2009-09-14T12:29:41Z opencongress.org tag:opencongress.org,2007:/bill/comments/59570 2009-09-14T12:29:41Z tag:opencongress.org,2009-09-14:/comment/125841 Kordis The free market benefits companies, not people. We The People need protecting too. I live in a metropolitan area, and similar to Disabledbobcat, I only have 1 choice for ISP that provides speeds needed today, my other option is dialup. I even checked with the satellite companies, and locally, they all offer their internet service through Comcast. If comcast decides to take a position to charge to be connected to any search engine, or to sites outside the U.S., what are my real options? If internet businesses are given free reign, we WILL lose our right to free speech, by being blocked from seeing whatever the people in charge of the companies see as detrimental to their success or as going against their beliefs, or charged for something that should be free. Remember, the internet itself could have been under the control of just a few people, but they decided to make it public domain, and they were right for doing so. 2010-05-15T15:04:55Z tag:opencongress.org,2010-05-15:/comment/196662 redraparee Let me first say that I'm not a fan of Government regulation. However, in this case, it is not only appropriate but vital if the Internet is to remain free and open. This Bill is not about turning over control of the Internet over to the Government but about preventing major IT and other corporations from controlling it. If it weren't for Government regulation, utility companies or another form of corporate "service provider" could and would charge whatever they wanted for vital services, like telephone, gas and electricity. Are you also for having these regulations removed? Do you really trust the big guys to do the right thing? Though, to my knowledge, the Internet has not been officially designated a public utility, it very much is and should remain just that and to keep it that, some regulation is definitely required. 2009-09-29T20:08:54Z tag:opencongress.org,2009-09-29:/comment/132179 rynz1rc I'm a little late to the party on this issue and still trying to find my bearings, so my question is how will this bill hurt (or in your words "screw") the consumer. I can understand how this bill will restrain (and possible hurt) the ISPs, I am willing to consider that it might be to an unfair extent, but I can not understand how anything within this bill will hurt consumers as you claim. More specifically, I live is small town, I have only one choice for an ISP beside dial-up. The one ISP isn't very fast or reliable, and the price is about average. How will this bill negatively affect ME. (Not that I'm that selfish, but its the one side of this I can't manage to see). Thanks. 2009-09-24T20:13:40Z tag:opencongress.org,2009-09-24:/comment/130148 Debra Freedom?? Why not call it the Internet Control and Screw The Consumer Act. Just why do we need yet another regulation? I wish this congress would just go home until the next election. 2009-10-21T12:19:46Z tag:opencongress.org,2009-10-21:/comment/147954 kbthiede It seems to me like a lot of uneducated idiots are just waving the flag of free enterprise without learning about this issue at all. It would be like allowing a few companies that own and make roads to decide what shops get paved streets. Let me explain... I'm all for the free market, but without government intervention, a few telecoms will dominate the internet and turn it into a computerized version of cable. So, the government needs to intervene to protect competition and free enterprise. Imagine you have set up a web-based service selling high-quality digital images. The images you make may be great, but you can't afford to pay AT&T as much as they want, so you get throttled (your website gets less bandwidth, thus slowing it down) and lose traffic. 2009-08-06T13:34:24Z tag:opencongress.org,2009-08-06:/comment/116544 na_boo7ru Government intervention into private business never 'spur(s) investment and innovation'. The Internet has flourished without this bill, and now, they want to butt into yet another area they don't belong in. Safeguard consumers? Last time I checked, that was the consumer's job, not government's. 2010-02-12T00:21:04Z tag:opencongress.org,2010-02-12:/comment/184809 ericiscool ahh, so THAT'S why they want it shut down!. Because they realized it RUINED a commie nation!. thank you for shedding light on this, for me!. They're not gettin' any info out of me. 2010-02-12T00:24:43Z tag:opencongress.org,2010-02-12:/comment/184810 ericiscool who, me? 2009-10-21T05:20:52Z tag:opencongress.org,2009-10-21:/comment/147263 geekmom The free market allows companies to compete. Something like this will only allow those companies with a lot of money and bandwidth to serve their customers. All the others will be squelched. And once people can't afford to put Internet service in their area for their community, well guess who steps in: the monopoly or uncle sam--yet owning ONE MORE piece of America that you no longer do. 2010-02-22T05:09:55Z tag:opencongress.org,2010-02-22:/comment/186001 mwurgaft I believe this bill needs more bite. ISPs should not be allowed to hide behind the DMCA safe harbors, and should be actively policing their networks for illegal content. Piracy is a scourge and can be characterized as both the Bull in the China shop AND a dirty little secret that does not get enough press. Quality of Service (QoS, tiering) and Municipal providers should be considered. Our "dumb" network needs to get "smart". 