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Debunking stupid articles: Part 1 – Freepress.net working with the FCC “on the inside”

UPDATE:  Looks like I’m not the only person on the Net who noticed this stupidity!

So… this week all the talk about Net Neutrality appears to be yet another smear campaign to discredit it.  Well, we’ve seen this probably about a dozen times already but what makes this interesting is how many people are posting and re-posting this but I do not think ANYONE has actually read the “dirt” that was collected regarding the probe as you will.

David Wade - making the internet blazing fast

David Wade - making the internet blazing fast

 

 

Freepress.net very openly advocates and solicits action from people regarding the new net neutrality rules and regulation to the FCC and absolutely are requesting that the FCC take appropriate action to stop corporations from controlling the internet.

Open your eyes people!

FACTS:

– in 10 years “wired” internet will become like a “wired” telephone line

– AT&T + T-Mobil = 80% market share in the wireless industry

– the Obama Administration paid $7 bil to a broadband stimulus plan which was supposed to have helped the US keep broadband up to snuff (I don’t think anyone knows where this money went much like the TARP bailout)

– year after year a required broadband report continually shows the US carriers to be making little to no progress (these measures were implemented in 2009).  The US is always in the bottom 20 in terms of broadband speed and availability

FICTION:

– Broadband upgrades are too expensive because you have to cover so much land mass to reach all these people

PROOF:  http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/09/chattanooga-tn-beats-google-to-1gbps.ars

Quote:  As for the National Broadband Plan, which envisions a rather anemic 100Mbps to 100 million homes in another decade, services like this remind me of just how modest those goals are. Chattanooga points out that it is already “10 times faster and 10 years ahead of the FCC’s National Broadband Plan.”

This is exactly why Freepress is pressuring the FCC – everyone ‘likes’ what they are doing in at least attempting to regulate the internet so that instead of fueling greed, it fuels innovation.   BUT  they aren’t taking it far enough.

Quote 2 (more relevant from http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/04/how-chattanooga-uses-1gbps-internet-connections.ars ):  “This costs more, but EPB is a beneficiary. It uses the fiber to power its own “smart grid” electrical program, and deploying the program everywhere adds value to the electrical system. But once the fiber’s in place, it can be used for TV, Internet, and phone service without digging any new trenches; indeed, even upgrading the entire network to support 1Gbps service was relatively inexpensive, since it only required an electronics upgrade at central locations. While few customers buy the 1Gbps tier, many use slower EPB Internet services, but at least the network is ready for the future at relatively minimal cost.”

Not enough?   Well then I give you yet more proof as an alternative that these daunting infrastructure upgrades are indeed inexpensive.  How about leveraging all that now unused wireless spectrum that your old TV with bunny ears used to use?    Right – remember that whole DTV transition thing?   Well guess what – we can push data over that EXISTING network with relatively minor upgrades and yes folks it’s fast, WAY faster than what you can squeeze out of any Cable or Telco provider connection right now.

Don’t believe me?  Read up on “White spaces Collation” and the proposals to use it.   This, much like everything else in the US, is being hotly contested and lobbied for corporate control.

“The White Spaces Coalition consists of eight large technology companies that planned to deliver high speed broadband internet access beginning in February 2009 to United States consumers via existing “white space” in unused television frequencies between 54-698 MHz (TV Channels 2-51). The coalition expected speeds of 80 Mbps and above, and 400 to 800 Mbit/s for white space short-range networking.[9] The group includes MicrosoftGoogleDellHPIntelPhilipsEarthlink, and Samsung Electro-Mechanics.”

FCC Commish

From left, FCC Commissioner Michael Copps, Rep. Lee Terry R-Neb. and Commissioner Mignon Clyburn appear at a town hall meeting in Omaha, Neb., Tuesday, May 17, 2011. The meeting was held to discuss Nebraska's limited broadband Internet access and the need to increase access to rural America through the Universal Service Fund. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)

So after having read this and the facts, if you’re still strongly believing that Net Neutrality + the FCC + Obama is a “far left” Marxist plan for socialism then I propose that we re-define what it is to be “far left and right” in the USA:

Far left =  Individuals who believe in freedom and innovation

Far right = individuals that believe in the status quo, protecting corporate interests (greed and control) and tradition.

