Screw you, FCC

[il Padrino Ute]

Neither did the French.

touche!

[SeattleUte]

touche!

Hey IPU, screw you. Screw you.

[Moliere]

When was it pronounced a public utility? This is news to me.

This whole "net neutrality" thing seems to be asking the same question. Is the internet a public utility? Democrats want it to be and Repubs don't.

I'm torn on the issue. Personally I think the best approach would be one similar to the way Texas deals with the electrical industry in that the underlying infrastructure (poles, wires, transformers, etc.) are considered a regulated utility, however the infrastructure is open to any and all that want to provide electricity (content). This keeps infrastructure costs down while providing competition.

[Moliere]

If it really is a necessity, don't you think people would pay for it, no matter the cost?

Was this TIC? If not, then I feel bad for you.

[U-Ute]

I'm against something that is an attack on the free market. If my ISP decides to block something that I want, I will switch providers. I'm a big enough boy to make my own decisions.

And how many broadband providers are there in the Salt Lake valley to choose from?

[Levin]

You guys, IPU's opposition has nothing to do with net neutrality. It has to do with Genachowski who was appointed by Obama. So it's about Obama. Guaran-ass-teed if this came from a Bush controlled FCC, he'd be singing its praises and taking the "protect the free market" line.

[U-Ute]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...pinion_LEADTop

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[U-Ute]

Can anybody provide a simple explanation on the mechanics of targeted throttling by Comcast? How does it work? Does Comcast identify streams of data on the upload side or the download side? Do they simply bar that web site unless their customers pay a premium?

Comcast interrupted traffic that used the torrent protocol, whether or not the content was legitimate or not. They can simply look at the packet payload data to see if it contains a torrent protocol packet header.

Torrent data can suck up a lot of bandwidth in a hurry.

[Uncle Ted]

This whole "net neutrality" thing seems to be asking the same question. Is the internet a public utility? Democrats want it to be and Repubs don't.

I'm torn on the issue. Personally I think the best approach would be one similar to the way Texas deals with the electrical industry in that the underlying infrastructure (poles, wires, transformers, etc.) are considered a regulated utility, however the infrastructure is open to any and all that want to provide electricity (content). This keeps infrastructure costs down while providing competition.

I like the way they do power in Texas as well. It is nice having choices on who I buy my power from. Some years I feel "green" and I am willing to pay the extra cost. Other years I feel cheap and dirty. One phone call and I can switch.

I really think the right solution for the internet is the government being involved in the "last mile" only. For example, providing the building codes that requires fiber to be installed to the houses in a new development, providing the fiber conduit in the streets, and using stimulus dollars to actually build infrastructure (like adding these fiber conduits in the streets) instead of trying to buy votes. If I had 10+ internet providers to choose from then I think things like net neutrality would be non-issues. Currently, I only have three choices which is not near enough.

[Jacob]

Currently, I only have three choices which is not near enough.

That's 2 more than I had until Comcast finally came in and saved me from Qwest. Praise Comcast!

[U-Ute]

That's 2 more than I had until Comcast finally came in and saved me from Qwest. Praise Comcast!

Be careful what you wish for

Disclaimer: I use Comcast, but for broadband only.

[Jacob]

Be careful what you wish for

Disclaimer: I use Comcast, but for broadband only.

Hopefully there will be more options in the future, but currently, Comcast delivers 5 times the speed at half the price Qwest was charing me.

[Moliere]

I like the way they do power in Texas as well. It is nice having choices on who I buy my power from. Some years I feel "green" and I am willing to pay the extra cost. Other years I feel cheap and dirty. One phone call and I can switch.

I really think the right solution for the internet is the government being involved in the "last mile" only. For example, providing the building codes that requires fiber to be installed to the houses in a new development, providing the fiber conduit in the streets, and using stimulus dollars to actually build infrastructure (like adding these fiber conduits in the streets) instead of trying to buy votes. If I had 10+ internet providers to choose from then I think things like net neutrality would be non-issues. Currently, I only have three choices which is not near enough.

I am a bit torn on this issue though. I like net neutrality but the internet is not really in the same ballpark as electricity. There are more options for internet including wireless and satellite. However for electricity (I'm talking distribution lines and not retail providers who use those lines) there are no other options short of putting a windmill in your backyard which is most likely against your HOA.

I like your "last mile" idea and hope it ends up that way. Actually, I hope everything at some point just becomes wireless and the cost of infrastructure drops.

[U-Ute]

Hopefully there will be more options in the future, but currently, Comcast delivers 5 times the speed at half the price Qwest was charing me.

TBH, I haven't had any problems with the internet service. Dealing with the cable division is something even Dante didn't have to witness.

[SloanHater]

I like the way they do power in Texas as well. It is nice having choices on who I buy my power from. Some years I feel "green" and I am willing to pay the extra cost. Other years I feel cheap and dirty. One phone call and I can switch.

I really think the right solution for the internet is the government being involved in the "last mile" only. For example, providing the building codes that requires fiber to be installed to the houses in a new development, providing the fiber conduit in the streets, and using stimulus dollars to actually build infrastructure (like adding these fiber conduits in the streets) instead of trying to buy votes. If I had 10+ internet providers to choose from then I think things like net neutrality would be non-issues. Currently, I only have three choices which is not near enough.

Provo did this. Conservatives raised such hell about the issue that the city had to sell the whole system.

I'm jealous because my parents enjoy 100Mbps internet.