First off check out this article on Ars Technica:
http://arstechnica.com/business/2014/12/verizon-to-fcc-you-cant-stop-netflix-like-interconnection-payments/
Do you guys think that even under Title II Verizon and other ISP's could still get away with this kind of schemery? I'm not really well versed on the politics involved here but even so from what I do know about the current situation this seems like a bit of a stretch for Verizon to say. And if this is true is the FCC really this weak?
Let me know what you guys think.
The ISPs get what they want at this point. They are too big to say no to. They are like the fossil fuel companies at this point. Too big with too many connections to be able to stop. We would need some good, old fashioned trust busting or something. Too bad those days are long since over.
I am sure that there is some sort of legal mumbo-jumbo that they can spew in order to make it look like a valid thing for a company to have to pay for, but from where I am sitting, they had to pay for a fast lane (or rather, pay to get out of the shit lane) which is exactly what net-neutrality is aiming to eradicate.
As far as I can tell, there are tons of possibilities with what the FCC and Tom Wheeler could enforce if they were reclassified under Title II, I just don't see it ever coming to fruition. Even if they were reclassified, I doubt that anything would ever actually change. In fact, that is a distinct possibility. Seeing as how Wheeler is in bed with these companies, it is likely that they all put on a nice face and play pretend, reclassify everyone, and then act like they agree with the tech community in order to get some of us over to their side; and then just never actually do anything about it. This sort of plan of action is like when they all said that they are for net neutrality. It is just a facade to fool peopel into thinking that they aren't actually evil/sociopathic. Nothing actually changes, they just put on another face for the public once they realize that peopel are paying attention.
Verizon is right to say that the FCC can't stop deals like this from happening. Nothing is going to change; at least not for the betterment of the internet or the consumers. They won't be able to stop these deals, and everyone involved there knows it will never happen.
Thanks for the great and thorough reply! I've always felt that Wheeler was, in part, responsible for the weakness of the FCC as he is in bed with all of these companies. It makes me wonder though, if a competent and reasonable person were to come in and take the reigns, as it were, of the FCC if maybe they could turn it around and be able to play hardball with these companies. It seems like the FCC is the only one capable of dismantling these oligopolies that we have at present.
But you are right, of course, these companies are getting to the point where they have to much sway over policies and are, as you said, "to big to say no to." It scares me to think that even if they are re-classified there would be no change or at the most a subtle change that they would eventually go back on as well. I think what the guys have been saying on The Tek lately is really the only way we will ever see change and that is through good'ol public outcry and protest.
Imagine Wendel as the Teddy Roosevelt of our generation, only as the FCC chair instead of president of the US. That is basically what we would need in order to have this shit stop. It just isn't going to happen. If the public makes enough noise, then we will see some change, though it may only be surface deep. I don't really have much hope for the future of this country at this point anymore.
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