Internet Fast Lane.

Shadow Dragon

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The Federal Communications Commission voted 3-2 Thursday to move forward on proposed changes that could allow Internet Service Providers to give faster service to companies willing and able to pay for the privilege. It was a sharply partisan vote, with the three Democratic commissioners voting in favor and the two Republican appointees dissenting.

The proposed rules, which will remain preliminary throughout a public comment period ending July 15, leave open the possibility that Internet service providers like Comcast or Verizon could provide “prioritized service” to platforms like Netflix or YouTube. Advocates of the open Internet, however, say such prioritized service — also called a “fast lane” — is antithetical to net neutrality, or the idea that Internet providers should treat all content as equal in terms of speed. While FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler has said the proposal wouldn’t allow for a fast lane and a slow lane on the Internet, net neutrality advocates say that’s an illogical loophole in net neutrality — if there’s a fast lane, then it holds there must be a “slow lane” as well, they argue.

[snip]

The two Republican commissioners who voted against the proposed rules, meanwhile, characterized them as an “absurd” overreach. Net neutrality is “too important” for “us five unelected individuals to decide,” said commissioner Ajit Pai, who opposed the rule. He called for Congress to clarify and guide what the commission should do, and for a series of peer-reviewed studies by economists, engineers, computer scientists and technologists “before the commission acts.”
http://time.com/101418/fcc-fast-lane-net-neutrality/

I've never been a fan of one party acting in lockstep to stonewall any idea by another party, but this one time, I'm actually hoping the Republicans find a way to shut this idea down.
 

readmikenow

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It will be interesting to see what is said during the public comment period. People from all over the political spectrum are coming out against this move by the FCC.
 

MacAllister

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Yeah. The potential loss of net neutrality is deeply troubling to site owners like me, too. It could all too easily be a small-site killer.
 
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Roxxsmom

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http://time.com/101418/fcc-fast-lane-net-neutrality/

I've never been a fan of one party acting in lockstep to stonewall any idea by another party, but this one time, I'm actually hoping the Republicans find a way to shut this idea down.

And for once in my life, I find myself agreeing with the Republicans. I'm surprised that the Dems are coming out so pro big business in this case and supporting something that could be so bad for users who can't afford to pay for the extra bandwidth. What's the rationale for supporting this? I haven't met a regular internet user or small business owner who thinks it will make things better for them.
 
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StuckInMyHead

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I think "net neutrality" is a complex topic that has been oversimplified and will be decided based on public pressure by less-than-fully informed people.
I'm not sure where I fall on it. I want access for all (including small websites), but I also don't want my service slowed down because my neighbor's teenager is hogging all the bandwidth and the ISP can't throttle the website he's using.
So I don't know... the truth is, I think, there is no easy answer.
 

DancingMaenid

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I think "net neutrality" is a complex topic that has been oversimplified and will be decided based on public pressure by less-than-fully informed people.
I'm not sure where I fall on it. I want access for all (including small websites), but I also don't want my service slowed down because my neighbor's teenager is hogging all the bandwidth and the ISP can't throttle the website he's using.
So I don't know... the truth is, I think, there is no easy answer.

I agree that there are some valid reasons to want to vary connection speeds or change how bandwidth is allocated.

What concerns me, though, is the potential for major websites get priority simply because they can pay more. Ultimately, the sites that take the most bandwidth could also be the sites with the fastest service.