Come on, Dems. Pick the popular team.
Come on, Dems. Pick the popular team.
mistermix at Balloon Juice:
The interesting thing about this fight is that it pits one set of powerful corporate entities, ISPs like Comcast and AT&T who provide Internet service to the home, against another set, Microsoft, Google, Facebook and Amazon and any other company that wants to send content via Comcast and AT&T’s connections. Since there are two competing sources of campaign donations involved here, I don’t understand why Democrats can’t just get behind Google et. al., especially since everyone hates the cable companies, and nobody wants to pay more for Netflix.
Seems like a no-brainer, right? No one likes their cable company or internet providers. Everyone loves Google and Facebook. So line up with the popular kids.
Indeed, it's Republicans who have most enthusiastically backed the telecoms on Net Neutrality, like this from February when it looked like the FCC might do the right thing on Net Neutrality.
Top Republicans called the FCC's efforts to revive net-neutrality rules "a solution in search of a problem," and plan to fight any new rules. Rep. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee will introduce legislation in the coming weeks to block what she calls the "socialistic" proposal.
"Federal control of the Internet will restrict our online freedom and leave Americans facing the same horrors that they have experienced with HealthCare.gov," Blackburn said in a statement.
Who knows why the FCC gave up its efforts to do the right thing, and who knows why Republicans are so obsessed with giving internet providers the right to destroy the internet. It likely has much to do with campaign contributions and the flood of telecom lobbyists in DC. But in any case, the solution here is obvious: line up with the real innovators, not with the innovation-squelching dinosaurs.
Let Republicans defend the unpopular position, yet again. By now, it's something they should be used to.
Comments are closed on this story.