2010-02-28T21:14:49Z tag:opencongress.org,2010-02-28:/comment/187190 TBSchemer Is AT&T already throttling consumers of their ISP service? No? Then what makes you think we need a bill preventing them from doing so? Do you think one day they'll just completely reverse every notion they currently have of what will get them good business? 2010-02-28T21:14:49Z tag:opencongress.org,2010-02-28:/comment/187189 TBSchemer Is AT&T already throttling consumers of their ISP service? No? Then what makes you think we need a bill preventing them from doing so? Do you think one day they'll just completely reverse every notion they currently have of what will get them good business? 2009-10-22T12:01:58Z tag:opencongress.org,2009-10-22:/comment/149132 LeMat Anything the Government does can be done hundreds of times better and more efficiently by the private sector. Are you people insane? Government is the antithesis of freedom! Getting the Fed involved in the Internet is a HUGE mistake. The Internet is the last bastion of free speech and THAT is the true impetus of both this and the Cybersecurity bill; they want it. 2010-05-26T07:44:18Z tag:opencongress.org,2010-05-26:/comment/197477 socalcitizen That's what was said about the banks "deregulate" and look where they took us. On the other-hand telecoms, television and radio has been regulated for years with little issue. 2009-10-29T11:50:22Z tag:opencongress.org,2009-10-29:/comment/156163 LeMat (cont'd from above) Yes, companies care about their bottom line. How does that violate your rights? If the Government hadn't regulated the individual out of running their own business, you might not have to work for someone else — or borrow millions just for the attempt! The Government is in the pocket of big business because no one gives them as much money as big business. Small business is the big business KILLER because the free market self-regulates. Do you really think that small business disappeared magically and big business popped up out of nowhere overnight? If so, you are certainly delusional. 2009-10-22T12:36:11Z tag:opencongress.org,2009-10-22:/comment/149234 LeMat Oh wow... the "Evil Corporations" argument. The reason these corporations have gotten so huge is that market protections were REMOVED a long time ago (such as the Glass-Steagall act) by payola from corporate lobbyists in Washington. Small business is screwed in this country, and THAT is the problem. No companies can compete with WalMart or Comcast simply because they got all the free passes in the world FROM THE GOVERNMENT and all the small business that COULD compete with them were put out of business BY THE GOVERNMENT (tax codes, zoning, etc). Government corruption is the enemy; it is no longer "of the people, by the people, for the people." "That monopolies are odious, contrary to the spirit of a free government and the principles of commerce; and ought not to be suffered." 2010-05-26T08:03:28Z tag:opencongress.org,2010-05-26:/comment/197479 socalcitizen I support Net Neutrality, by guaranteeing freedom of content all users benefit. We are already limited in internet speed by a tiered system created by corporations, we don't need these same companies limiting our content also. 2009-11-13T13:40:56Z tag:opencongress.org,2009-11-13:/comment/167926 dabears Maybe the ISP's should invest some of the billions we've already given them into their infrastructure instead of trying to screw the consumer out of their internets. 2009-10-29T11:45:52Z tag:opencongress.org,2009-10-29:/comment/156140 LeMat You ELECT a company every time you open your WALLET and buy their products or services. If you don't like them don't BUY them. You think the market was free when this happened? News Flash! Unelected people make the rules RIGHT NOW. They are called bankers and lobbyists and they OWN your erstwhile representatives. Where do you think those campaign funds came from? Obviously, you don't even understand what a free market IS. The American marketplace hasn't been free since FDR's "New Deal". The purpose of law is to protect property (from which come rights), and the purpose of Government is to enforce proper, Constitutional laws... but your freedoms have been usurped to such a point that I doubt you even know what I am talking about. The Government should only step once someone else has violated your property, and at NO other time. 2009-09-07T19:30:15Z tag:opencongress.org,2009-09-07:/comment/123535 Gmannygarcia The consumers didn't flee from Eron for its unethical business practices, it eventually became the job of the government to arrest and fine the corrupt executives of Enron. Also, the artificial sweetener, Aspartame, has managed to garner around 80% of the FDA's complaints, and was approved by a very scandalous procedure in which the company itself basically purchased its own approval. Now, aspartame is still in outrageous amounts of food and hasn't been run into the ground by product-conscious consumers. The fact is, the health and well-being of the American people cannot be left to the free market and the responsibility of the consumer, the government has a distinct role to play in making sure that the free market doesn't spiral out of control with corruption, while the American people stand by, mesmerized by the artificial bubble they're in.