The US Federal Communications Commission website reported technical difficulties because of heavy traffic this week hours after comedian John Oliver called on viewers to share their thoughts with the agency about what he called “cable company fuckery”.
On Sunday’s episode of the HBO show Last Week Tonight, Oliver encouraged viewers to take advantage of the 120-day open commenting period on the FCC’s Protecting and Promoting the Open Internet proposal and tell the government what they thought of the plan.
“Good evening, monsters,” Oliver said, before urging online commenters to submit their comments to the agency’s site.
Critics say the FCC’s plan would destroy net neutrality because it creates a “tiered internet” where companies could pay for higher speed access. To maintain net neutrality, they argue, internet should be classified and regulated like a utility.
Due to copyright restrictions to watch the clip you need to type or copy and paste the password: imincorrigible
Video © HBO
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Following post published January 2014
You may not have noticed yet but we have just lost the most important free speech issue of our time. In another example of American un-exceptionalism, global corporate greed has been allowed to run roughshod over other nations’ rights of self-determination. Two weeks ago an American court ruled against an open internet and ended net neutrality for the world.
password: imincorrigible
Video © Comedy Central
Most internet traffic originating in Western Europe at some point is routed through servers in the US. Whether you are doing a Google search or sending an email from your Hotmail or Yahoo account or paying with a Visa card most of the stuff you do online is subject to US regulation. It is why the NSA have found it so easy to collect and analyse all of your emails and it also the reason the US court’s decision on net neutrality affects everyone.
It is a disastrous decision for which we will all pay again and again and again.
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If you don’t know what net neutrality is or why it is important here is a handy video explanation.
Original post published 23 January 2014
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