Yes, what we really want is the GOVERNMENT to have control of the internet. I mean, I’m sure the NSA would be thrilled.
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Personally, I would not trust any system that relies on the good behavior of large ISPs. They have simply not earned my trust. If there isn’t some sort of actual check on their power, we can assume they’re going to behave like monopolies (because that’s what they are in most places), and instantly start rent seeking whenever they feel like they can get away with it.
Back in the old dial up days I might have gone along with this argument because common carrier status and a relatively low cost of entry meant that there was a huge number of competing ISPs keeping each other in check, but the broadband era killed that. Only DSL offers even the chance of competition, and DSL is fading fast.
What the hell kind of non sequitur is this? Preventing bad behavior by ISPs is suddenly NSA surveillance?
Weary Sky,
Here in the USA, where I live, the government is, at least in theory, us. We as citizens, through our representatives, are allowed to decide whatever the hell we please and if we decide that we’re tired of getting reamed by big ISPs and their BS fight against Net Neutrality then we can regulate their skinny asses and they can just STFU.
This is why I vote for candidates who support Net Neutrality like Al Franken and against candidates who think only huge corporations and the 1% get to make all the freakin’ rules. You’re scared of government; I’m also scared of the bankers and corporate type leeches who crashed our economy because they’re greedy assholes and don’t give a shit about anyone but themselves.
I suggest new legislation that empowers state and local governments to create local internet utilities free from any and all harassing and bankrupting lawsuits from said evil ISPs and that the trunks they connect to must not be selectively throttled in any way. I’d be happy to add 50 bucks to my water and sewer bill every month just to be done with this dumb ass problem.
Regulations and new laws come when industries screw us. Too bad a good chunk of Congress thinks these industries are some kind of gods and gleefully do their bidding for campaign contributions.
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That’s not what I said, is it? What I said is, the NSA would be thrilled if internet access was nationalized. Because nationalizing internet access certainly would make it much easier for the NSA to tap into it. Just think, they wouldn’t have to go to each ISP or website operator independently, when they are part of the same government that already owns the pipes!
The key to that sentence is the “in theory” part. 
I’m not sure how much it really bears out, in practice.
I have no problem with regulation and legislation to keep big communications companies (or any other industry that threatens the goodwill of the public), but nationalizing the internet (the point that I was objecting to) is certainly not the way to go about keeping the internet safe for the common man.
I say in theory because in fact citizens only need to become informed and do their duty and elect people who will work in their interest. The people who want to control things are fully aware that we can throw them out whenever we choose, so they spend huge sums, not only as campaign contributions but in myriad deceptive and outright false media campaigns, to fool as many people as possible and help elect legislative sycophants.
I don’t know that nationalizing is right either. I suggested that state and local governments be the jurisdiction. In places where people hate government they can vote against investing in the Internets like they vote against investing in schools or health or roads, and can remain happily free to bend over and let Verizon ream them in the keester.
Telcos aren’t subject to law in the United States. At least not the big telcos.
In my neighborhood they took down the copper infrastructure and threw it in the drainage ditch. I am completely not kidding, let me see if I can find some Google street view… OK, look at this in a another browser tab. At the foot of the telephone pole on the left side, just past the end of the bridge among the cat-tail and phragmites, is the junction box that feeds copper land lines to myself and my neighbors. It’s that black box laying in the drainage, with the loop of cable dangling down to it. Every time it rains the box fills with water, and in the winter it freezes. Once I figured out that all our phone lines failed every time it rained heavily, I traced the wire to this box. The local telco purposely dismounted it and threw it in the ditch when they put in the fiber lines, and then told us that if we wanted reliable phone service we’d have to pay for a fiber link to the Internet (which would cause our land lines to get converted to fiber at the same time, for “free”.).
This is completely illegal. But you can report it all day long and nothing will happen. So all my neighbors and I got FIOS, and the copper’s just lying there. But Verizon’s going to sell it soon, as if it were still useable, to some sucker.
Telcos are above the law in the USA. As demonstrated repeatedly by their ongoing blatant illegal behavior.
I have no problem with monitoring them for good behavior. But I think the market is going to have to evolve, and folks are going to have to learn not to waste resources, even without any malice or profiteering in the system.
Monitoring is not enough, you also need enforcement.
Are you complaining that people are wasting bandwidth and it’s becoming such a burden for ISPs? Have you looked at the wholesale cost of bandwidth? It’s like $5,000/month for a 100Gbps fiber.
Have you looked at how much traffic people are pushing through those connections?
It can’t be that much or they would be hitting the 250GB cap in no time. Compare the wholesale price of bandwidth to what your ISP charges and you’ll see it’s a fraction of a cent.
Compare the wholesale to retail price of anything, and… y’know, I’m done; I’m repeating myself.
Whatever this is like or not like, what bugs me is the as usual hyperbole used in the headline.
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