Great news for a change

[Jeffersons Ghost]

Net neutrality rules get go ahead from US regulators
By Maggie Shiels

US regulators have approved new rules meant to prohibit broadband companies from interfering with internet traffic.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted 3-2 on the principle known as net neutrality; a tenet that ensures all web traffic is treated equally.

The rules have been criticised for setting different standards for fixed line broadband and mobile operators.

Officials said the regulations are "the first time the commission has adopted enforceable rules" to govern the web.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12046874

[texastoast]

1. Is this the same deal?

From a Credo email:

Today President Obama's Federal Communications Commission betrayed the fundamental principle of net neutrality and sold us out to AT&T, Verizon and Comcast.

...

Net neutrality is a principle that says that Internet users, not Internet service providers (ISPs), should be in control. It ensures that Internet service providers can't speed up, slow down, or block Web content based on its source, ownership, or destination.
Yet today the FCC, let by Obama-appointee Julius Genachowski and cheered on by the White House, voted to adopt rules that will enshrine in federal regulations for the first time the ability of AT&T, Comcast, Verizon and other ISPs to discriminate between sources and types of content. And despite the fact that there is only one Internet, the rules also largely exempt cell phones and wireless devices from what meager protections the rules afford.

It's no exaggeration to say that this decision marks the beginning of the end for the Internet as we know it.

Senator Al Franken laid out what's at stake with this ruling, saying:

"The FCC's action today is simply inadequate to protect consumers or preserve the free and open Internet. I am particularly disappointed to learn that the order will not specifically ban paid prioritization, allowing big companies to pay for a fast lane on the Internet and abandoning the foundation of net neutrality. The rule also contains almost no protections for mobile broadband service, remaining silent on the blocking of content, applications, and devices. Wireless technology is the future of the Internet, and for many rural Minnesotans, it's often the only choice for broadband."

...

[derby378]

2. Yeppers - don't break out the champagne yet

Welcome to the Internet, brought to you by AT&T. Or Carl's Jr.

[Jeffersons Ghost]

3. yes, you're both right, I just read the Huffington Post version of the news