So the President comes out strongly for Net Neutrality and the silence is deafening.

[kelliekat44]

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/obama-comes-out-strong-for-net-neutrality-says-fcc-102276271679.html

[gratuitous]

1. What do you expect?

It's a brand-new issue that just popped up in the last week. Nobody's had a chance to look at it and make a decision one way or the other. Even if it had been an issue, who could have used it or run on it? It wouldn't have energized or engaged any of the people who didn't vote last week, so what's the big schmeal?

[gordianot]

10. Actually it has been around for sometime and is an issue many Democrats have been on the wrong side.

Internet providers are looking for new and creative ways to screw their customers.

[vdogg]

16. Net Neutrality?

Last edited Tue Nov 11, 2014, 06:27 AM - Edit history (1)

This has been a huge issue for well over a year with some claiming Obama was against it all together, or was not forceful enough in his support. Their were many threads chastising him for appointing Tom Wheeler head of the FCC. That these voices are silent now is curious,I think that is what the OP was getting at.

[Triana]

19. What? The issue of net neutrality has been around for MONTHS and Democrats certainly could have...

...run on it and supported it. They CHOSE not to.

[RKP5637]

28. Because it was not GOP approved to run on it. n/t

[okieinpain]

35. too true. n/t.

[cyberswede]

31. Look slike your sarcasm sailed over some heads.

Good points in your post.

[gratuitous]

55. Living in the land of Nike

I'm accustomed to hearing the "Swoosh" of things sailing over heads.

[Triana]

107. gratuitous forgot the emoticon!

[pnwmom]

42. It's an issue we've been fighting for for YEARS.

[onyourleft]

65. I do, indeed, see...

...what you did here. Whoosh.

[tech3149]

66. You forgot the sarcasm emoticon! n/t

[gordianot]

2. HOORAY, but I am ticked off at my internet provider for false advertising when I up graded to 60 meg

[Hoyt]

3. No way. We all know he is working secretly to screw us. {sarcasm thingie} n/t

[shenmue]

8. Democrats cannot do anything good!!!!1!

[rhett o rick]

95. Kinda funny that he makes it an issue now. Had he made it an issue before the election, it might

helped some Democratic candidates. If he did it BEFORE he hand picked a so-called Democrat to chair the FCC. One that seems to agree with the Conservatives about net neutrality, we might have a chance.

But now that their is little he can do, he comes out for net neutrality.

He might not be working to screw us, but if he is working to help the corps, the result will be the same.

[Hoyt]

100. OK. I guess his comments in the 2013 State of the Union Speech did not happen.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/net-neutrality

That is what? A year and a half ago. I suspect if we took the time to look, we'd find support for net neutrality before that. But, too many folks here wouldn't believe it, so why bother.

How many times does he have to say something; or take action, or fail to take action; etc., before the detractors and conspiracy theorists believe him?

[rhett o rick]

105. Actions speak louder than words. He appointed Tom Wheeler. That's an action.

That probably scuttled net neutrality. Promises are a dime a dozen. We heard a lot of promises in 2007.

[Hoyt]

108. One expects Commissioners to be familiar with industry, and Obama just gave him marching orders.

Sorry, I don't see some Twinky eating hacker being the best choice for this position.

Wheeler's appointment no more scuttled net neurtrality than Elizabeth Warren's appointment scuttled consumer protections -- Warren being a bankruptcy attorney and, of all things, a former Republican.

Would I be happier with someone besides Wheeler, sure. But I would have been happier with the "Rent's too high, guy" rather than Warren for consumer protection agencies. Obama can control what comes out of the FCC, this ain't a lifetime appointment.

It's sad that Obama has to do twice as much as others, to get half the credit.

[rhett o rick]

113. Wheeler already tried to scuttle net neutrality. Public outcry alone stopped him, not the

president. This speech by the President was empty rhetoric. It was not an ultimatum for Wheeler.

As far as Sen Warren, she has been fighting the lopsided bankruptcy laws for years and a good choice for the Consumer Protection agency. The Republicans didn't like her, unlike Wheeler. Wheeler is the chair of a committee with two real Democrats and two Republicans. Wheeler's stand agrees with the Republicans.

"It's sad that Obama has to do twice as much as others, to get half the credit."
Really? Are you talking about the Free Trade Agreements? Or his support for Fracking? Maybe he doesn't get enough credit for strengthening the Patriot Act or indefinite detention. His DOJ has taken a very hard line on medical marijuana users. Heaven help them in their pains, while looking the other way to Wall street corruption. I suppose you think he should get more credit for the pipelines cris-crossing our country.

