bill

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c109:1:./temp/~c10946Job2::


109th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 2726

To prohibit municipal governments from offering telecommunications, information, or cable services except to remedy market failures by private enterprise to provide such services.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

May 26, 2005

Mr. SESSIONS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

A BILL

To prohibit municipal governments from offering telecommunications, information, or cable services except to remedy market failures by private enterprise to provide such services.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Preserving Innovation in Telecom Act of 2005'.

SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON MUNICIPAL SERVICES.

(a) Amendment- Section 253 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 253) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:

`(g) Provision of Services by State and Local Governments and Their Affiliates-

`(1) PROHIBITION- Effective 60 days after the date of enactment of the Preserving Innovation in Telecom Act of 2005, neither any State or local government, nor any entity affiliated with such a government, shall provide any telecommunications, telecommunications service, information service, or cable service in any geographic area within the jurisdiction of such government in which a corporation or other private entity that is not affiliated with any State or local government is offering a substantially similar service.

`(2) GRANDFATHER PROVISION- Paragraph (1) shall not prohibit a State or local government or affiliated entity thereof from providing in any geographic area within the jurisdiction of such government any service that such government or entity was providing on the date of enactment of the Preserving Innovation in Telecom Act of 2005.'.

(b) Conforming Amendment- Subsection (f) of section 621 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 541(f)) is repealed.

[MidnightWind]

9. I call this the "Let's make all my rich buddies even richer" bill

aka as "Let's deny free internet access to minorities and the lower socioeconomic classes" further creating gaps between "them" and "us". These people disgust me with crap like this. How much do you want to bet it sails through congress and becomes law?