Ajit Pai's doublespeak doesn't fool anyone. USTelcom, one of the telcom's lobbying groups that sued California, has telcom in the name! The Internet is nothing but networked communication and his argument is that the Federal Communications Commission has no authority to regulate the preeminent communication method in America?
Under current leadership the FCC is a textbook definition of regulatory capture. Ajit Pai is desperately trying to undo and barricade against the future enforcement of Net Neutrality because quite simply unfettered total information control is too valuable for these private companies relinquish.
Sure, they can remain modestly profitable in a commodities market as consumer demand grows and at the same time technological efficiencies lower costs. However real money can be made with negative leverage in negotiations, where the telcoms can extort content providers with threats of selective treatment and the Federal government turning a blind eye to all unscrupulous behavior.
Instead of an open, transparent, and economical Internet the telcoms want to capitalize on their privileged position to manufacture artificial scarcity and provide a path to unlimited profits for their stockholders.
US laws are based on property rights and as we have seen with recent Supreme Court decisions corporate persons are superior to natural individuals in their eyes.
Cloud based services like music and video game services ensure content control is centrally retained and subscribers have no ownership rights. Pay the subscription fee or lose access. If the Cloud provider goes out of business all assets are lost.
The repeal of Net Neutrality means corporations can censor or discriminate communications at their whim. Freedom of Speech need not apply.
Now with autonomous vehicles the freedom of movement is under assault. Autonomous vehicle companies are lobbying together to ban private cars in cities..
In a corporatocracy individuals don't have inalienable rights, only terms of service where any grievances are handled in forced arbitration.
This is a clear glimpse into the machinations of the corporatocracy wishing to impose their totalitarian vision of the future.
In this "gig economy" foisted on us with all of it's service jobs, private toll roads, apartments, cloud services, and soon to be automated car fleets the every day person will legally own very little. Instead immortal corporations will try to take ownership of most property and the rest of us will live as serfs subjugated to the shifting legal terms of service by said corporations.
Our whole legal systems is built around property rights and only the affairs of property holders seems to matter. Any consideration of the ordinary person is considered to be "cumbersome regulations" that should be eliminated.
Michael Powell, former FCC Chairman and now current president and CEO of National Cable & Telecommunications Association, claims we shouldn't be concerned at all by the current FCC Chairman's plan to completely abolish all regulatory oversight of the Internet. In other words, fox claims hen house perfectly safe under his supervision.
As to Michael Powell clairvoyance, remember when he claimed there would be more choice once the 1996 Telecommunication act line sharing provisions were repealed? That certainly worked out well for the ILECs increased profits, err "investments".
Micheal Powell has surely become an inspiration for the current chairmain Ajit Pai. I can only imagine how much he is already salivating over his future "Pai Day" once he leaves the public sector and the Washington revolving door richly rewards him for his loyal service.
Artificial scarcity is the core motivation behind the Network Neutrality repeal. They are about to roll out 5G technologies with 10gbs download speeds which is more bandwidth than most everyone will need. With cable cutters and plunging market prices the telecoms are in a panic and thus they are calling on their inside man to protect their interests. He is looking forward to his future “Pai Day” for his loyal service.
If network prioritization were a true problem then senders and receivers, the customers, should have full control of prioritization using existing Quality of Service (QoS) network features. However by giving telecoms unabated control of prioritization they can distort traffic and resume charging premiums for video and voice.
The FCC chairman has been unequivocally clear in is objectives; increased network investment (read profit) for the ILECs and absolute hands off regulation until there is a complete “market failure” (read unavoidable regulation due to universal outrage over telcom censorship and exorbitant prices).
Finally his talking point about regulatory burden on telcom technology is a joke. It is impossible for telcoms to transfer data beyond the speed of light so the only thing they can do is slow it down or block it. Providing financial incentives to enact artificial scarcity, censorship, and surveillance is the complete opposite of promoting “Free Market” ideologies.
Why are young men working less? Could it be the languishing great recession recovery for the lower class? Reduced hours due to employer health care costs, outsourcing, or automation? Those troubling answers could contradict the narrative of current economic policies so of course video games must be the culprit!
Economists are experts on supply and demand and thus supply findings that benefit the employers of economists. Any economists not contributing to the direct benefit of the institution that employs them would eventually be eliminated due to the same market forces they study.
Employers of economists include finance and consulting businesses, governments, think tanks, and universities. What do all of these institutions have in common? Empowering and enriching corporations of course.
In my opinion most economists are charlatans practicing a form of social studies pseudoscience.
Life is a healthy respect for mother nature laced with greed.