Republicans are vowing to fight the FCC's party-line vote in favor of net neutrality, but they will have an uphill battle. Consumers want an open and fair internet. We begin today's roundup with
Craig Aaron, President & CEO of Free Press, who looks back at the long fight leading up to this victory:
Credit FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler for listening to his critics and changing his mind about how to best protect the open Internet. Praise President Obama for using his bully pulpit. Thank John Oliver for coining the memorable phrase "cable company fuckery."
But know that none of this happens without a relentless push from the grassroots. The real story here was dozens of public interest groups, new civil rights leaders and netroots organizers coordinating actions online and off, inside and outside Washington.
Artists, musicians, faith leaders and legal scholars bolstered their efforts. And about a dozen mostly unsung advocates in D.C. pushed back daily against the phone and cable lobby. This diverse coalition broke the FCC's website, jammed switchboards on Capitol Hill, and forged new alliances that are transforming how telecom and technology policy is made.
Tim Wu writes at The New Yorker about the big win:
It is often the case in Washington that ideas gain the status of deep truths not because they are actually true, but only because they are repeated often enough. That was the case for another widespread idea: that enacting strong net-neutrality rules would lead to a collapse in the value of broadband providers like Comcast and Verizon. In a May letter, twenty-eight industry C.E.O.s warned of an “investment-chilling effect” that would destroy millions in market value. And, in fact, fears of such a collapse were a large part of what stopped the F.C.C. from enacting Title II rules in Obama’s first term.
Yet the moment that Tom Wheeler announced his plans for strong net-neutrality rules, on February 4th, broadband stocks jumped, and they have stayed buoyant. This has confused experts. Craig Moffett, whom I consider to be the smartest telecom analyst around, was forced to blame the market. “I think it just shows you that the market doesn’t really understand these issues,” he said.
The theory of the wisdom of crowds suggests that the markets have noticed something: the broadband industry hates net neutrality, but its existence has always had a huge and unnoticed upside. Selling broadband is a great business: Moffet has pointed out that the margins are north of ninety-seven per cent. Stated simply, a strong net-neutrality rule locks in the status quo for the most profitable part of the cable industry’s business.
Much more below the fold.
Vikas Bajaj writing at The New York Times:
Although the F.C.C.’s vote is an important milestone, it will not be the last word on this issue. Some members of Congress and even Hillary Clinton, the presumptive frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination, are talking about rewriting the nation’s telecommunications law. There are good reasons to update the law – the Internet was in its infancy during the last major change in 1996. But any amendment to that law must be carefully thought out and should not be a pretext to undo the F.C.C.’s new rules.
Harry Bruinius at The Christian Science Monitor explains how John Oliver helped the fight:
[W]hile the expected 3-to-2 partisan vote Thursday is poised to give a stunning victory to the advocates of net neutrality, Wheeler’s about-face in some ways reveals how the Jon Stewarts of the world and comedic takes on the news can be more influential than the Brian Williamses and more “serious” coverage of wonky subjects that nevertheless have profound social effect.
“John Oliver absolutely helped turn the tide in the net-neutrality debate,” says Aram Sinnreich, professor at Rutgers University’s School of Communication and Information in New Brunswick, N.J. “The FCC got flooded with an unprecedented number of citizen contributions to the policy discussions afterwards, that probably wouldn’t have happened to that extent otherwise.”
At Newsweek,
Lauren Walker touches on the municipal broadband aspect:
Those who advocate for the FCC’s new rules, however, say that Net neutrality will make the Internet more hospitable to new projects by leveling the playing field. The new municipal broadband rules, they also argue, will pave the way for a more diverse collection of Internet providers.
More than a dozen states have laws either prohibiting or restricting local governments from building their own broadband networks. Wilson, North Carolina, and Chattanooga, Tennessee, both of which have their own public networks, petitioned the FCC prior to the vote to be able to expand their networks despite state laws prohibiting it. The FCC’s newly implemented rules override these state restrictions. The commission also reserved the right to intercede on municipalities behalf if it appears that local or state government is getting in the way of expanding or bettering broadband.
“Those who are condemned to second-rate broadband are a message to all of us,” Wheeler said. “This decision is for the right of Americans, through their own elected local officials, to make their own decision about their broadband future.”
Peter Weber at The Week:
Comcast donated to and spent money lobbying both parties, but Republicans tried to stop the FCC, especially after Obama backed Title II reclassification. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) called net neutrality "ObamaCare for the internet," and House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) — the largest recipient of Comcast donations — said Obama's plan would "destroy innovation and entrepreneurship."
But the GOP effort to derail the FCC effectively ended on Tuesday, with Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) conceding that Democrats wouldn't support any legislation before the FCC voted on its new rules. Small- and medium-sized internet companies, open-internet groups, and thousands of supporters ramped up their own low-budget lobbying earlier this month, and "Republicans have grown much quieter under the barrage," The New York Times notes.
The fight will now move back to the federal courts. Both sides are publicly confident that they will prevail. Net neutrality may well make it to the Supreme Court.
And, on a final note,
click through to watch an awesome clip of Rep. Keith Ellison celebrating the win.