5 ms·

"Others argue that ISPs should be treated differently because consumers face a unique lack of choice and competition in the broadband marketplace. But that clai

"Others argue that ISPs should be treated differently because consumers face a unique lack of choice and competition in the broadband marketplace. But that claim doesn’t hold up to scrutiny either. For example, according to one industry analysis, Google dominates desktop search with an estimated 81 percent market share (and 96 percent of the mobile search market), whereas Verizon, the largest mobile broadband provider, holds only an estimated 35 percent of its market." How hard is it to change your search engine? How hard is it to change your ISP?

wirelessest 10y ago
Yeah, this argument really undermines his credibility. I do think we need a rational justification for the vote, as there has been some hysteria. If this direct response wasn't that, I don't think we'll get one
zzalpha 10y ago
Also loved how they cherry picked Verizon but failed to mention Comcast (largest terrestrial broadband provider by far) or AT&T (their combined cellular and terrestrial footprint is second only to Comcast). Meanwhile, ongoing mergers (Charter has been a continuous target, most recent suitor being TWC) mean fewer and fewer choices. It was at that point I realized this was a partisan polemic and not a balanced analysis.
mirimir 10y ago
It's easy to add a VPN.
- Hnrobert42 10y ago
  That avoíd the question.
  - mirimir 10y ago
    Yes, it does. It's operationally equivalent to changing ISP. I'm not arguing that it's OK for ISPs to collect and sell data. I'm just pointing out an option. There's also the issue that being in the same jurisdiction as your exit ISP may not be such a great idea.
- dragonwriter 10y ago
  And it's a protected choice, if the Open Internet Order were to stand and be enforced. Which seems unlikely with this FCC majority.
- actsasbuffoon 10y ago
  Easy-ish. I just went through the process of setting up a VPN on all of my family's devices, and mobile devices were a bit of a pain. Plus now I'm paying $10 a month for a basic level of privacy that the previous law made free. I can afford it, but it's still obnoxious.
  - mirimir 10y ago
    Sad but true. Still, there are other advantages. With some work, you can make it very hard for websites to find out who you are. And you can change personas easily. And have many of them.
root_axis 10y ago
This is a very disingenuous argument. This type of intellectual dishonesty is infuriating and tempts one to entertain the partisan narrative that suggests republicans are absolutely beholden to corporate interests above all else. I don't like to be that guy, but I just can't see any other explanation here. Can someone explain to me what I'm missing.
- actsasbuffoon 10y ago
  Both parties are beholden to special interests, but they're usually different special interests. A quick perusal of public filings for 2016 campaign contributions shows that democrats disproportionately received more money from unions (teachers, carpenters, nurses, restaurant workers, etc.), while republicans received more from casinos, private prisons, energy companies, and other corporations. AT&T gave $7.7M to republicans for 2016, and $2.3M to democrats. Comcast was more balanced with $3.3M and $3.7M for republicans and democrats respectively. There are certain sectors that give a lot of money to both parties. Hedge funds, insurance companies, and pharmaceutical companies are a good example, which might explain why we pay so much more for drugs than most countries, and why we've been so resistant to any form of single payer healthcare. Political campaigns are long, drawn-out affairs in the US. The campaign for 2016 kicked off in the latter half of 2015! Running a campaign for that long costs a lot of money, and it all has to come from somewhere. Unless we're willing to get serious about campaign finance reform, or dramatically shortening campaign cycles, our politicians are going to continue to owe favors to special interests. https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/list.php https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/list.php
mcphage 10y ago
I was just coming here to complain about that very quote. What a fucking bait-and-switch. People don't have options for their ISP? Let's show some national mobile statistics. How are they related? They're not! And even if they were, it wouldn't matter—Verizon's overall marketshare has ZERO to do with whether an individual has choice over their mobile provider or not!
actsasbuffoon 10y ago
I use DuckDuckGo, an ad blocker, disable JavaScript by default, and avoid services like Facebook. I've worked in online advertising. I understand what they can track, and I don't want to be a part of it. It's as simple as that. Now I have to pay for a VPN so my own flipping ISP doesn't sell my data to advertisers even though I'm already paying over $100 per month for the service. I have to stop writing now, because my brain is filling up with expletives, and I fear I'm about to become incoherently angry.

