I was kind of surprised to see no diary or FP article on this, but I may very well have missed it.
Today the DC circuit court, one step under the SCOTUS, opened the way for companies to charge for the internet the way they do for cable TV. I'm no tech weenie, so I'll describe this the way Hartmann did---which may be best because Americans need to understand what this means to them, and right now, they have NO freaking idea.
As it HAS been, we pay one lump sum for our internet usage, basically the price of connection. As it now CAN be with this ruling, we will in the future, pay for our internet like we do for our cable TV. In tiers, being dinged to death for every new feature or site. As Hartmann also explained, this ruling allows companies to track your usage on certain sites and charge you more for it.
Hartmann also asked how much this ruling would be covered, particularly where you might expect it to be covered---on MSNBC---except for the fact that MSNBC/NBC owns
Comcast. He wondered if it would be mentioned there, or anywhere. So far since I listened to him this afternoon, the ruling has not been mentioned on MSNBC. And I'm certainly not too optimistic it's getting much coverage anywhere else.
I know this is greatly simplified, and many here will know more than I, and be able to state it better. And some here might disagree w/Hartmann's analysis altogether.
But the "crickets" on this ruling is very troubling. What say y'all?