A "Net Neutrality' Primer
Today the concept of an uncensored open internet came one step closer to extinction. The rule of 'net neutrality' has been dealt a fatal blow as FCC rules were on their way to the circular file. The House Communications and Technology Subcommittee has voted to throw aside new Federal Communications Committee (FCC) rules which, though anemic, still protected the concept of Net Neutrality. The vote was predictably along party lines (15-8) with Rep. Greg Walden of Oregon presiding. After this vote, the issue will bounce back to the parent committee, namely the House Energy & Commerce Committee chaired by 'Tea Party darling'-- Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI).
Rep. Fred Upton's Record Regarding Political Transparency...
(Source : Greenpeace, "Koch Industries Secretly Funding the Climate Denial Machine," March 2010)
Besides being in the climate change denial business; Koch Industries has been cited as one of the top 10 air polluters in the US. (Source: "Toxic 100 Air Polluters," http://www.peri.umass.edu/toxic_index)
Like the Koch's and the Tea Party movement they bankroll; Upton has not met a Koch sponsored corporate agenda--he didn't like. Not only is Upton the recipient of Koch monies, but seems to sympathize with the 'climate change denial' machine Koch vigorously pushes.
So, ironically as Upton's home state of Michigan is the scene of the most recent oil disaster--the Enbridge Lakehead 6B Pipeline Rupture--Upton worries about the nasty open internet and the danger of free speech and free press. Rather than find some help for his own fellow citizens in Michigan; Upton wants to make the internet safe for corporate propaganda and infotainment along the lines of Simon Cowell's latest sneer fest. A free and uncensored internet and the alternative press it engages has covered the Enbridge disaster and similar subjects-- while the mainstream press is busy yawning.
The Enbridge disaster was the result of a 6 foot rupture in a pipeline carrying "tar sands' oil. The rupture created an environmental crisis which dwarfs the BP Gulf incident, mainly due to the fact that tar sands oil is far more dangerous than normal crude, and the rupture occurred along a corridor which supplies drinking water. (Source: click here) You would think Rep. Upton would have requested a federal investigation--but he merely remains silent. Now, we are told to "trust' that Upton will maintain an honest hearing--in spite of his link to the Kochs.
This is the same Rep. Upton who is sponsoring a bill to effectively dismantle the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)by forbidding any oversight over greenhouse gases as proven pollutants. This bill comes straight from the climate change deniers handbook and is little more than an Easter gift for Koch Industries. The bill is HR 910 or The Energy Tax Prevention Act of 2011. HR910 as explained in the 'Open Congress Summary' ..
. "Amends the Clean Air Act to state that greenhouse gases are not "air pollutants" and therefore cannot be regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency."(Source:http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-h910/show)
In spite of the Enbridge disaster--Upton is disregarding the wishes of his constituents, and now we are expected to trust his integrity. First, he ignores the toxics pouring into Michigan's water, now he tells the uber-polluters that it's 'open season' on clean air--for the entire country. It seems there is no set of regulations Upton won't try to dismantle. As for his integrity--I'd sooner trust Charlie Sheen to become the latest poster boy for mental health.
This vote is important because it can set the stage for the end of an open internet--to be replaced with corporate gatekeepers acting as a for-profit "Nanny-Gate.' Here is what I would call a "'net neutrality primer' for any conflicted public officials.
Basic facts:
1.) Definition: Net Neutrality simply means that Internet Service Providers (ISP's) like AT&T, Verizon, Comcast, Time Warner CAN'T CENSOR OR BLOCK WHAT YOU SEE ONLINE.
2.) ISP's are companies who own the cables and/or phone lines that serve as the means of transmission for Internet use, since the government doesn't act as an internet provider.
3.)The Internet as it is known was created and developed on OUR TAX DOLLAR, NOT THE CORPORATE GIANTS WHO WANT TO CENSOR OUR ACCESS.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
1
1
1