[Ykcutnek]

4. Further clarification: He's also telling them to scrap their fast lanes plan...

And wants to reclassify Internet as a public utility.

I'm sure someone will read between the lines and tell us why it means Obama isn't as liberal as Tricky Dick, though.

[riderinthestorm]

5. There's a thread in LBN that's going strong...

[Hissyspit]

116. Seriously.

[Autumn]

6. Nice but other things are so very

depressing

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014940819

[tkmorris]

7. Explain Tom Wheeler to me

Further, what "silence" are you talking about? This is the 3rd thread I've seen here about it.

[Ykcutnek]

14. He works at the pleasure of the President.

What Wheeler thinks of this doesn't mean a goddamn thing.

[truebluegreen]

110. You need to brush up on the meaning of an "independent agency"

of which the FCC is but one example. Presidents appoint members, but may NOT remove them.

In other words, Obama doesn't have any more leverage over the FCC than you do.

[SidDithers]

9. Only kvetching gets noticed at the new DU...

Thanks for posting.

Sid

[Bluenorthwest]

25. This is the poster that blamed LGBT voters for the election losses on Wednesday morning.

"The openness and brazenness of the LBGT agenda and the media flaunting of gay marriages all across the country cost Dems dearly and threatens to do so in the future."
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025764803#post45

[Marr]

32. Wow.

How quickly the mask drops when they need someone to blame.

[Bluenorthwest]

40. It's sad that such posters remain viable among certain segments of DU in spite of such open hate

speech.

[Puglover]

63. OMG

OMG. The fact this poster is still here is gobsmacking.

Again. OMG.

[QC]

67. Take one back to the halcyon days of ponies and vipers. n/t

[Puglover]

70. I'm surprised the poster

that loudly and unapologetically told us, "You have enough rights." wasn't giving that stinking pile of shit a big ole rec.

[QC]

71. Must have gotten deleted too soon for that. n/t

[Bluenorthwest]

76. Ms. Plenty of Rights has posted an endorsement of this thread, of course

nt

[Puglover]

92. Of course.

Not a surprise.

I actually recced the thread and then saw the petty nasty little dig at the end of the OP. Unreal.

[1StrongBlackMan]

97. Welcome to the club! ..

Hey! Maybe our constituencies could form an alliance with the other traditionally disempowered groups of DU, and really make this place suck!

[Luminous Animal]

45. Whoa. That is fucked up.

[deurbano]

53. I had missed that. (Wow.)

[WorseBeforeBetter]

74. Now, now, maybe she just had "bad information"...

like our resident former Freeper.

Seriously, shouldn't a statement like that put a member "under review" or somesuch?

[BeanMusical]

77. Disgusting.

[Scuba]

90. One in a long litany of sins against liberalism.

[treestar]

60. Yes in fact, saying anything positive

about the President makes you an authoritarian ass kisser! Failing to hold his feet to the fire! He's only doing the right thing here because DU held his feet to the fire!

[Bluenorthwest]

79. Hey people upthread were talking about you and your 'plenty of rights' posts

nt

[BeanMusical]

88. You've been called an authoritarian ass kisser?

[WorseBeforeBetter]

98. BeanMusical? Sounds like some kind of twist on VanillaRhapsody...

who just happens to be on time-out.

Cute name.

[BeanMusical]

120. Lol!

Sorry for my sarcasms being too subtle. I'm really not a fan of that cult and the poster I replied too sure is a butt kisser.

[WorseBeforeBetter]

121. Mmm hmm. I was going to say welcome,

but I see you've been here since 2012.

[djean111]

11. Since he appointed Tom Wheeler, a lobbyist for cable companies, as head of the FCC,

I will wait to see what actually happens. It is that deeds not words thingy.
Obama also said he would revisit Nafta, and now we are getting the TPP rammed down out throats.
Deeds not words.

[stillwaiting]

21. How come everyone doesn't think rationally like this?

Appointing Tom Wheeler was a travesty.

We'll see what happens.

IF net neutrality is not destroyed, and IF the internet becomes a public utility and seen as such I will give Obama MASSIVE credit and be very, very, VERY happy with his actions.

