Building a Movement for Net Neutrality
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Net Neutrality Is Crucial for Democracy. Please Don't Let the Broadband Monopolies Extort Every Website Owner in the World
Net neutrality is crucial for democracy. Please don't let the broadband monopolies extort every website owner in the world. They're already screwing over their customers with their exorbitant prices and unreliably service *cough*monopoly*cough*. We use the internet to communicate. We need the internet to communicate it large groups. Comcast and friends are common carriers. This is really important. -Jason Woofenden, Northampton, MA I'm a single-mother with a home-based business. Net Neutrality is important to my ability to earn money for my family, to access a wide range of information and viewpoints, and to continue on the path as a lifelong learner. -Rachel Cullar, Oakley, CA I am sick and tired off the greed off the cable companies and the whores in Washington, DC they will get on thier knees for any reason as long as they get the money. Wheeler is just the latest The United States would be well served turning Washington, DC back into a swamp. Please include all of the politicians and lobby folks. Thanks -Edward Tharp, Capistrano Beach, CA Net Neutrality is important to me because it is a free and equal system. It is also a system that is not broken, nor in need of an overhaul or major changes. As a taxpayer, citizen and voter, I want the groups that represent me (FCC, Congress, etc) to hear my voice because our government exists not only to govern but to hear the voice of the common man. -Eric Petersen, Millville, CA Simply put, there is no reason to end Net Neutrality. -
Antitrust Over Net Neutrality: Why We Should Take Competition in Broadband Seriously
ANTITRUST OVER NET NEUTRALITY: WHY WE SHOULD TAKE COMPETITION IN BROADBAND SERIOUSLY HON. MAUREEN K. OHLHAUSEN* In 2015, the FCC subjected broadband Internet service provid- ers to Title II regulation. It did so to enforce net neutrality rules, which require ISPs (internet service providers) to treat all content on their networks equally. The principal justification is to prevent ISPs, in delivering content to their subscribers, from favoring their own content or that of other creators who pay for “fast lanes.” Should such discrimination flourish—the concern goes—ISPs could relegate disfavored content providers to second-tier modes of access to consumers, degrading competition. The rationalization for net neutrality regulation, however, is hard to square with the facts. There is, after all, virtually no evi- dence of ISPs excluding rival content. Two reasons likely explain the paucity of anticompetitive conduct. First, market forces driven by consumer demand would punish broadband service providers that throttled or excluded desired content. And, second, antitrust would forbid efforts by ISPs with significant market power to fore- close rival content. Yet, the FCC’s decision to enact broad net neu- trality rules, which the D.C. Circuit subsequently upheld in 2016, repudiated the view that antitrust is a viable solution to the threat of net neutrality violations. This Article argues, however, that net neutrality proponents too easily dismiss antitrust. Competition law can indeed protect non-economic goals like free speech and democratic participation, but only to the extent that consumers actually value those goals above others. Of course, antitrust does not promote civic discourse as an end in itself. -
Internet Freedom in China: U.S. Government Activity, Private Sector Initiatives, and Issues of Congressional Interest
Internet Freedom in China: U.S. Government Activity, Private Sector Initiatives, and Issues of Congressional Interest Patricia Moloney Figliola Specialist in Internet and Telecommunications Policy May 18, 2018 Congressional Research Service 7-5700 www.crs.gov R45200 Internet Freedom in China: U.S. Government and Private Sector Activity Summary By the end of 2017, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) had the world’s largest number of internet users, estimated at over 750 million people. At the same time, the country has one of the most sophisticated and aggressive internet censorship and control regimes in the world. PRC officials have argued that internet controls are necessary for social stability, and intended to protect and strengthen Chinese culture. However, in its 2017 Annual Report, Reporters Without Borders (Reporters Sans Frontières, RSF) called China the “world’s biggest prison for journalists” and warned that the country “continues to improve its arsenal of measures for persecuting journalists and bloggers.” China ranks 176th out of 180 countries in RSF’s 2017 World Press Freedom Index, surpassed only by Turkmenistan, Eritrea, and North Korea in the lack of press freedom. At the end of 2017, RSF asserted that China was holding 52 journalists and bloggers in prison. The PRC government employs a variety of methods to control online content and expression, including website blocking and keyword filtering; regulating and monitoring internet service providers; censoring social media; and arresting “cyber dissidents” and bloggers who broach sensitive social or political issues. The government also monitors the popular mobile app WeChat. WeChat began as a secure messaging app, similar to WhatsApp, but it is now used for much more than just messaging and calling, such as mobile payments, and all the data shared through the app is also shared with the Chinese government. -
