Highest Rated Comments


HaroldFeld1821 karma

First, call your Senators and Representatives and tell them you want the FCC to classify broadband Access as a "Title II telecommunications service." these are the magic words that -- under the Communications Act -- let the FCC tell companies "this is like a telephone call, between the people involved, not something you get involved in -- you are hired to move the information, not mess with it."

Remember "I support Title II." Otherwise, the carriers can mess with the traffic and we're only debating the details of how much they can mess with it.

HaroldFeld875 karma

This appears to have been part of an automated system linked to the VZ billing system.

No one thinks VZ was deliberately trying to screw with fire fighters. But the response when alerted was to require the Santa Clara Fire Department to buy a more expensive plan. That's a function of how VZ sets up its networks. It is extremely problematic here, because VZ was already on notice about the nature of the account and had promised to suspend the cap during emergencies. See more details here: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2018/08/verizon-throttled-fire-departments-unlimited-data-during-calif-wildfire/

HaroldFeld162 karma

If the fiber is a conduit for the conversation of others, then it works like the telephone. The speech right belongs to the speakers. See Sable Communications v. FCC, http://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=12959937071120946576&hl=en&as_sdt=6&as_vis=1&oi=scholarr

HaroldFeld153 karma

Last, tell your friends. This is where we prove if we are real people who take our rights seriously or couch potatoes. Real people come together and fight for their rights. They use the political process so they don't have to shoot each other. Spectators and coach potatoes let other people make the decisions and then bitch about how messed up things are.

Citizens movements are citizen driven. And once you've had the rush of being a real citizen you'll never want to go back. http://www.wetmachine.com/tales-of-the-sausage-factory/cope-ing-nicely-thank-you/

HaroldFeld129 karma

Also here, Harold Feld, Senior VP Public Knowledge, http://www.publicknowledge.org/about-us/staff/ and longtime blogger on this stuff. http://www.wetmachine.com/category/tales-of-the-sausage-factory/