I spent a couple minutes looking for an objective analysis of the FCC's statement on Dec 20 that they intend to issue regulations 'preserving the open internet' -- the so called, pending Net Neutrality regulations.
I found a statement by Consumers Union / Consumer Federation of America, the folks behind the magazine Consumers Report. CU/CFA prides themselves on their objectivity. They focus on the greater good of consumers.
I also found the current news headline "54 Percent of Voters Oppose FCC Net Neutrality Rules"
On the Consumers Union / Consumers Federation of America web site, a December 20, 2010 press release includes:
".. FCC action could help resolve the current uncertainty in the Internet marketplace. The groups said unanimity on net neutrality may be impossible, but inaction is unacceptable. Inaction, they said, would allow network operators to discriminate at will, which would destroy the openness of the Internet."
The CU/CFA press release went on,
Mark Cooper, Research Director for CFA, said, “The only way to preserve the open Internet is for the FCC to immediately put in place a pragmatic set of rules that gives teeth to the principles that have governed the open Internet since its inception. We need to establish facts on the ground and gain practical experience with network management in the broadband era. Ultimately, the devil will be in the details of the final order, but the FCC appears headed toward the right goal. We look forward to working with the Commission to ensure an effective framework not only for network neutrality, but also for universal service and consumer protection.”
The news article headline making the rounds is "54 Percent of Voters Oppose FCC Net Neutrality Rules". I was a little surprised the public had formed such a strong opinion on regulations that haven't been issued. It smelled.
Well, it turns out the poll is from Rasmussen. Here are the questions Rasmussen asked.
1* How closely have you followed stories about Internet neutrality issues?
2* Should the Federal Communications Commission regulate the Internet like it does radio and television?
3* What is the best way to protect those who use the Internet—more government regulation or more free market competition?
4* If the Federal Communications Commission is given the authority to regulate the Internet, will they use that power in an unbiased manner or will they use it to promote a political agenda?
The questions are clearly designed to elicit specific results. And it turns out only 20% of the respondents indicate they follow the story closely. Yet the headline bouncing around the internet is "54 Percent of Voters Oppose FCC Net Neutrality Rules".
Suppose the question asked had been, "Do you support or oppose Comcast and Time Warner limiting your ability to view NetFlix via the internet?" The headlines for the results to that hypothetical poll would be equaly misleading, something like "Ninty percent of Voters Favor FCC Net Neutrality Rules."
No conclusions about the public's opinion of the FCC's intent to impose internet regulations can be drawn from the Rasmussen poll. The Rasmussen poll, my friends, is a bull shit poll.
In my opinion, Rasmussen designed their questions to generate results with the intent to influence politicians and guide public opinion. If someone who doesn't know much about the issue reads, "54 Percent of Voters Oppose FCC Net Neutrality Rules", and the headline is repeated often enough, that person's opinion would reasonably form in line with the 'majority'.
So, why would Rasmussen conduct such a biased poll? Why would they go out of their way to get those results? Well, I don't know.
But I would guess a company like Comcast or News Corporation went to Rasmussen with the results they wanted and paid for the poll.
News Corporation, you'll remember, is the public company that owns Time Warner, Disney, Fox, Wall Street Journal, and a big piece of Direct TV. The chairman is Rupert Murdoch.
Now, this is all supposition about who is behind the fraudulent Rasmussen poll. But we will probably never know who paid for the poll, since Rasmussen is a private company and does not need to disclose such things.