Net Neutrality – Where Is The President?

On By southwerkIn business ethics, Capitalism, ethics, Government Failure

During the campaign two years ago, Obama repeatedly stated his support for net neutrality – Watch!

Did you hear that – “I will take a backseat to no one.” Backseat! He might as well be in the trunk for all the help he’s been.

“I am a strong supporter of net neutrality.” Okay, that’s good. How about NOW? Where is he?

“I’m a big believer in net neutrality.” Still nice, but how about saying something now?

“I remain firmly committed to net neutrality.” Is he still? I don’t have anyway to know.

Okay, guys, probably you’ve seen enough. I can find more clips. I’ve already seen them. The open internet is under attack right now at the FCC and in Congress. A bill was considered a few days ago, that would have essentially ratified the agreement between Google and Verizon dividing up the internet and giving broadband to corporations. The attacks are well funded and continuous. The President referred to the danger of large companies getting control in his many speeches.

Where is he now? Where is the President of the United States? Where are all his pretty words? If he doesn’t speak soon, he will only be commenting on the division of the web into corporate sectors after it’s done.

If there is no net neutrality, this web site may become so slow as not to be viable or simply not deemed worthy of band width. Under the new rules, the FCC cannot issue any regulations but can hear complaints. Thus, if I am treated wrongly I will be able to complain to the FCC and should they decide in my favor after months during which my audience has gone away to other sites approved by the great media companies, that will fix everything, right? I’ll be all whole and returned to where I was. Right?

There are tens of thousands of sites like mine. And these voices cry out for advocacy for the poor, or the environment, etc.., some cry out for political action, …., some broadcast every crazy theory you can imagine, … and some are people just crying out that they are there – they are significant – they are important – they plead for attention and recognition.

And soon, these voices will be silent, their bandwidth divied up for movie companies and media channels and, of course, the occasional lapse where they allow a semi-independent voice to speak.

Pretty words are not the same as action. Eloquence is not the same as standing up for your beliefs. Political expedience cannot be an excuse of inaction where action has been repeatedly promised.

Where is the President? Did he mean any of that stuff he said? Is there time left for him to do or say anything?

James Pilant

2 thoughts on “Net Neutrality – Where Is The President?”

  1. andrew's avatar andrew

    Normally, I’m not a very political person. What I’ve noticed about our president is that he is good at making things sound pretty. He is a good orator but that seems to be all there is to him.

    Look up senate bill 3804. Its still in the senate judiciary committee. It is designed to stop websites that offer pirated goods and engage in copyright infringement. The method they use scares me. The bill, if passed into law, will give the attorney general the power to create a list of websites that are deemed, by his office, to be engaged in copyright infringement. All ISPs in the US will be “encouraged” to block access to these sites. This law completely circumvents our judicial system, and the checks and balances that come with having 3 separate branches of government. It just seems like too slippery of a slope for my liking.

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