[Ampersand Unicode]

39. The internet should be treated like the physical superhighways

You don't have to pay a subscription fee to a private company to drive on some roads versus others. You don't pay a company extra so that your SUV can be exempt from the speed limit while sedans and hybrids can go no higher than 50.

Ike -- REPUBLICAN and the last good one we'll ever have -- built the national highway system with a concerted PUBLIC effort. The internet is called the Information Superhighway for a reason. Let's get private companies the fuck out of the way and have this be a PUBLIC utility with equal access to all content for everyone no matter what. Your tax dollars should be an internet subscription. This is not a luxury like goobers always say when they're demonizing "welfare leeches with iPhones." The internet is a fundamental component of participating in society in the 21st century. It should be available to everyone and our taxes should pour into a pool to make it so.

Build a national fiber-optic network so that rural places can get off dialup and the suburbs can get off of lousy DSL. Then, install a national encrypted VPN network with no backdoors whatsoever so that all traffic is un-snoopable.

Our tax dollars are being wasted every day to kill people, why shouldn't they instead be used properly to connect them together?

Dwight David Eisenhower - WW2 hero, Five-Star General in the U.S. Army, suspected "communist," and the man who warned us about the MILITARY INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX.

Also, as I had said, the last good Republican. And, by the way..... not only did he authorize the creation of the physical highway system, but was actually one of the fathers of the Internet. No surprise there.

Among his enduring innovations, he launched the Interstate Highway System and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which led to the internet, among many invaluable outputs.

[staggerleem]

91. EXACTLY!

As an engineer who has made a 40-year career in electronic communications, I can say with some authority that the Appeals Court (see 3rd paragraph of yahoo article linked in OP), is DEAD WRONG, technically speaking.

The commodity that we pay our communications service providers for, be they Telephone, Cable TV, or Internet providers, is in all 3 cases identical - we pay for access to and bandwidth on their network infrastructure. If you really think about it, it's not all that different from what we pay water and/or power companies for - and they are ALSO regulated as common carriers.

If you want more TELEPHONE bandwidth (i. e., the ability to have several phone conversations going on simultaneously,) you add more phone lines, and the phone company charges you for the extra lines. But they do not prioritize a call from Lockheed to the Air Force about a deal for a new plane above a call from you to Aunt Fanny to ask about Uncle Charlie's gout. Likewise, if I want more bandwidth from my DSL, I can pay my provider extra for a second incoming line to my router. But my blog post should get out to the universe with the same priority as any message from the Republican Senate Campaign Committee to the "base".

[Octafish]

36. +2

Thank you for naming names and putting it into words, djean111.

[historylovr]

38. This.^

[Kermitt Gribble]

118. ++ n/t

[Brother Buzz]

12. I have a feeling the next 20 months or so are going to suck here on DU. Royally.

[NRaleighLiberal]

13. there is this thread already getting attention and recs

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014940848

[jeff47]

15. You have an odd definition of "silence"

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025796321
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025795792
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014940848

[NRaleighLiberal]

18. DU needs at least 20 threads on something important these days.

otherwise it is clearly unimportant.

[Bluenorthwest]

26. The OP has a few 'odd' thoughts. Here's one from Wed morning

"The openness and brazenness of the LBGT agenda and the media flaunting of gay marriages all across the country cost Dems dearly and threatens to do so in the future."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025764803#post45

[riderinthestorm]

56. An inconvenient truth. I pointed that out upthread as well.

Poutrage...

[Hissyspit]

117. I posted it almost immediately after it happened.

It started getting plenty of recs.

[Zorra]

17. Talk is cheap, I'll be impressed when he MAKES THEM DO IT. nt

[villager]

23. That's the thing. Once again, it's a great statement, but it's certainly not the *policy* yet

Let's hope that Obama's pro-corporate appointees are listening...

[truebluegreen]

111. FCC is an independent agency.

By definition, the President cannot make them do anything. He can appoint, but not remove, members. Which makes this talk even cheaper.

[Baitball Blogger]

20. If I didn't have the internet I wouldn't have much

human interaction at all.

See, that's what happens when the whole country goes crazy and lets right-wingers define our reality.

[Ampersand Unicode]

43. I hear ya

I don't really have any in-person friends because people pick on me at school, calling me geek and making fun of my glasses and my interest in computers. My family members are certifiable: my father drinks, my brother has big-time 'roid rage and I have other relatives who are hoarders and senile elderly. I barely have time to talk to my mother, or should I say she barely has time to talk to me because she is so busy with so many things (that other people could take care of but delegate responsibilities so they can do nothing).