The Honorable Ajit Pai Page 3 Attachment—Additional Questions
The Honorable Ajit Pai Page 3 Attachment—Additional Questions for the Record Subcommittee on Communications and Technology Hearing on “Accountability and Oversight of the Federal Communications Commission” December 5, 2019 The Honorable Ajit Pai, Chairman, Federal Communications Commission The Honorable Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA) 1. I’m pleased the Lifeline National Verifier now has automated connections with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services databases to verify Lifeline eligibility and that the FCC is working to establish a similar connection with the Department of Veterans Affairs for its Veterans and Survivors Pension Benefits program. Is the FCC working with the Department of Agriculture to establish automated connections for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), given the significant overlap between recipients of SNAP and Lifeline? Response: USAC has conferred with the Department of Agriculture, as well as other federal and state agencies and Tribal governments, on expanding the National Verifier to include available data sources for all qualifying eligibility programs. Currently, there is no nationwide database of SNAP recipients maintained at USDA or any other federal agency. Rather, that data is maintained at the state level. As a result, the National Verifier has built automated connections with 15 state systems with SNAP data, and USAC is working with additional states and territories to build new automated connections in 2020. The FCC and USAC remain willing to work with any state, territory, or district that is interested in establishing an automated eligibility verification connection with the National Verifier. 2. One goal of the National Verifier was to reduce waste, fraud, and abuse. -
The SOPA-TPP Nexus
View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Digital Commons @ American University Washington College of Law American University Washington College of Law Digital Commons @ American University Washington College of Law Joint PIJIP/TLS Research Paper Series 3-2012 The SOPA-TPP Nexus Jonathan Band [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.wcl.american.edu/research Part of the Intellectual Property Law Commons, and the International Trade Law Commons Recommended Citation Band, Jonathan. 2012. The SOPA-TPP Nexus. PIJIP Research Paper no. 2012-06 American University Washington College of Law, Washington, D.C. This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property and Technology, Law, & Security Program at Digital Commons @ American University Washington College of Law. It has been accepted for inclusion in Joint PIJIP/TLS Research Paper Series by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ American University Washington College of Law. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE SOPA-TPP NEXUS 1 Jonathan Band ABSTRACT The controversy in the United States over the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) has profound implications for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement. The SOPA debate underscores the importance of striking the proper balance in intellectual property laws to promote creativity and innovation. It demonstrates that over-protection can stifle free expression and the effective operation of the Internet as a medium of communication and commerce not only within a jurisdiction, but also extraterritorially. Additionally, the debate reveals the ability of the Internet community to mobilize quickly to defeat policies that it believes threaten its existence. -
Congressional Record United States Th of America PROCEEDINGS and DEBATES of the 115 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION
E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 115 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION Vol. 163 WASHINGTON, MONDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2017 No. 157 Senate The Senate met at 3 p.m. and was ate now observe a moment of silence their time, our fellow Americans are called to order by the President pro for the victims of the Las Vegas at- always there to offer what they can tempore (Mr. HATCH). tack. when others are in need. f The PRESIDENT pro tempore. With- We thank these Americans and law out objection, it is so ordered. enforcement and the first responders PRAYER The Senate will now observe a mo- for everything they have done. We The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- ment of silence for the victims of the thank them for their efforts that con- fered the following prayer: attack in Las Vegas. tinue now. Let us pray. (Moment of silence.) We again send our condolences to ev- Eternal Lord God, we lift our hearts The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. eryone affected by this terrible trag- to You. Lord, please shower Your YOUNG). The majority leader is recog- edy. mercy on our Nation, as we seek to nized. f deal with the Las Vegas mass shooting. f Please show mercy to the victims and RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME their families. Lord, in spite of this LAS VEGAS MASS SHOOTING The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under horrific act, give us faith to believe Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, the the previous order, the leadership time that evil will not ultimately prevail in news we awoke to this morning was is reserved. -
