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[Nokterian]

Another day, another anti-consumer corporate giveaway.

President Trump's recently-installed Federal Communications Commission chief, Republican Ajit Pai, has made clear that he wants to roll back US rules protecting net neutrality, the principle that all internet content should be equally accessible to consumers.

But the forthcoming Republican assault on net neutrality is just one component of an escalating effort by Trump's FCC to deregulate the broadband industry in ways that benefit corporate giants like AT&T and Verizon, and hurt consumers, according to public interest advocates.

For example, the FCC voted today to approve a controversial plan to deregulate the $45 billion market for business-to-business broadband, also known as Business Data Services (BDS), by eliminating price caps that make internet access more affordable for thousands of small businesses, schools, libraries and hospitals. The price caps, which have been in place for years, are designed to protect small businesses and other community institutions from predatory behavior by monopoly broadband providers like AT&T and Verizon.

https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/...or-schools-and-libraries?utm_source=mbtwitter

You reap what you sow...

Broadband if me old

 

[kaching]

No one really needs to use the internet anyway.

 

[Nanashrew]

I remember a while back someone on GAF was saying no one really needs internet to live or something, and if anyone ever needed it they could just go to the local library or school.

Soon that won't even be an option!

 

[Steeped in a Sea of Games]

Education just gets in the way of patriotism. Sigh.

 

[HP_Wuvcraft]

Not even being fucking transparent.

 

[Michael F. Assbender]

They take every good thing we have and work to corrupt or pervert it.

It's like they're an alien race that learned how to be human at a shitty alien school run by Betsy DeVos.

 

[Primus]

Fuck you, Ajit Pai. Fuck you, Donald Trump.

Assholes.

 

[Electric Eye]

Speaking from experience no business should have At&t internet anyway because its complete shit copper dsl.

 

[Got]

I remember a while back someone on GAF was saying no one really needs internet to live or something, and if anyone ever needed it they could just go to the local library or school.

Soon that won't even be an option!

That person's an asshole and this development kind of proves how much of an asshole they are

 

[Michael F. Assbender]

Speaking from experience no business should have At&t internet anyway because its complete shit copper dsl.

Well now they're going to be getting the same shit, copper DSL and paying out the nose for the privilege.

 

[Steeped in a Sea of Games]

I really want to believe we can salvage this situation back some day, but I'm really pessimistic right now.

 

[cdyhybrid]

The party of small business.

 

[Marvie_3]

Of course they did.

 

[soul creator]

Ajit Varadaraj Pai is the Chairman of the United States Federal Communications Commission. He has served on the FCC since being appointed by President Barack Obama in May 2012. In January 2017, President Donald Trump elevated Pai to Chairman of the agency. He is the first Indian American to hold the office. He was initially nominated for a Republican Party position on the commission by President Barack Obama at the recommendation of Mitch McConnell

lol. McConnell's trolling consistently amazes me

 

[Korigama]

Naturally.

lol. McConnell's trolling consistently amazes me

Yet another demonstration of what a commitment to always being the better man got Obama, the Democratic party, and this nation as a whole.

 

[Electric Eye]

lol

I really hope democrats finally learn to stop fucking reaching out. FUCK REPUBLICANS.

 

[Steeped in a Sea of Games]

lol

Back in the days of Obama trying to play the middle.

 

[mreddie]

lol. McConnell's trolling consistently amazes me

They were planning this bullshit.

 

[Isotropy]

At least there'll be no more economic anxiety if people can't afford to go on the internet and read fake news.

I'm not even sure what point I'm making here...

 

[soul creator]

I mean on one hand, I think for this specific position, there's some sort of "requirement" that it has one person from each party, so it's not like Obama nominated a Republican just for funsies (though he obviously did that in other positions)

On the other hand, a Mitch McConnell recommendation. lolol

 

[PKrockin]

Transparently evil.

 

[thetrin]

This is fucking gross. What the fuck is wrong with these people?

 

[guek]

Anyone know how much they were being charged before and how much they're expected to rise?

 

[Prototype Viktor]

They voted to give free tax money from government things being cut in funds yay
/S

 

[ramuh]

Anyone know how much they were being charged before and how much they're expected to rise?

Ya, I'm wondering this too. If it was crazy lower than market rates I can see why they want to end this. It's still a business.

 

[Beartruck]

Anyone know how much they were being charged before and how much they're expected to rise?

