The biggest power grab today is now happening in Washington… against the internet.
The Federal Communication Commission (FCC), President Obama and large corporations are moving to control the internet with the nice sounding name “net neutrality.”
This will impact every direct marketer.
It will impact every business owner.
It will impact every American.
Net neutrality is simply a modified plan from previous schemes to have the federal government control the internet.
It will treat the internet as a public utility… like your gas, water, electricity and old fashioned land-line.
By having the Federal Communication Commission implement this new control, President Obama bypasses Congress, that today would definitely say no.
Under the plan, it has several huge negativities:
1) Price Controls  The federal government is dictating pricing policies. But like all government programs, it leaves open the dictation of the terms of service, the types of product or service delivered and eventually…
2) Content Control  Watch the coming imposition of content censorship of various forms –
(continue reading)
of advertising such as retargeting, data collection and database marketing, and email communication all are in damage of new regulation.
3) Stifle Innovation  Price controls and regulations will kill innovation, kill job creation, harm the consumer and dry up investments.
Senator Ted Cruz says, “Net neutrality is Obama Care for the internet.” In other words, nice sounding, but with terrible side effects.
4) Corporate Cronyism  Large corporations want net neutrality because they hope it will give them a competitive advantage over a free enterprise environment. Facebook, Google and Netflix want to prevent higher possible fees for their large usage of ISP’s. Netflix and YouTube count for 1/2 of all peak – hour download traffic, creating slow buffering.
But the unintended consequence will be lobbying, corruption and one size fits all codification by the State that will hinder innovation.
5) Lead to Internet Censorship  When government controls information, bad things happen… like censorship. China, Russia, Turkey are just some of the countries censoring news and content they don’t like. And it could happen here.
6) It will expand the Federal bureaucracy  With the regulation, new bureaucrats will excuse their power to initiate control and manipulate the internet. And with this comes tax payers’ expense, lobbyists and political corruption, similar to the IRS.
7) It will lead to internet taxes  Government and taxes always go together. Government control and micro management will extract billions in new taxes for consumers and businesses.
Those for “net neutrality” argue government oversight, control and regulation are needed. It will keep the internet open, preventing internet service providers (ISP’s) from imposing premium costs on heavy users.
To do this, they will start small by having the FCC reclassify the internet under the archaic Title II of the Communications Act of 1934. It redefines the internet as a public utility. Eight decades ago, this legislation destroyed innovation in the telephone industry.
The reality is that 30 years ago, millions of users and countless entrepreneurs interacted free of government environment. This decentralized network allowed self interest and the profit motive to drive unprecedented innovation, allowing people to achieve, learn, shop, play, watch and much more.
But this is a massive expansion of regulation and bureaucracy that promises free stuff to the voter and favoritism to the corporation…which will be destroying the internet.
And here is the irony. There is no need for “net neutrality.” There isn’t even a problem to fix. Just fearful speculation to lay the groundwork for the power grab.
Action  The FCC has not released the 332 page book of new regulations. It plans to keep it a secret until the FCC votes on it.
One FCC commissioner, Ajit Pai, who opposes the power grab said: “President Obama’s plan marks a monumental shift toward government control of the Internet. It gives the FCC the power of micromanaging virtually every aspect of how the Internet works. It’s an overreach that will let a Washington bureaucracy, and not the American people, decide the future of the online world. It’s no wonder that net neutrality proponents are already bragging that it will turn the FCC into the ‘Department of the Internet.’ For that reason, if you like dealing with the IRS, you are going to love the President’s plan.”
Freedom and free enterprise is worth protecting. Please sign our petition now and tell the FCC and President Obama – Back off. No regulation!
Click here to sign.
What do you think? Email me at [email protected]