On Dec. 21, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) decided it wants to regulate Internet activity instead of allowing people the freedom of speech protecting by the First Amendment to the US Constitution and instead of letting the free market rule.
Congress and the courts may have something to say about this, however.
The FCC wants power to stop private broadband providers like Verizon or Comcast (or, in the future, Google) from selectively blocking web traffic, and thus thwarting the business of its competitors.
FCC commissioners and their supporters in favor of these “net neutrality” rules say they want to make sure that the flow of information on the Internet remains “open,” but critics are skeptical of this power grab, are afraid that the government will start regulating Internet content as well, and think that the free market and the Internet community can police themselves.
Legal challenges or action by Congress could put a halt to the FCC’s plan, however. For instance, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky) called the FCC’s action “flawed.” Republicans believe the new rules could stifle new Internet investments.
MOVIEGUIDE® believes the government should leave the Internet alone. It also believes, however, that the companies controlling the Internet should ban pornography and shut down websites advocating violence or criminal behavior such as stealing.
– Source: Wall Street Journal, 12/21/10.
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