Considering that many of these places need internet, expect it to at least double. Ajit has swung his pucker wide open for these assholes, they could make internet cost $1000 a month and he wouldn't say shit.

 

[Amalthea]

I bet if Trump ever did something truly good without any bad downsides he'd wither away in seconds like a Indiana Jones villain because it would drain all his life energy at once.

 

[numble]

I mean on one hand, I think for this specific position, there's some sort of "requirement" that it has one person from each party, so it's not like Obama nominated a Republican just for funsies (though he obviously did that in other positions)

On the other hand, a Mitch McConnell recommendation. lolol

I really hope democrats finally learn to stop fucking reaching out. FUCK REPUBLICANS.

Naturally.

Yet another demonstration of what a commitment to always being the better man got Obama, the Democratic party, and this nation as a whole.

FCC is required to have 2 Democrat nominated positions, 2 Republican nominated positions and the chair appointed by the President, all confirmed by the Senate. So Obama filled a Republican seat with the nomination from the Republican Senate leader, it is normal.

 

[Muppet of a Man]

Do you guys remember the 80s? Well, if you don't, you'll be getting your first dose of that bullshit right now.

 

[OrlanisWorks]

But guys, the free market will work out.

Spoiler

/s

 

[exmachina64]

Ya, I'm wondering this too. If it was crazy lower than market rates I can see why they want to end this. It's still a business.

Should we raise taxes to pay for these increased rates?

 

[Angelus Errare]

I remember a while back someone on GAF was saying no one really needs internet to live or something, and if anyone ever needed it they could just go to the local library or school.

Soon that won't even be an option!

Just go to your local jail to use the internet if you really need it! Or go to your state unemployment office to use the internet.

 

[wildfire]

Fuck the Trump admin.

 

[RedAssedApe]

stop going on the internet and read kids

 

[Kremzeek]

Ajit Pai is the worst for consumers. He always sides with corporations.

arstechnica.com has been warning about him for years.

Not surprised by this move. There is a special place in hell for these politicians whose every aim is to fatten their executive buddies wallets at the expense of struggling families & kids.

 

[The Kree]

Tell me more about how I shouldn't hate Trump supporters.

 

[HP_Wuvcraft]

This is fucking gross. What the fuck is wrong with these people?

This is part of DeVos' plan to make all schools religious.

 

[Bigboss242]

Making America great right.... right.

 

[killer rin]

Step 1: Slash budgets to schools
Step 2: Increase operating costs for schools
Step 3: Blame schools for not being able to provide the service they are being paid to do
Step 4: Repeat

 

[travisbickle]

I remember a while back someone on GAF was saying no one really needs internet to live or something, and if anyone ever needed it they could just go to the local library or school.

Soon that won't even be an option!

Some people are just trying to sound empathetic, give it a couple more years of Trump and the narrative will be "just drop down dead if you can't afford the internet"

 

[Ac30]

Back in the days of Obama trying to play the middle.

I still remember everyone freaking out at corporate shill Tom Wheeler, and he suddenly decides to not act as everyone expected.

Apparently corporate stooges have better moral compasses than Republicans, who'da thunk

 

[Akuun]

At this point, the White House is such a concentrated cesspool of scum it's almost like one of those magic cleaning sponges that claim to attract dirt.

You could probably wrap up the White House in a big garbage bag with everyone in it, then toss it into the landfill where all those people belong.

 

[TyrantII]

Richest country in the world in the middle of the second gilded age.

There no money for anything, sorry guys. Pay up.

 

[Foffy]

Rentier capitalism will make neoliberalism evermore toxic.

Keep doing this, fam.

Force the crash.

 

[BitStyle]

Trying their darnest to destroy our floundering education system

 

[KingV]

Maybe Obama should have found a better Republican than Ajit Pai.

 

[Setsuna]

W-why the fuck would you do this? What is the end goal?

 

[LegendofJoe]

Rentier capitalism will make neoliberalism evermore toxic.

Keep doing this, fam.

Force the crash.

Care to surmise about what will cause the crash? I've been thinking about that myself the last several days.

 

[louiedog]

Ya, I'm wondering this too. If it was crazy lower than market rates I can see why they want to end this. It's still a business.

Aren't broadband profit margins like 90%? It's not like there are schools and libraries on every block. I doubt they were actually losing money on them even if they were well below market rates.

 

[ArchedThunder]

Yeah, make things even harder for schools, seems like a great idea!
Fuckin dickheads.