12-21-2010 - Red Letter Day in American History: The day the Internet became another corporate service; and the loss of political credibility of the Obama Adminstration.

Today in America, the Internet will become another corporate service, just like network television. Americans are in effect watching choice, and freedom of speech be handed over to large corporations.

Net Neutrality is dead. Happy Winter Solstice everyone! On the planet's darkest day come pretty dark news for the future.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/timothy-karr/obama-fcc-caves-on-net-ne_b_799435.html

"For the first time in history of telecommunications law the FCC has given its stamp of approval to online discrimination.

Instead of a rule to protect Internet users' freedom to choose, the Commission has opened the door for broadband payola - letting phone and cable companies charge steep tolls to favor the content and services of a select group of corporate partners, relegating everyone else to the cyber-equivalent of a winding dirt road.

Instead of protecting openness on wireless Internet devices like the iPhone and Droid, the Commission has exempted the mobile Internet from Net Neutrality protections. This move enshrines Verizon and AT&T as gatekeepers to the expanding world of mobile Internet access, allowing them to favor their own applications while blocking, degrading or de-prioritizing others.

Instead of re-establishing the FCC's authority to act as a consumer watchdog over the Internet, it places the agency's authority on a shaky and indefensible legal footing -- giving ultimate control over the Internet to a small handful of carriers. "

Backseat to no one my ass.

How much would you like to bet that some of the members of the FCC after their terms are done, will find employment with some of the very large telecom companies they were supposed to watch over?

P.S.

Here's an interesting comment from called Birdman372537

Let Verizon and AT&T control the internet. Just tax their profits at 95%. Then



Tax capital gains as ordinary income


Tax yearly incomes over 250K progressiv­ely up to 90% over 2M;


Tax yearly church receipts in excess of 1M;


Eliminate the “carried interest compensati­on” tax code provision;


Increase SS benefits by 10%


Eliminate the ceiling on SS earnings;


Progressiv­ely eliminate SS benefits for those earning over 100K yearly in other income;


Tax stock transactio­ns over 1M in yearly aggregate;


Increase the estate tax on estates valued over 5M;


Tax luxury purchases on homes over 5M, cars over 50K, boats over 100K;


Eliminate the mortgage tax deduction on home mortgage debt over $250K


Double corporate income taxes and eliminate their offshoring tax and job loopholes;


Bring back a windfall profits tax up to 90%;


Legalize and tax illegal drugs;


Increase medicare/m­edicaid fraud detection budgets five-fold;


Decriminal­ize, regulate and tax most victimless crimes;


Eliminate farm and oil subsidies;


Tax all political contributi­ons over $3K from any source at 100%;


Bring the Iraq, AfPak troops home;


Subsidize university educations for worthy students;


Expand drug treatment availabili­ty;


Give medical and dental coverage to all those who need it;


Focus law enforcemen­t and incarcerat­ion on violent crime;






Time for the monied and monopolist­s to pay up. Put our wonderful country back on track.


Other than setting eliminating the mortgage tax deduction up to $500K instead of $250K, I'd say it's all on track.