'Enough is enough.' Obama stands firm on telecoms ahead of State of the Union

[herding cats]

Source: The Guardian

With a looming showdown over net neutrality bumping up against his internet-heavy State of the Union address, President Barack Obama continued his weeklong dance with telecommunications giants on Wednesday in Iowa, unveiling plans to challenge state laws that limit the expansion of high-speed broadband access.

The ambitious plan aims to make small US towns more powerful economic players by cracking laws that benefit major internet service providers. Obama praised the “visionary move” of the city of Cedar Falls to upgrade its broadband network, a move that has angered the major telecoms companies. But Obama showed no signs of backing down in pushing for an expansion of cheaper and speedier access – but also more competition.

“In too many places across America, some big companies are doing everything they can to keep out competitors,” Obama said. “Today I am saying we are going to change that. Enough is enough.”

After privacy advocates pushed back on cybersecurity measures announced by Obama ahead of Tuesday’s speech before Congress, open internet advocates are already pleased with the president’s plan to write a letter to the Federal Communications Commission, asking the agency to look at how it can undo restrictions on municipal internet service.

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jan/14/obama-lift-curbs-small-town-broadband-access

[madokie]

1. Chouteau Ok is a perfect example of what he's talking about here

You want internet here you go to the phone company. They make you have a land line too in order to have internet service.
No one else, 'cept cable and satellite are allowed here. I pay 70 plus bucks a month for sorry service. 20 some is for the land line that we don't even use anymore.

[project_bluebook]

3. Same here in MI

only two options, both expensive. Had to go to the cancellation department, try to cancel to get my 20 meg broadband knocked down from $49 to $29.95. Can live with that but in Europe & Mexico you can get fast net, phone and TV for that.

We need more competition and less scum of the earth republicans.

[madokie]

4. 20 meg,

hell best I can get is 5 and I haven't seen 5 since day one. Most times its running in the 2 to 3 meg range. Paying 70 plus bucks for it too.

Not much better than dial up. Here dial up is 50 bucks a month when you factor in the 20 dollar land line in there. Does anyone still use a land line anymore I wonder? I know we don't

[project_bluebook]

6. Had the same service though my local phone system

cost $73 for phone and 6 meg. i had cable TV, went to cancel, gave them a reason I wanted internet, they came up with all kinds of offers to keep me on, got the internet, then called up the phone company to cancel, they too had all kinds of sweet deals but told them too late, already signed up with the competition. No contracts so I can switch back if a super good deal comes up.

[madokie]

11. I need to do the same thing

Our phone company has some kind of a grandfather clause that allows them to keep any competition out. AT&T lost a class action lawsuit a few years back and every town around here the people have an option of at&t but not here in chouteau. Its fairpoint.net, cable or satellite. Cable is good when I had it up to the evening hours then it would crawl along because as more people log on the slower it gets or I was told that.
My wifes grand mother and grand father is who started the chouteau phone company back in the late 40s and sold out to another family back in the late '50s, early '60s. They then sold to fairpoint about 20 or so years ago. About the time that the internet was starting around here.

[ChazII]

13. A friend uses a land line for the pace maker

in his body. It relays information each day to his doctor or so he tells me. I also have a land line.

[madokie]

14. Thats cool

Lot of people still have a land line but i suspect in 15 - 20 years down the road that won't be the case anymore

[Beartracks]

2. Hannity: Government takeover!!11!

Is this what Hannity and his guests were whining complaining about on the radio today, saying that the government wants to "take over the Internet"?

====================

[groundloop]

8. Yep, some of my right wing acquaintances are whining about the takeover

All the same BS about the govt. interfering with the free market (except that it's NOT a free market - in most places the cable company has an exclusive agreement with the local or county govt.)

[lastlib]

5. Good call! Either Repubs believe in a free market where everybody gets to play, or.....

...they're shown to be protecting the big boys at the expense of the little players.

(I bet I know where their allegiance lies--watch where the campaign $$ flow from..... )

[Beartracks]

10. Repubs cry for both "free market" and "winner take all." Can't really have both.

As I understand it, free market capitalism ironically leads to monopolies, which are: 1) something Republicans defend as evidence of the success of free market capitalism; and 2) anti-free market.

=================

[Fred Sanders]

7. Obama RCP average Presidential Job Approval poll numbers are soaring....not a whisper in the media.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/other/president_obama_job_approval-1044.html

[PatrynXX]

9. was fun going down 12th street

the tiny amount of No Bama morons were causing a scene smh. took some video of it but as I was driving couldn't do much. I live a few streets down from this event. Been down the street that in no way I was gonna try to go down... and had channel 7 kwwl filming to my right so for all I know I'm on video somewhere lol

we get like 95mbps download and 52mbps upload it's the upload part thats pushing it. I've helped push them on that. dad's really got after them on bad speeds. But compared to Mediacom CFU is a dream. fuck Mediacom. Waterloo tried to do what Cedar Falls does and Mediacom called it illegal BS. Alot of anti capitalism going on around

[Sunlei]

12. The USA needs free internet access for everyone & the corps can sell added services if they want.

There will always be customers who need a paid service to setup their email and router.