Now the funny part about the “far right” is that they believe in patriotism, capitalism and freedom.    All of these things are dying because these people are not actively advocating them.   You’re not free if you think or say you are.  You have to PROVE it, WORK for it and EARN it.

You don’t sit on your fat ass all day sipping Bud Light talking about what ma and pa used to tell you about Uncle Sam.   That was then and this is now.   Smell the beans.  Men and women got off of their asses and fought for their freedom to established what you now take for granted and expect someone else to maintain.

There are no real differences between Democrats and Republicans other than beliefs in social issues.   Social issues are not going to fix the economy, get Americans jobs or help with unemployment and poverty.  Nor will they help change the government’s completely irresponsible behavior when it comes to spending both domestically and abroad.

Let’s look at this “collusion” between the FCC and Free Press:

 

The evidence of coordination between the FCC Democrats and Free Press uncovered by Judicial Watch includes:

  • Emails between former Free Press president John Silver and Democratic FCC Commissioner Michael Copps from October 2010, coordinating “how we’d like to proceed during these next three months on NN [net neutrality].”
  • Documents summarizing a phone call between Silver and Copps in which, before an FCC vote on the proposal in November 2010, Silver “emphasized that a strong net neutrality rule is critical to preserving the Internet as a vibrant forum for speech, commerce, innovation and cultural expression.”
  • Correspondence between FCC Special Counsel David Tannenbaum and Free Press Policy Director Ben Scott coordinating speakers for a taxpayer-funded series of FCC “internet workshops” that were intended to generate public support for the proposal.

Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columnists/2011/06/conn-carroll-documents-show-fcc-coordinated-net-neutrality-effort-outside#ixzz1OK4KQVjw

 

Let’s look at points 2 and 3 first of all – Really guys?   Is this all you have?   I hope you’re not wasting tax payer time or money with this crap.  THIS INFORMATION IS ALL PUBLIC!!   There’s no curtain!!

Right from the freepress.net website:  http://www.freepress.net/policy_updates

Holy smokes look at all those issues they’ve been encouraging the public to push on the FCC for…  That’s insane!

Now “how we’d like to proceed over these next few months on Net Neutrality” – that’s subjective.   And it requires context.   “we’d” implies the public when I read it.  Being that the Free Press maintains a forum to discuss these topics and is well read on them I’d figure they would be offering public opinion on the matter (for those who care).

The only terms which could be violated here are if the member that was spoken to refused to openly discuss that they had been contacted by an outside party and the details of that conversation – which from what I see there’s no proof to suggest that it hadn’t been done thus far.

This is nothing further than an empty charade that you need only take a few minutes to read and research to dispel.

There is ZERO evidence here that suggests that the FCC has been corrupted in any way – the only evidence is that people like Mrs. Baker who are approving policy and then jumping ship to work for corporations which they helped push decisions in favor for as opposed to an unbiased effort.

now that's fast!

For $350 per month in Chattanooga, TN today, you can enjoy Internet speeds most Americans won't see for possibly 10-20 years! In California sonic.net will dish it up for only $70!

 

 

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FCC Commish helps approve NBC / Comcast merger then quits and becomes their top lobbyist

FTA: http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/05/after-approving-comcastnbc-deal-fcc-commish-becomes-comcast-lobbyist.ars?comments=1#comments-bar

Meredith Attwell Baker, one of the two Republican Commissioners at the Federal Communications Commission, plans to step down—and right into a top lobbying job at Comcast-NBC.

