“Network Neutrality” on The Daily Caller

The Internet has become the greatest liberating tool in human history. It has freed people from ignorance and helplessness. It has revolutionized our personal relationships, how we are entertained, educated, and make everyday choices. The abundance and availability of information online has led to innovations that make our lives healthier, happier, and more fulfilling. (more)

As an economist, I often ponder the following question: Why do so many people fear big business but love big government? (more)

The list hasn’t been finalized, but it’s almost as if Washington’s battles for the next two years have already been determined. From fetishistic scenarios in which California Republican Rep. Darrell Issa uses his new-found investigatory powers to topple the White House, to hemming and hawing about the fate of Obamacare, the drastic power shift in the House means Washington has a new, GOP-oriented agenda. (more)

The link that you can find here leads to a list of the 95 Democrats that were in support of net neutrality legislation.  If you were curious how many of them we in the free market still have to contend with, I went ahead and did the research for you so that you could save yourself the headache of counting to zero. (more)

For years, progressives have claimed that net neutrality Internet regulations have the support of “millions” of Americans. They push fear-mongering rhetoric, time after time falsely making doomsday “end of the Internet” predictions, unless government steps in to regulate. And, worse, they have led President Obama, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and some members of Congress to actually believe that net neutrality is not just good policy, but good politics. (more)

The European Union is well known for the overwhelming number of ridiculous regulations that it produces. The EU has banned horse drawn carts on rural roads; set standards on the shape and curvature of bananas; crushed productivity with minimum holidays and maximum work hours; pointlessly set three separate regulations on the loudness of lawn mowers; and subjected hot air balloon enthusiasts to the same regulations and paperwork as commercial airlines. The list goes on. (more)

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has just finished collecting yet another round of comments in the “net neutrality” debate over proposed regulation of Internet traffic management (you may find CEI’s latest filing by Ryan Radia here). It is important to appreciate the profound significance of the fact that the FCC is unwilling to even affirm that it will leave future managed, specialized Internet services alone. And wireless services? The FCC is chomping at the bit to regulate those. (more)

For two days now, the cannons in the net neutrality debate have fired nary a shot. Rep. Henry Waxman has yet to introduce the net neutrality bill [PDF] that supposedly leaked from his office earlier this week, but congressional insiders say the finished version will look much the same. If nothing changes in the legislation, could the ceasefire be permanent? (more)

Among the Washington power set’s favorite past-times is betting on an agency head’s exit date. After all, it’s usually a question of when — not if — he or she is going to burn out, throw up his or her hands in frustration, and get hounded out of the gig. The betting tables are especially hot after a long week for FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski. (more)

Deal would enshrine into law the founding principles of open standards and net neutrality, and protect the web from political interference. (more)

WASHINGTON — On the Internet, data moves at the speed of light. The Federal Communications Commission, not so fast. (more)

Broadband Internet access is critical to improving virtually every aspect of a consumer’s life.  From improving economic status, access to health care, education, personal finance, purchasing, connections to family and friends, and civic and community involvement, broadband is the great enabling technology of our generation.  Broadband has the power to enhance quality of life for all Americans, so it is vitally important that consumer interests are examined and fully represented in any discussions by the government concerning the regulation of broadband services.  The litmus test for all regulatory measures should be, “Does it benefit consumers?”  So will the Federal Communications Commission’s proposed regulations of broadband services ultimately benefit consumers?  That’s a question well worth pondering. (more)

Washington, D.C., can get hot and muggy in August, which is why lawmakers leave for most of the month, and many staffers, lobbyists and other industry-types also clear out of town in search of cooler climes. (more)

The advocacy group Free Press is inviting Twin Cities residents to turn out on Thursday for what it calls a public hearing on the “future of the Internet.”  But Free Press won’t be talking about how to bring you a faster connection, or how to bring high-speed Internet to the rural and urban communities that it doesn’t reach today.  Instead, the event is going to be a pep rally for imposing new, and to say the least, peculiar, regulations on the broadband Internet, under the name “net neutrality.” (more)

Free Press, the public face of the net neutrality movement, is a moral see-saw when it comes to transparency. (more)

This is the first piece in a two-part series (more)

The Federal Communications Commission has called off closed-door talks with tech lobbyists, talks meant to iron out a government driven compromise on “net neutrality.” The talks ended today in the wake of as-yet-unconfirmed reports that Google—the leading neutrality proponent—and Verizon may have reached a separate agreement enshrining non-neutral treatment of online content. No firm could ever actually support the policy as a general principle, and if this development hadn’t made that plain, it’d have been something else eventually. (more)

Late Wednesday night, the New York Times dropped a bomb: According to unnamed sources, Google and Verizon–bitter opponents in the debate over net neutrality–had essentially abandoned their negotiations with the FCC in favor of working out a deal that would make both companies rich as hell while limiting Internet access for millions of consumers. (more)

WASHINGTON — Google and Verizon, two leading players in Internet service and content, are nearing an agreement that could allow Verizon to speed some online content to Internet users more quickly if the content’s creators are willing to pay for the privilege. (more)

For the last four years, Google has fought for net neutrality in Washington, and the right to aggregate and serve ads against other people’s content in the technology press. An open letter that the company sent to the FTC Tuesday, however, shows that Google is ready to engage in not one, but two regulatory battles on Capitol Hill. (more)