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Repealing Net Neutrality Could Affect MilkyWay@home

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Jake Weiss
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Message 66838 - Posted: 7 Dec 2017, 19:22:08 UTC
Last modified: 7 Dec 2017, 19:43:29 UTC

Hello Everyone,

On December 14th, 2017, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) plans to take a vote to remove the Title II classification of Internet Service Providers (ISPs). In effect, this will remove the FCC's authority to enforce the doctrine known as net neutrality. Net neutrality is the idea that all traffic on the Internet, regardless of its origin, should be treated equally. This doctrine is responsible for the massive success of the Internet today. It allows any company, institutions, and individuals to host their own websites and web services without the fear of having their web-traffic throttled to accommodate another company, institute or individual who has more money to pay for their traffic to be prioritized. It also prevents ISPs from throttling or being paid to throttle websites for any reason, such as, political, or ideological reasons.

Why is this important for MilkyWay@home? As a research group that survives off of donations from our wonderful volunteers and government grants, we do not have the means to pay for things like paid prioritization, or any other potential ransoms that ISPs may decide to charge in the future to transmit data. This could lead to a decrease in our workunit availability and overall reduction to our abilities to make discoveries. The repeal of net neutrality can also lead to new fees for our volunteers. For example, ISPs will be allowed to sell access to certain websites as part of "bundled" packages. This means to receive workunits from us or any other BOINC project, or visit our websites, you will have to buy into a "bundle" that includes our or other BOINC websites. In our minds, this is not a partisan issue as there is overwhelming support for net neutrality from both parties, (76% of Americans, 81% of Democrats and 73% of Republicans). [1]

If you live in the United States and would like to help protect net neutrality, the best thing you can do is contact your congressmen and senators to let them know how you feel about net neutrality, why it is important to you, and why they risk your vote in future elections if they do nothing to protect it. Additionally, if you would like to help fund larger efforts to prevent the repeal of net neutrality or if you live outside of the United States and would still like to help, consider donating the Electronic Frontier Foundation or the American Civil Liberties Union to allow them to cover the costs of the looming legal battle.

Thank you all for your continued support and I hope for everyone's sake network neutrality can be saved.

The MilkyWay@home Staff
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James Medeiros

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Message 66840 - Posted: 12 Dec 2017, 2:31:08 UTC - in response to Message 66838.  

This is a scary prospect. Please let us know if there's anything we can do to sway congress from the 'Great White North' (Canada).

--James
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Message 66841 - Posted: 12 Dec 2017, 5:49:25 UTC

This net neutrality issue was never about neutrality. Instead, it was a step toward nationalization of the US Internet leading to a national firewall like China (PRC). If anyone thinks that the FCC is neutral about anything and above corruption, they need to study their history. The FCC is an agency of the US Administrative Branch led by the President, not Congress. That gives the President the power to monitor, control and censor electronic communication without oversight or accountability. It also provides an irresistible urge by Congress to tax its use, just like they did to the phone system. Human nature predictably cannot handle that much power.
We need a better solution that works with imperfect people at the helm. We are not even close to a solution to the problem because we have not properly defined the problem. A bureaucrat's only competition is another bureaucrat.
The surest way to make the new system cost more than the old is to pioneer the wrong thing. The surest way to lose in poker or blow a budget to smithereens is to throw good money after bad trying to fix an unworkable solution. The surest way to make a system fail is to allow a politician to design it.
Fairness and neutrality are like beauty. Its metrics lie within the opinion of the beholder.
As Redbeard might say. "Matey, ye be warned."
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Message 66855 - Posted: 15 Dec 2017, 22:43:43 UTC - in response to Message 66841.  

We might find a better solution to the problem with the anti-trust laws, particularly the Robinson-Pattman Act of 1933. This act deals with discrimination against the customer. This law has triple damages built within the statute and class actions are allowed.
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Message 66857 - Posted: 15 Dec 2017, 23:43:22 UTC - in response to Message 66840.  

