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Americans for Prosperity, or AFP (not the wire news service), is leading that charge with a new commercial we're sure will be airing on Fox News any day now. The 30-second TV spot paints the push for Net neutrality as a taxpayer-funded takeover of the Web, linking it to both the bank bailouts and the health care reform bill. Of course, the AFP is also heavily funded by groups like the misleadingly titled Internet Freedom Coalition, conservative extremist website Townhall.com and the pseudo-scientific Heartland Institute, leaving little in the form of credibility.
The tenets of Net neutrality simply demand that ISPs treat all data across their networks the same, regardless of source, destination or content -- hardly a government takeover. As it stands, Comcast can legally pick and choose what content to favor. Therefore, let's say the company succeeds in purchasing NBC. Now, the provider is free to decide it will guarantee enough bandwidth to Hulu for streaming HD video, because the site was founded in part by NBC. But, if its customers decide they would prefer to get their video entertainment from YouTube, Comcast is also free to limit the available bandwidth so that all YouTube shows come in at a lower quality. Now, imagine a similar concept being applied to your phone. AT&T is given liberty to decide what calls receive the best service. If you call another AT&T customer, you get connected directly across the company's best telephone wire. But if you decide to call your friend who has Verizon, what if AT&T decided to reroute your signal across aging lines and place your call in a queue where it will wait for several minutes before being connected? No one would stand for such a thing, and we don't think there is a reason to accept it from your Internet service.
You can check out the ad below, but we're finding this "Washington takeover" stuff a bit hard to swallow. [From: BBC, via: Consumerist]
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Comments
28
Subscribe to commentsCarneyMay 14th 2010 11:26AM
The word "extremist" in describing Townhall.com is inaccurate. Townhall was set up by the Heritage Foundation, which is a mainstream conservative organization, and has columnists like Jeb Bush and Fred Thompson.
Disagree with the Right, and support net neutrality, if you like, but tell the story straight without misleading bias and spin.
Glock23May 14th 2010 12:33PM
Agree. Just as all people with liberal views are not extremists, neither are all conservatives.
I get a little tired of people who oppose some of this administration's agenda items getting painted as "extremists" by the people in the media with their bias.
terrenceMay 14th 2010 3:24PM
@Carney
I'm sorry I stand by my characterization of Townhall.com as extremist.
Michelle Malkin and Ann Coulter, contributors to the site, are most certainly at the fringes of the conservative movement.
The site also referred to the planned construction of a mosque in downtown Manhattan as "second attack on the WTC." That's not just extremist, it's bigoted. And calling it what it is does not make me biased.
INFormedJun 28th 2010 3:36PM
Always check your facts before mouthing off. I checked out the site Townhall.com and I would certainly classify them as extremist. From advocating taking away peoples rights, to suggesting that the oil spill int he Gulf will magically 'vanish' so it's OK to keep on a-drilln cause spills are no big deal. Come on, wake up and stop drinking the Kool-aid.
toastMay 14th 2010 1:52PM
Democrats make me laugh.
E.May 15th 2010 1:13AM
Make you laugh???? They make me weep and scare the bejesus outta me every time they take away one more of my freedoms.
DothanAlabamaMay 16th 2010 7:59PM
"take away your freedoms?" That's funny, "liberal" means you are in favor of more freedoms, not less, and here we see the liberals (democrats) are the ones trying to protect the freedom of internet usage.
sean murreyMay 14th 2010 8:37PM
how do we know if the fcc are trying to take control of the internet?
AliciaMay 15th 2010 2:21AM
It's ridiculous that the battle over net neutrality still wages when the internet is so often heralded as an amazing development that allows us to communicate with anyone, find information on everything and express ourselves. If anyone should want to foster that, it's the government. But of course, Big Brother needs to protect us from ourselves and the Big Bad World. It goes beyond limiting broadband into providers charging users to view sites or even refusing to display them all together. And I can proudly guarantee that if anything gets my generation riled, it'll be taking their freedom of the web. Millennial voters will not take that.
PatriciaMay 14th 2010 10:00PM
I had no idea that the Bible mentioned mega corporations. Thanks for enligthening me. I think it was said that God helps those that help themselves.
Thorn HarvestarMay 17th 2010 12:11PM
That was Benjamin Franklin who said "God helps those who help themselves". Sorry, it's not in the Bible.
youMay 14th 2010 10:39PM
I do not want NBC, comcast, or Ann coulter choosing who has access to the net or anything else. I have followed both sides and I choose choice. The FCC made conservitive people happy when they protected the radio waves, broadcast TV and I hope they have the gonads to stand and protect our internet.
DaveMay 14th 2010 10:48PM
The feds see money in it or they would not be involved. This free net will be taxed if the feds enter into the picture. My big question is are providers doing what the feds say or is just speculation on what they might do.
EdMay 14th 2010 10:52PM
Tell the Government "hands off" all the public property (including Internet, TV, communications, etc.) The are there as OUR employees...not our keepers.
EdMay 14th 2010 10:56PM
Tell the Government "hands off" all the public property (including Internet, TV, communications, etc.) They are there as OUR employees...not our keepers.
John SMay 14th 2010 11:22PM
If they start controlling the Internet, they will be no better than Comunist China's government.
Duct TapeMay 16th 2010 7:14PM
A state owned journalist writing about an anti-government take-over of free speech. Sounds a little like Oblamer the finger pointer complaining about the oil companies pointing fingers at each other and none taking the blame.
Will this comment get censured? Would it help if I include something like Blame Bush?
b-evansMay 15th 2010 12:07AM
"Anti-Net Neutrality Ads Hitting the Airwaves in Extremist Push"
Why, pray tell, is there not a headline:
"Net Control Proposals Considered by Extremist Government Agency"?
It would seem that there is some blatant and irresponsible bias at work here.
spongeworthy06May 15th 2010 12:49AM
Just control the internet in federal offices. IE the SEC.
pastorelli33May 15th 2010 12:55AM
If they can reclassify it, then they can up the fees they collect on them. I pay a dollar less for my basic phone service then I pay for the taxes and fees on the same service. Imagine adding that to our internet now. Guess with so many people dropping regular phone service for internet connections and cells, the government needs to collect.