The news, reported this afternoon by the Wall Street JournalThe Hill, and Politico, comes after the hugely controversial merger of Comcast and NBC earlier this year. At the time, Baker objected to FCC attempts to impose conditions on the deal and argued that the “complex and significant transaction” could “bring exciting benefits to consumers that outweigh potential harms.”

Four months after approving the massive transaction, Attwell Baker will take a top DC lobbying job for the new Comcast-NBC entity, according to reports

Let’s put a face to the name

Hey Mrs. Baker – how much did you get for your soul?

UPDATE 2: She responds via the Consumerist

UPDATE (video from Daily show):

UPDATE 3:   Wow – Hulu took the video down so here’s a bad audio mirror

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Ron Paul 2012! He’s running again!

 

So I guess the question becomes.. which is more important to you at this point in the USA current state of affairs?

Social policy (e.g.: Stance on abortion or marriage)

OR

Economic policy

If you’re more concerned about the economy (and rightfully so), then you won’t find a better presidential candidate. We can work on the social issues with enough participating constituents. But the economic issues we faced left unchecked WILL destroy us with inflation.

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GOP (house) and corporate interests want to block netneutrality-Obama’s office says hello Veto

From the article:

The rule is part of “an enforceable and effective policy for keeping the Internet free and open,” and President Barack Obama’s advisers will recommend he veto the resolution if it reaches his desk, the administration said in a statement.

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Senator Al Franken to introduce Net Neutrality Bill

http://www.google.com/url?sa=X&q=http://www.savetheinternet.com/video/31564&ct=ga&cad=CAcQARgAIAEoATAAOABA4teO7ARIAlgAYgVlbi1VUw&cd=0apt_MGOrNw&usg=AFQjCNHvXKtXWQyJdemyBeAp27KNHkFKBA

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This is absolutely fucking outrageous

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/FZ_TQqtezc4/

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SHOCKER! South korea to have internet access 200 times faster than the USA

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/23/south-korea-gigabit-internet-2012_n_827145.html

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Ridiculous and completely stolen argument – house blocks funding #fcc #gop #netneutrality

Slashdot link here (great comments)

This is an incredibly easy argument to defeat.

Walden and other critics of the FCC’s net-neutrality order argue it will stifle innovation and investment in broadband

Yea? It will stifle innovation? How can you say that when that’s the current status quo? Perhaps you can explain why the US has been leap frogged in recent years in terms of technological advancement?

Hell, it’s gotten to the point now where people aren’t flocking to this country any longer from aboard because of it’s lack of technological dominance (opportunity). So you mean to imply that this will only get worse with the FCC rules?

I call bullshit – I cannot get any worse and this argument is stolen. This is the exact reason why we need net neutrality and STRONGER rules to protect it from corrupt politicians being influenced by greedy corporations.

What’s more innovative? An internet which is controlled by a free flowing stream of information? Or an internet which is sliced up for all the greedy corporations to carve up? Just another big fat pie full of money people already don’t have.

If net neutrality doesn’t pass the internet will be full of tolls (between providers), metered pricing for bandwidth (for consumers) and just become completely commercialized and over saturated (most like we’re already used to).

And where will the next Google or Facebook come from in an internet that’s not protected from the wolves who only care about themselves and their share holders?

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Senator Al Franken makes a very convincing case of why the #comcast #nbc #merger is bad for consumers…

He’s 100% correct this is just a first battle and an important one. We will need at least somewhat of a bipartisan effort from the people to push against this. I’ve signed it.. http://www.alfranken.com/index.php/splash/fccopenletter

Please sign the FCC / DoJ petition, it’s quick and easy and they WILL hear your (our) voice. There’s lots of links on this blog about this issue and related issues. Please read up and take 5-10 mins out of your day to actually stand up and take some action. It’s time for some change!

IN CASE YOU MISSED THE DIRECT LINK ITS HERE AGAIN FOR YOU ONE MORE TIME JUST CLICK ON ANY WORD IN THIS SENTENCE!

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Other politicians probably laugh at this guy…

We need MORE politicians like this not less!

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