The Big Gov-Big Tech War on Internet Providers
Nowhere in the history of humanity has Andrew Carnegie’s observation been more apt - than DC:
“The older I get the less I listen to what men say and the more I look at what they do.”
DC says they want everyone to have Internet access.
High-Speed Internet Is a Necessity, President Biden Says, Pledging All US Will Have Access by 2030
Big Tech, of course, benefits hugely from everyone having Internet access.
Of course, just about everyone has already had high-speed Internet access - for about a decade.
Obama Admitted 98% of Americans Were Fast-Internet-Connected - in 2015
And that vanishing number of unconnected - has only continued vanishing these last ten years.
This ubiquitous success - was thanks entirely to our nation’s private sector Internet Service Providers (ISPs).
On whom DC and Big Tech - continue to wage war. In harmonic convergence - each for their own reasons.
DC
DC’s reason for waging war on ISPs? The eradication of the ISPs:
“‘(T)he ultimate goal is to get rid of the media capitalists in the phone and cable companies and to divest them from control.’”
DC wants to wipe out the ISPs, take their stuff - and leave itself as our sole Internet provider.
Which has, so far, been a fantastic idea….
“For decades, local governments have made promises of faster and cheaper broadband networks. Unfortunately, these municipal networks often don’t deliver or fail, leaving taxpayers to foot the bill. Explore the map to learn about the massive debt, waste and broken promises left behind by these failed government networks."
But DC never allows facts to get in the way of a good beating.
DC pretends people aren’t connected - to justify their ongoing buildup of government Internet.
DC Wasting 100s of Billions - On Already-100% Internet-Connected America
DC keeps upping the speeds of their definition of “broadband” to ABSURD levels - orders-of-magnitude-more than anyone anywhere needs.
FCC Officially Raises Minimum Broadband Metric from 25Mbps to 100Mbps
Nothing currently consumes more broadband - than video. And at 25Mbps (or less)? You have for years been seamlessly streaming High-Def videos - wirelessly, on your wireless network, on your phone.
Why then - is DC QUADRUPLING their definition of “speed?” Asked - and answered.
Oh: And DC only counts a hardline connection as “broadband.” You know, the immobile, fixed connection - from which everyone is moving away.
The wireless network - on which you’ve been for years seamlessly streaming High-Def videos? DC doesn’t consider it “broadband.”
Oh: DC doesn’t count satellite service either….
Ukraine: Musk's Starlink Internet Proves How Idiotic US's 'Connect the Unconnected' Efforts Are:
“Presto: All the unconnected - connected.
“No trillions of dollars - and decades - wasted. No cronyism fostered.
“Just instantaneous - and total - success.
“It’s amazing what can be accomplished - when government isn’t at all involved.”
DC continues to pile more and more regulations and taxes on the ISPs.
Because nothing says “I want to connect the unconnected” - like piling more and more regs and taxes on the people doing the connecting….
FCC Moves Ahead with Title II Net Neutrality Rules in 3-2 Party-Line Vote
Title II: A New Way to Collect Fees on Broadband
“A new way to collect fees” - ??? What, pray tell, are the old ways?
Here’s one - the Universal Service Fund (USF)…:
“‘(A) system of telecommunications subsidies and fees managed by the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) intended to promote universal access to telecommunications services in the United States.’
“‘Fees’ – ??? Government never wants to call its taxes ‘taxes.’ And the USF taxes are MASSIVE….”
About $8 billion per annum massive.
That’s DC’s unelected bureaucracy. How’s our barely elected Congress doing on this?
Awful, natch.
The wireless and satellite connectors - need spectrum. DC owns more than half of this finite resource - and…shocker…is futzing around with getting it to the wireless and satellite providers…:
“(W)e are concerned that the Spectrum and National Security Act of 2024 focuses too much on the complex topic of dynamic spectrum sharing and omits a pipeline of much-needed mid-band spectrum to meet growing consumer demand, close America’s widening 5G spectrum deficit, and counter China’s drive to dominate the world’s innovation industries."
We could go on, and on, and… - about DC’s idiocy. Much of it - benefits Big Gov crony Big Tech. So that’s where we’ll go next….
Big Tech
Big Tech has made many trillions of dollars - almost exclusively by collecting our data and selling it.
Inside the Trillion Dollar Tech World
The Ugly Truth: Tech Companies Are Tracking and Misusing Our Data, and There’s Little We Can Do
Meanwhile….
FCC Fines Verizon, AT&T Other Major Carriers Nearly $200 Million for Sharing Customer Data - April 29, 2024
The FCC Fines Wireless Companies for Selling Users' Data - February 28, 2020
The Internet is nearly three decades old. Big Tech is nearly two decades old. Guess what DC STILL hasn’t done?
If you said “Pass anything at all about Big Tech’s abuse of our data” - you win a cookie….
Americans Might Finally Get a Real Privacy Law to Fight Big Tech Intrusions - April 29, 2024
Ummm…don’t bet on it. NOTHING happens in DC - unless Big Tech wants it.
And if Big Tech wants it? DC makes it happen. Like, say, Net Neutrality….
Another Big Tech Crony Free Ride That Needs to End:
“Big Tech demands government impose Net Neutrality – because it guarantees them huge government-mandated benefits.
“To name but one:
“As mentioned, Big Tech consumes way more than half of all US bandwidth. Net Neutrality – mandates they not be charged any money for any of it.
“We the Little People would pay MUCH more for our service – to subsidize the likes of Apple, Amazon and Google.
“Net Neutrality is massive government regulation – to impose massive Big Tech cronyism.”
Oh: Big Gov long ago gave Big Tech Section 230 - which has become blanket immunity from anything and everything awful Big Tech does…:
“If I owned a small neighborhood bar, I would have to purchase liability insurance to protect me should one third-party patron punch another third-party patron in my place.
“Or I would have to go to court and convince a judge or jury that it took my place in my place - but not because of my place.
“Why do the biggest and richest companies in the history of Planet Earth get government-imposed blanket third-party-action immunity?”
How Did Big Tech Get So Big? Massive Government Cronyism - Like Section 230
And if Big Tech wants it? DC makes sure it never, ever goes away….
Because….
Big Tech Is Much Bigger Than ISPs - So Big Gov Sides With Big Tech
Because that’s how DC works.
It’s what they do.
Which is diametrically opposed to what they say.
As Charlie Brown would say, “Good grief.”
Living in a banana republic is a discouraging thing.