Nobody I know reads and wants to talk about books; they only want to talk about bullshit on the Kardashians or Honey Booboo. Nobody listens to the same music I do, at least nobody my age anyway. I can't talk about things I learned in class (besides having learned I'm an ugly geek), because nobody understands what I'm talking about and anything other than the weather gets me referred to as a snob. I'm in the minority in my area even going to college in the first place. Most people who live around me are high-school dropouts and immigrants for whom the "American dream" is a foreign phrase in the abstract.

The only place I really interact now is on DU and some other forums (lol, Pirate Bay). I used to be on HuffPost, but they switched to Failbook for comments, and I absolutely refuse to bother with mainstream social media.

If Net Neutrality dies and the Internet gets destroyed, I'll become a complete recluse and probably end up going insane. I kid you not. There is absolutely NO ONE I have to talk to in my day-to-day life.

I've already started slipping sometimes into talking to myself.

[Baitball Blogger]

49. Oh, hell, I talk to myself on a daily basis.

But, then again, most of the time I'm working on character dialogue. I told my hubby that I wish they would have come up with those blue tooth ear attachments at least ten years earlier so I could go to the grocery store without having to see mothers pull their young children out of the aisles I was on. (Okay, it only happened once.)

Knowledge is a curse and a gift. Lucky are those who can acquire it and be surrounded by the people who are on the same journey.

For some God awful reason, that's not us. I feel like we got caught in a cusp of something. Like we're in a transition period in human history. Maybe it's always been that way and the luckiest of people are those who have found shelter in academic circles or families who provide them with some sort of stability.

We just have the internet, which I am grateful for. A lot of what I write about deals with what I thought American life was going to be like, and how it actually turned out.

Sounds like you're young enough to consider making a move where you might come in contact with people that share your interests. The young are always tuned to progressive ideas and there is still a window of time for you to make those connections.

[JoeyT]

61. I came from a similar place as you.

Rural Alabama, while being a fan of death metal, non-religious, white-enough-to-pass-but-not-white-enough, and an absolute nerd. So I get where you're coming from. If it makes you feel any better, your life is probably going to get a lot better not too much further down the road. You're going to look back on these years and...well...not laugh because it's not really funny, but you'll be glad to be out of there. You will probably laugh in the face of anyone that suggests school are the best years of your life.

I still talk to myself a lot, which is a pain, because having a conversation with that guy is terrible. He's an opinionated jerk that would benefit from a smack in the mouth.

[azmom]

94. You sound like a nerdfighter

We're Nerdfighters. We fight against suck....we fight for awesome. We fight using our brains, our hearts, our calculators and our trombones.


http://nerdfighters.ning.com

[Triana]

22. Video ...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1017225835

[Takket]

24. does anyone know the timetable for the FCC to rule on this?

[Blue_Tires]

27. kick

There are more than a few notable DUers absent from this thread...I wonder why that is?

[1StrongBlackMan]

41. They're too busy insisting that the U.S. sit out ...

negotiating a trade deal with some of the U.S.'s biggest trade partners.

[Luminous Animal]

83. Maybe some were actually posting in and reccing the other threads that were up before

this DU bashing post.

What a pathetic OP and 35 recs on a complete and utter lie.

[1StrongBlackMan]

96. If you say so. eom.

[Luminous Animal]

99. Posted by Hissyspit at 6:39 AM 42 recs.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014940848

Ykcutnek's OP was up a few minutes after this one and it has 92 recs. This OP is a lie and a disgusting attempt to smear DUers.

[1StrongBlackMan]

102. If you say so. eom.

[Bluenorthwest]

101. this is what the OP you praise wrote on Wednesday morning:

"The openness and brazenness of the LBGT agenda and the media flaunting of gay marriages all across the country cost Dems dearly and threatens to do so in the future."
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025764803#post45

Not a thread where all would feel welcomed.

[1StrongBlackMan]

103. That's terribly inappropriate and factually incorrect ...

But my comment "praised", neither the OP nor the writer of the OP.

[Bluenorthwest]

112. If you say so.

eom

[1StrongBlackMan]

114. I say so ...

My only comment was related to the lack of posts from folks that have been saying that President Obama opposes(d) Net Neutrality. This does not appear to be the case.

Now ... regarding the anti-LGBT sentiment of the person that posted this thread ... he/she is flat out wrong.