wirelessest 10y ago

Yeah, this argument really undermines his credibility. I do think we need a rational justification for the vote, as there has been some hysteria. If this direct response wasn't that, I don't think we'll get one

zzalpha 10y ago

Also loved how they cherry picked Verizon but failed to mention Comcast (largest terrestrial broadband provider by far) or AT&T (their combined cellular and terrestrial footprint is second only to Comcast). Meanwhile, ongoing mergers (Charter has been a continuous target, most recent suitor being TWC) mean fewer and fewer choices. It was at that point I realized this was a partisan polemic and not a balanced analysis.

mirimir 10y ago

It's easy to add a VPN.

Hnrobert42 10y ago
That avoíd the question.
- mirimir 10y ago
  Yes, it does. It's operationally equivalent to changing ISP. I'm not arguing that it's OK for ISPs to collect and sell data. I'm just pointing out an option. There's also the issue that being in the same jurisdiction as your exit ISP may not be such a great idea.
dragonwriter 10y ago
And it's a protected choice, if the Open Internet Order were to stand and be enforced. Which seems unlikely with this FCC majority.
actsasbuffoon 10y ago
Easy-ish. I just went through the process of setting up a VPN on all of my family's devices, and mobile devices were a bit of a pain. Plus now I'm paying $10 a month for a basic level of privacy that the previous law made free. I can afford it, but it's still obnoxious.
- mirimir 10y ago
  Sad but true. Still, there are other advantages. With some work, you can make it very hard for websites to find out who you are. And you can change personas easily. And have many of them.

root_axis 10y ago

This is a very disingenuous argument. This type of intellectual dishonesty is infuriating and tempts one to entertain the partisan narrative that suggests republicans are absolutely beholden to corporate interests above all else. I don't like to be that guy, but I just can't see any other explanation here. Can someone explain to me what I'm missing.

actsasbuffoon 10y ago
Both parties are beholden to special interests, but they're usually different special interests. A quick perusal of public filings for 2016 campaign contributions shows that democrats disproportionately received more money from unions (teachers, carpenters, nurses, restaurant workers, etc.), while republicans received more from casinos, private prisons, energy companies, and other corporations. AT&T gave $7.7M to republicans for 2016, and $2.3M to democrats. Comcast was more balanced with $3.3M and $3.7M for republicans and democrats respectively. There are certain sectors that give a lot of money to both parties. Hedge funds, insurance companies, and pharmaceutical companies are a good example, which might explain why we pay so much more for drugs than most countries, and why we've been so resistant to any form of single payer healthcare. Political campaigns are long, drawn-out affairs in the US. The campaign for 2016 kicked off in the latter half of 2015! Running a campaign for that long costs a lot of money, and it all has to come from somewhere. Unless we're willing to get serious about campaign finance reform, or dramatically shortening campaign cycles, our politicians are going to continue to owe favors to special interests. https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/list.php https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/list.php

mcphage 10y ago

I was just coming here to complain about that very quote. What a fucking bait-and-switch. People don't have options for their ISP? Let's show some national mobile statistics. How are they related? They're not! And even if they were, it wouldn't matter—Verizon's overall marketshare has ZERO to do with whether an individual has choice over their mobile provider or not!

actsasbuffoon 10y ago

I use DuckDuckGo, an ad blocker, disable JavaScript by default, and avoid services like Facebook. I've worked in online advertising. I understand what they can track, and I don't want to be a part of it. It's as simple as that. Now I have to pay for a VPN so my own flipping ISP doesn't sell my data to advertisers even though I'm already paying over $100 per month for the service. I have to stop writing now, because my brain is filling up with expletives, and I fear I'm about to become incoherently angry.