Although this week’s ruling killed the FCC’s current net neutrality rule, it didn’t kill net neutrality. In fact, it ruled FCC still has sweeping powers to protect an equal and open Internet, by reaffirming the FCC’s broad regulatory authority over broadband providers. In an angry dissenting opinion, DC Circuit Judge Laurence Silberman wrote that the ruling gave “the FCC virtually unlimited power to regulate the Internet” in the future.
I’m aware. But unfortunately it’s obvious to anyone who watches US politics at the moment, from either side of the water, that (as Tolkien would put it) the Shadow, each time it’s killed, merely waits and regroups its forces and then arises in another form — the Shadow in this case being a Congress composed of way too high a percentage of millionaires, who’re all way too inclined to give easy ear to the pleas and blandishments and specious reasoning of lobbyists for big-money media. And the FCC, unfortunately, is historically pretty useless in the face of lots of money. I have yet to see evidence that this situation has significantly changed.
The problem is that there are vast amounts of money lurking in the shadows of the net neutrality debate. And it is going to have to be constantly fought for because of all that money. Only just now after years of hollering at our own representatives on this side of things did the EU finally make it plain that net neutrality is to be permanently enshrined in law: but I think those of us who understand politics know quite well that even so, more fighting will be required in the future. Lay down a law and immediately those with most to gain by its subversion will turn the lawyers loose and start looking for ways around it (and this has already begun…). And then there’ll have to be new legislation to plug the loopholes.
The price of continued freedom really is eternal watchfulness. To paraphrase again: “Don’t blink.” Eyes must be always kept open, because the money involved in a non-neutral Net will always be whispering in the ears of those who’d like some of it…
Sorry if this reminds some people there are no easy solutions. Such is life. Meanwhile, if signing an electronic petition in enough numbers draws more attention to the ongoing problem, that’s fine with me. (I’m more a fan of paper, myself. A congressman’s or MEP’s email inbox is too easily cleaned out with the tap of a key. But hundreds of pounds’ worth of mail? Someone has to look at those; someone has to file them. They make a physical impact in the physical Real World, and, I think, more of an impression.) …But either way, everybody who doesn’t want services they now consider essential to their way of life curtailed or backburnered by those who think if you can’t pay lots and lots of dosh for it, they don’t have to listen to you — all those people need to speak up and stop expecting someone else to do it.
Reposted from http://ift.tt/1ixhUBI.
