Today, President Obama announced his new plan to protect Net Neutrality. It's really important to remember that he doesn't have any power over the FCC, and he can only "urge" them to protect Net Neutrality, which he claims he will do. I won't say I'm confident he'll be able to effect any change, but the sentiment is nice at least. Another voice in the fight is always appreciated.
What's interesting is that the President isn't calling for an extension of Net Neutrality protections, he's taking his recommendation one step further. He's "urging" the FCC to reclassify ISPs as utilities. ISPs would be like the water company. I really doubt that the FCC would approve that severe of legislation, but I do think that's the direction we need to force ISPs to go. The President seems committed now; let's see if he still cares about this in 6 months.
Just for the sake of argument, let's assume that the FCC ignores the cable company lobbyists and reclassifies ISPs as utilities. Go one step further and assume they did all this because they heard the President suggest it, and the people advocate it (or vice versa). If all that were to happen, I would honestly have hope that maybe our government isn't as broken as it seems. But that's a big "if".
The Verge: Obama says FCC should reclassify internet as a utility →
Net Neutrality: President Obama's Plan for a Free and Open Internet →
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