[Luminous Animal]

81. There were 2 OPs about this before this disgusting DU member bashing thread.

But let's not let facts get in the way of a smear, eh?

[Orsino]

29. The president has just shown Dems how to win, maybe.

It's not exactly a sexy issue, this net neutrality. C'mon, Mr. President--how about demanding jobs, a federal minimum wage increase, lowering of the SS age. How about unemployment, food stamps, or Welfare?

This call for net neutrality could be a model for Dems nationwide to apply to other issues more important to more Americans.

[Puzzledtraveller]

30. I oppose it, so.

[zipplewrath]

33. Waiting for the other shoe to drop

With Obama, I've learned to pay attention less to what he says, and more to what actually happens.

He mentioned the PO twice during speeches to congress, we saw how that turned out.

He was going to close Gitmo, then we found out he only wanted to move it.

He was against mandates before he was for them.

He was going to be out of Afghanistan, and then we found out that meant "all but 10K troops".

We'll see what actually happens. Most people who are passionate about this issues suspect it won't be what they want, despite anything he says.

[ballyhoo]

44. Yours is the best post here. I'm already studying

how to combat net non-neutrality, which now I figure is a done-deal. When it goes non-neutral, I may just use the internet for investments. Big Brother will begin to come after those non-plussed with certain forum comments.

[Marr]

34. Praise would be premature-- especially with this president.

He tends to achieve unpopular goals by making them inevitable through a clever use of bureaucracy, while taking a very popular stance in public.

[rocktivity]

37. He was for net neutraility

before he was for it!


rocktivity

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

46. I just heard about it 20 seconds ago.

So now I can become 'unsilent' and say... this is good, and could have been electorally useful if it had happened a couple of weeks ago.

[Luminous Animal]

78. There were already two threads posted on the topic before the OP decided to bash DUers.

[bluestateguy]

47. I'm sure Jane Hamsher and Cenk will be effusive in their praise

I'll wait.

[blue neen]

64. We'll be waiting a long time.

Jane may be conferring with Grover to find her very best negativity spin lines. We won't hear anything good from them about this President's actions.

[Luminous Animal]

80. Cenk is supportive. He's retweeting the news in his twitter timeline.

[RedCappedBandit]

48. What silence? nt.

[world wide wally]

50. Another winning issue if the Democrats hadn't gone mute besides bragging about how they also opposed

the Prez

[HERVEPA]

51. Talk is cheap. We'll see what actually happens. He sometimes "evolves" on issue.

[merrily]

52. Yeah, FCC Chair and former industry lobbyist, Wheeler, says the same thing.

Apparently, "net neutrality" means something different in DC than it means to most of us.

Net neutrality

In late April 2014, the contours of a document leaked that indicated that Wheeler's FCC would consider promulgating rules allowing Internet service providers (ISPs) to violate net neutrality principles by making it easier for Internet users to access certain content — whose owners paid fees to the ISPs (including cable companies and wireless ISPs) — and harder to access other content,[11] thus undermining the traditional open architecture of the Internet. These plans have received substantial backlash from activists, the mainstream press, and some other FCC commissioners.[12][13] In May 2014, over 100 internet companies including Google, Microsoft, eBay, and Facebook signed a letter to Wheeler voicing their disagreement with his plans, saying they represented a "grave threat to the Internet".[14] As of May 15, 2014, the fast lane bill passed voting with a 3/2 vote. It will now be open to public discussion that ends July 2014.[15]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Wheeler

I've learned not to applaud words from D.C. I wait for actions and results.

BTW, where was the public utility advice from the President when the FCC was ignoring advice from the SCOTUS stating the FCC had to re-classify as a public utility if it wanted to regulate internet providers heavily? The FCC lost a later case in federal court because it flat out ignored the SCOTUS. Doesn't help that the FCC chair and most FCC attorneys are straight out of the telecommunications industry.

[Android3.14]

54. We'll see. I have no faith in Obama

The past is a good indicator of how these things turn out, and with Mr. Obama at the helm, it will either fritter away to nothing or end up as another give-away to corporate interests.

[Dawgs]

57. Huh? It's all over the internet (gamespot, cnnfn, reddit, etc.).

And, there are quite a few comments on each of those pages.

http://www.gamespot.com/articles/obama-backs-net-neutrality/1100-6423487/
http://money.cnn.com/2014/11/10/technology/obama-internet-regulation/index.html?iid=HP_LN
http://www.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/2lv1vn/obama_classify_the_internet_as_a_utility/

..for example.