This is a scary prospect. Please let us know if there's anything we can do to sway congress from the 'Great White North' (Canada).

--James


There most certainly is.

Well, not you, per se, but if you (the more general "you") are a United States citizen, vote!
Want to find one of the largest known primes? Try PrimeGrid. Or help cure disease at WCG.

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Message 66884 - Posted: 24 Dec 2017, 18:34:35 UTC - in response to Message 66857.  
Last modified: 24 Dec 2017, 18:49:17 UTC

What does Canada have to do with U.S. net neutrality? I am curious.

BTW, repeal of net neutrality just transfers jurisdiction back to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC, not FCC). This agency is protected by the U.S. Constitution's enumerated power of Congress (not the Administrative Branch) to regulate interstate commerce.

The Net neutrality law was an unconstitutional power grab by the Administrative branch from the Congressional Branch of the U.S. government. The President of the United States (POTUS) justified the grab by claiming that Internet Service Providers (ISPs) were public utilities.

Did you all know that the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) owns Comcast? Indirectly, the FCC has reach into Comcast, Time Warner and Verizon. If an ISP misbehaves, the FTC could use the Clayton Act (an antitrust law) to cite the ISP for restraint of trade. Defense lawyers love antitrust laws. It is a cash cow that ruins an ISP's bottom line for years. Plaintiffs get triple damages if they win the case. ISPs know that.
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Message 66885 - Posted: 25 Dec 2017, 17:13:57 UTC - in response to Message 66884.  

What does Canada have to do with U.S. net neutrality? I am curious.

BTW, repeal of net neutrality just transfers jurisdiction back to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC, not FCC). This agency is protected by the U.S. Constitution's enumerated power of Congress (not the Administrative Branch) to regulate interstate commerce.

The Net neutrality law was an unconstitutional power grab by the Administrative branch from the Congressional Branch of the U.S. government. The President of the United States (POTUS) justified the grab by claiming that Internet Service Providers (ISPs) were public utilities.

Did you all know that the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) owns Comcast? Indirectly, the FCC has reach into Comcast, Time Warner and Verizon. If an ISP misbehaves, the FTC could use the Clayton Act (an antitrust law) to cite the ISP for restraint of trade. Defense lawyers love antitrust laws. It is a cash cow that ruins an ISP's bottom line for years. Plaintiffs get triple damages if they win the case. ISPs know that.


I would guess that Canada is affected if they decide to low down the transmissions or programs that come into the US over the net, And yes alot of people know that Comcast and NBC are connected as is Fox and Disney and a bunch of others too. It's alot like the Murdoch's and UK stuff, they are connected to alot of it.
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Profile Pierre A Renaud FCD @ team Car...
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Message 66976 - Posted: 19 Jan 2018, 9:03:04 UTC - in response to Message 66884.  

Net neutrality: Why Canadians should care about the internet changes in the U.S.

All is not lost in spite of the FCC rolling back net neutrality, and legal challenges are to be expected. US citizens (and canadian citizens, for the reasons mentioned in the aforementioned article) should not remain apathetic.

EFF: On December 14, the FCC voted 3-2 to roll back net neutrality and abdicate its responsibility to ensure a free and open Internet. That vote is not the end of the story, not by far. The new rule is being met with legal challenges from all sides, from public interest groups to state attorneys general to technology companies. Meanwhile, state governments have started introducing laws to protect net neutrality on a local level. Even as lawsuits begin, Congress can stop the FCC nightmare from going forward. Under the Congressional Review Act (CRA), Congress has a window of time to reverse an agency rule. This means that we, and you, must continue to monitor and pressure Congress to do so. So call Congress and urge them to use their power under the CRA to save the Open Internet Order. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/12/year-open-internet-came-under-siege-2017-year-review

What does Canada have to do with U.S. net neutrality? I am curious.

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