Progress Report on FCC Chairman Ajit Pai
Progress Report on FCC Chairman Ajit Pai One year ago, President Trump designated Ajit Pai as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Today we review Pai’s first year as chair, which was marked by a radical agenda that rolled back consumer protections and rubber-stamped corporate wish lists. 1. REPEALED NET NEUTRALITY ● Repealed the 2015 Open Internet Order, dismantling rules that had protected consumers from harmful practices by their internet service providers. The repeal gave big broadband companies such as Comcast, Verizon, and AT&T the power to charge new fees and pick winners and losers in the online marketplace. ● Ignored widespread complaints of identity fraud and alleged DDoS attacks that prevented Americans from submitting comments about net neutrality. ● Stonewalled numerous requests to publicly disclose documents related to net neutrality. ● Exempted most broadband providers from the 2015 Open Internet Order’s transparency rule, leaving millions of customers in the dark about their providers’ policies. ● Pulled the plug on the FCC’s investigation of “zero-rating” plans, leaving no cop on the beat to monitor whether broadband companies are using zero rating to violate net neutrality. 2. ABANDONED CONSUMER PRIVACY ● Supported a Congressional Review Act resolution to repeal the FCC’s broadband privacy rules. Congress repealed the rules in March despite widespread public outcry. ● Blocked a data security rule that would have required broadband providers like AT&T and Comcast to take “reasonable measures” to secure their customers’ data. 3. PUT INDUSTRY AHEAD OF CONSUMERS ● Killed a proceeding to reform the badly broken set-top box market, ensuring that consumers will continue to be forced to pay exorbitant fees for inefficient cable equipment. -
Oversight of the Federal Communications Commission
S. HRG. 114–175 OVERSIGHT OF THE FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION UNITED STATES SENATE ONE HUNDRED FOURTEENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION MARCH 18, 2015 Printed for the use of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation ( U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE 98–498 PDF WASHINGTON : 2016 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Publishing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402–0001 VerDate Nov 24 2008 10:32 Feb 08, 2016 Jkt 075679 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 S:\GPO\DOCS\98498.TXT JACKIE SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION ONE HUNDRED FOURTEENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION JOHN THUNE, South Dakota, Chairman ROGER F. WICKER, Mississippi BILL NELSON, Florida, Ranking ROY BLUNT, Missouri MARIA CANTWELL, Washington MARCO RUBIO, Florida CLAIRE MCCASKILL, Missouri KELLY AYOTTE, New Hampshire AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota TED CRUZ, Texas RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, Connecticut DEB FISCHER, Nebraska BRIAN SCHATZ, Hawaii JERRY MORAN, Kansas EDWARD MARKEY, Massachusetts DAN SULLIVAN, Alaska CORY BOOKER, New Jersey RON JOHNSON, Wisconsin TOM UDALL, New Mexico DEAN HELLER, Nevada JOE MANCHIN III, West Virginia CORY GARDNER, Colorado GARY PETERS, Michigan STEVE DAINES, Montana DAVID SCHWIETERT, Staff Director NICK ROSSI, Deputy Staff Director REBECCA SEIDEL, General Counsel JASON VAN BEEK, Deputy General Counsel KIM LIPSKY, Democratic Staff Director CHRIS DAY, Democratic Deputy Staff Director CLINT ODOM, Democratic General Counsel and Policy Director (II) VerDate Nov 24 2008 10:32 Feb 08, 2016 Jkt 075679 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 S:\GPO\DOCS\98498.TXT JACKIE C O N T E N T S Page Hearing held on March 18, 2015 ........................................................................... -
The High Cost of Doing Nothing on Net Neutrality Introduction
ISSUE BRIEF: Q4 2019 UPDATE THE HIGH COST OF DOING NOTHING ON NET NEUTRALITY INTRODUCTION Business Forward has organized hundreds of briefings across the country on technology and innovation, collecting recommendations from local business leaders on a range of issues, from how to protect IP to helping small businesses use the internet to find new markets. Few issues are as important – or contentious – as net neutrality. This issue brief explains why net neutrality matters and offers a path to achieving it. The term “net neutrality” was coined in 2003, capturing the belief that the best way to ensure an open and vital internet is to prevent network operators from interfering with traffic to favor data from some sites or applications over others. Without net neutrality, network operators could censor viewpoints, stifle startups by charging exorbitant tolls, or undermine competition by favoring their own web offerings over their competitors’ offerings. With net neutrality, companies operating at the “edge” of the network are more likely to invest in distance learning, telemedicine, media streaming, and other new, data-intensive businesses. FOUR DIFFERENT FCC CHAIRS, SERVING TWO PRESIDENTS, SUPPORTED NET NEUTRALITY PRINCIPLES, POLICIES OR RULES – BUT THEY LACKED CONGRESSIONAL AUTHORITY TO ENFORCE THEM. The FCC began working on ways to promote net neutrality in 2004. Four different FCC chairs (Michael Powell, Kevin Martin, Julius Genachowski, and Tom Wheeler) serving two presidents (George W. Bush, Barack Obama) issued net neutrality principles, policies or rules. But federal courts or subsequent FCC orders struck down these efforts. Martin’s “policy statement” was found to be unenforceable because it wasn’t a formal regulation. -