[GeorgeGist]

58. Nice whine.

Aged all of 3 hrs.

[msongs]

59. obama appoints net neutrality opponent to the FCC - his actions belie his words nt

[zeemike]

62. Well it is said talk is cheap and it is true.

Obama came out strongly against Gitmo too, but it is still there and will probably outlast him and his words.

If all you want is words then you got them.

[Hoyt]

68. Wheeler is lying just like Obama.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/11/fcc-chairman-tom-wheeler-there-is-more-work-to-do-on-net-neutrality-rules/

[WorseBeforeBetter]

69. "John Oliver’s net neutrality rant may have caused FCC site crash"

“The guy who used to run the cable industry’s lobbying arm is now running the agency tasked with regulating it,” Oliver said. “That is the equivalent of needing a babysitter and hiring a dingo. … With the fact that they are practically overseeing their own oversight, it is hardly surprising that cable companies are basically monopolies now. A federal study found that 96 percent of the population had access to two or fewer cable broadband providers. It’s almost at if they’ve agreed to stay out of each other’s way, like drug cartels.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/06/04/john-olivers-net-neutrality-rant-may-have-caused-fcc-site-crash/

Back in JUNE. An issue particularly important to all those non-voting Millennials. Seriously, WHO is advising Obama? He should have "come out strongly" BEFORE the election.

[SaveOurDemocracy]

72. We've learned to NOT read his lips. I will wait and see how much effort...

... follows to make it happen before I call in the band.

[cherokeeprogressive]

73. I totally oppose turning the Internet into a public utility.

So, because I can't say anything nice, well you get the picture.

Making it a public utility puts it under the thumb of whichever liars are in control of Congress at any given moment.

[eridani]

75. Only 80 recs and counting. That must mean that people don't care n/t

[blm]

82. The President cuts the deficit in half and the silence from MSM is deafening.

.

[blm]

84. The President cuts unemployment in half and the silence from the MSM is deafening.

.

[blm]

85. The President and SecKerry's plan for ISIL is working and the MSM silence is deafening.

.

[blm]

86. President's Affordable Care Act HAS been successful and the silence from MSM is deafening.

.

[JoePhilly]

87. Bully pulpit, pretty speech!!!!

Never fails on DU.

[pampango]

89. He didn't do it fast enough, loud enough and he doesn't agree with me enough.

[m-lekktor]

93. Code Pink's Medea Benjamin praised him for this on facebook.

her post just came through my newsfeed. She is often a critic, etc.

[yurbud]

104. I'm happy that he came out for it.

[TBF]

106. We're waiting to see what he

actually DOES as opposed to what he just says - we also know he is in favor of TPP which brings up some questions.

Here is an article from earlier this year to bring you up to speed on why we have concerns:


Say What? The End of Net Neutrality and a Globalization Treaty Threaten Minority Speech
by Sean Howell and Peter Ian Cummings • 13 February 2014


Few could argue that the Internet hasn’t revolutionized gay life. A generation came out on the web, and the freedom to launch a website adhering to one’s own standards of quality and authenticity has always gone along with that. That’s what both of us did, creating the social networks XY.com and Hornet. (In fact, equal Internet access may be how you found this article, and the Humanist for that matter.)

All this freedom could be coming to an end, unless the Federal Trade Commission and the Obama administration strongly change course to defend free speech. Otherwise, independent voices on the Internet could soon be entirely replaced by corporate websites or wealthy subsidiaries of AOL, Amazon, and Facebook; or silenced altogether.

Absent strong government response, a cocktail of two repressive policy changes could push controversial sites off the Internet. The first is the loss of net neutrality.

In January the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, in Verizon v. FCC, struck down the FCC’s Open Internet Order, which had required Internet service providers (ISPs) to carry all traffic, and carry it at the same speed, without extra charge to the provider. For example, under the stricken rule, TheHumanist.com would be delivered at the same speed as a well-funded site like the AOL-owned Huffington Post ...

More here: http://thehumanist.com/magazine/march-april-2014/up-front/say-what

[WinkyDink]

109. N/M.

[Hissyspit]

115. What am I, chopped liver?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014940848

[grahamhgreen]

119. Uh, it's at the top of the greatest page!!!

[SidDithers]

122. Kick...nt

Sid