The Best Path Forward on Net Neutrality
POLICY BRIEF The Best Path Forward on Net Neutrality BY ROBERT LITAN AND HAL SINGER SEPTEMBER 2014 Introduction Net neutrality—the notion that all Internet traffic, regardless of its source or type, must be treated the same by Internet Service Providers (ISPs)—is back on the na- tion’s political radar. The catalyst was the D.C. Court of Appeals’ decision last January in Verizon v. FCC, which overturned the Federal Communications Com- mission’s (FCC) “Open Internet Order.” The essence of the Court’s ruling was that the FCC lacked legal authority to impose the specific non-discrimination re- quirements embodied in that order, which prohibited ISPs and content providers from negotiating rates for speedier delivery or “paid prioritization.” The Court’s rationale was that the FCC had previously declined to designate Internet access “common carriage” under Title II of the Telecommunications Act, a classification that the Court essentially suggested could have justified its order. Importantly, the Court also articulated a less-invasive path for regulating such arrangements, in which ISPs and content providers could voluntarily negotiate the terms for priority delivery. The FCC could serve as a backstop to adjudicate disputes if negotiations broke down and discrimination was to blame. Moreover, the Court signaled that the FCC could invoke this alternative approach under its existing (Section 706) authority without reclassifying ISPs. The Court’s decision has unleashed a vigorous debate over both paid prioritiza- tion and whether Internet access now should be subject to Title II. Broadly speak- ing, public interest and some consumer groups, coupled with some in the tech community (collectively, the “netizens”), want the same (zero) price for all types of online content, regardless of the volume of traffic on each site. -
Picket Signs Versus Pocket Books: Using U.S
Tulsa Law Review Volume 53 Issue 1 Article 4 Fall 2017 Picket Signs Versus Pocket Books: Using U.S. Securities Law to Compel Corporate Lobbying Disclosure M. Dalton Downing Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.law.utulsa.edu/tlr Part of the Law Commons Recommended Citation M. D. Downing, Picket Signs Versus Pocket Books: Using U.S. Securities Law to Compel Corporate Lobbying Disclosure, 53 Tulsa L. Rev. 85 (2017). Available at: https://digitalcommons.law.utulsa.edu/tlr/vol53/iss1/4 This Casenote/Comment is brought to you for free and open access by TU Law Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Tulsa Law Review by an authorized editor of TU Law Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Downing: Picket Signs Versus Pocket Books: Using U.S. Securities Law to Co PICKET SIGNS VERSUS POCKET BOOKS: USING U.S. SECURITIES LAW TO COMPEL CORPORATE LOBBYING DISCLOSURE I. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 86 II. BACKGROUND ..................................................................................................... 88 A. What is “Lobbying”? .......................................................................... 88 B. The History of Corporate Lobbying .................................................... 89 C. The Expansion of Modern Corporate Lobbying ................................. 93 III. INVESTOR ENGAGEMENT FOR DISCLOSURE: INTERESTS, MOTIVATIONS, AND ILLUSTRATIONS .......................................................................................... -
Net Neutrality: Selected Legal Issues Raised by the FCC’S 2015 Open Internet Order
Net Neutrality: Selected Legal Issues Raised by the FCC’s 2015 Open Internet Order Kathleen Ann Ruane Legislative Attorney June 12, 2015 Congressional Research Service 7-5700 www.crs.gov R43971 Net Neutrality: Selected Legal Issues Raised by the FCC’s 2015 Open Internet Order Summary In February 2015, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted an order that will impose rules governing the management of Internet traffic as it passes over broadband Internet access services (BIAS), whether those services are fixed or wireless. The rules are commonly known as “net neutrality” rules. The order was released in March 2015 and published in the federal register on April 13, 2015. The order took effect on June 12, 2015. According to the order, the rules ban the blocking of legal content, forbid paid prioritization of affiliated or proprietary content, and prohibit the throttling of legal content by broadband Internet access service providers (BIAS providers). The rules are subject to reasonable network management, as that term is defined by the FCC. This is not the first time the FCC has attempted to impose some version of net neutrality rules. Most recently, the FCC issued the Open Internet Order in 2010, which would have created similar rules for the provision of broadband Internet access services. However, the bulk of those rules, with the sole exception of a disclosure rule, were struck down by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. Interestingly, the court found that the FCC did have broad enough authority under Section 706 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 to impose the rules.