309
votes
Has there ever been a documented instance of the problem that net neutrality purports to solve?
Yes, there was the case of Netflix and Comcast for example.
The events were basically these:
Comcast noticed that Netflix is responsible for a lot of traffic of their private internet customers.
...
- 74.7k
160
votes
Has there ever been a documented instance of the problem that net neutrality purports to solve?
Here's a comment that's been circulating on reddit discussing the answer to this question. I didn't write it, but I thought it had excellent information. It was originally posted (as far as I can tell)...
- 1,571
107
votes
Accepted
How could the free market limit the effects of net neutrality's repeal?
Almost all high-speed broadband Internet service providers, except in high-density urban populations, have limited competition, if not full monopolies. A small start-up would have to build out their ...
- 20.8k
82
votes
Has there ever been a documented instance of the problem that net neutrality purports to solve?
There have been a few examples, in part, these examples have pushed this more into the spotlight. It's often under the term 'traffic shaping' if you are interested, here is Sandvine, a company that ...
- 2,303
68
votes
Has there ever been a documented instance of the problem that net neutrality purports to solve?
You also can take a look at mobile internet products in Portugal:
Now assume you have the VIDEO pack because you watch Twitch a lot. If you now decide to get some streaming service, will it be ...
- 784
55
votes
What are the objectives of the TikTok ban?
TikTok doesn't take just your location data, it also takes your clipboard. Everything you copy/paste while TikTok is open, even if it's only open in the background, is sent to their servers. So ...
- 7,593
52
votes
Accepted
What are the implications of the EARN IT Act?
Background
The heart of the issue here is Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996.
Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act was not part of the original Senate legislation, but was ...
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51
votes
What are the implications of the EARN IT Act?
The proposed argument for this bill is that it will help to cut down on crimes, specifically sexual child abuse. Presently, end to end encryption provides a near impenetrable means for anyone (...
- 2,125
48
votes
How could the free market limit the effects of net neutrality's repeal?
The capitalist answer to this problem is that when there is a real desire for net-neutral internet providers, then the market will create them.
An internet provider could publicly commit to ...
- 74.7k
46
votes
What are the objectives of the TikTok ban?
An article in Wired took a look at this a few weeks ago. By and large, the experts agree with your assessment that TikTok in particular poses no special security risk and that a ban is not justified. ...
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37
votes
Has there ever been a documented instance of the problem that net neutrality purports to solve?
Comcast, in the face of cable cutting, is now applying usage caps on their data services, but continues to provide unlimited access to their video feeds. Comcast loses ~$38 in "contribution margin" ...
- 488
37
votes
How exactly could a TikTok ban be enforced?
Keep in mind that it isn't necessary to fully ban it. Impairing a global Internet social media firm's reach is in the horseshoes and hand grenades domain where a moderately close to the target and ...
- 73k
30
votes
Has there ever been a documented instance of the problem that net neutrality purports to solve?
As an example of something Net Neutrality rules have effectively blocked, Verizon lawyers admitted in court of law that given the opportunity, they probably would throttle or even completely block ...
- 3,936
25
votes
Accepted
Why is the European Parliament still pursuing copyright law despite its implementation issues?
The question should be: who is supporting this legislation through lobbying. And a bit searching finds a partial answer:
Some groups are opposed to the proposed Copyright Directive on the grounds it ...
- 144k
24
votes
Accepted
Can Russia be cut off from the internet?
It appears to be somewhat possible... at least from the inside. This capability been on Putin's to-do list for a while. He has last cut off Russia from the internet as a test half a year ago.
This &...
22
votes
What are the objectives of the TikTok ban?
I cannot offer objectives, because they are not publicly known. What I can list are benefits - possible motivations.
Serve as a distraction. The current administration has a history of using news to ...
- 13k
19
votes
What are the objectives of the TikTok ban?
I can't speak for the motives of the administration, but the idea that TikTok is a national security risk is plausible.
From location data alone, one can infer your political interests (do you go to ...
- 684
18
votes
How could the free market limit the effects of net neutrality's repeal?
By having a free market. If consumers didn't want plans that delivered some content with better QoS than others or that limited content, they could simply choose to purchase from providers that don't ...
- 8,240
18
votes
Accepted
Why must Title II be applied universally federally?
As long as Title II is on the books, they don't have a choice -it must be applied to all common carriers.
The text of Title II explicitly says this:
It shall be unlawful for any common carrier to ...
- 23.8k
15
votes
Has there ever been a documented instance of the problem that net neutrality purports to solve?
In 2005, Telus, a Canadian telecom, censored a union's website from its Internet subscribers when its workers went on strike. (While that wasn't an action to favour its business partners, it was ...
- 577
15
votes
What are the implications of the EARN IT Act?
NegativeFriction laid out the arguments for & against the act, so I'll focus on the implications.
Stewart Baker lays this out fairly well, but severely downplays the impact.
The main point is ...
- 36k
15
votes
Accepted
How exactly could a TikTok ban be enforced?
Have there been any discussions in Congress about how exactly the ban would be enforced?
To answer the Q narrowly, there are several legislative proposals and I haven't read of any of them myself, ...
- 144k
13
votes
Do "X% of people in US live in cable monopoly area" estimates include any other broadband ISP technologies?
From this Arstechnica article I went extracted this report that is cited and reported in the article itself. The report is from June 2017, so not particularly old.
Figure 2, reported also in the ...
- 6,737
12
votes
Has there ever been a documented instance of the problem that net neutrality purports to solve?
Another example would be AT&T's Sponsored Data program. Engadget talks about the fcc accusing them of Net Neutrality violations here. The list goes on and on you don't have to be a rocket ...
- 141
12
votes
Accepted
What powers does POTUS currently have to ban a web service in the USA by presidential order?
It's not clear that he has such powers.
The "emergency economic powers" derives from the IEEPA of 1977 which allow the president to act against an
unusual and extraordinary threat... to the ...
- 115k
12
votes
Has Google removed RT.com from web searches (in the EU)?
When you click on the link below those search results, then you are forwarded to the legal basis for removing them. It tells you that rt.com and sputniknews.com were removed per request from the ...
- 74.7k
11
votes
Can Russia be cut off from the internet?
From the body of the question it seems that the question is not merely "is it physically possible", but whether it's a good idea.
Even if it was technically possible, it's not advantageous ...
- 2,684
11
votes
What is the legal status of [A Declaration for the Future of the Internet]?
What is the legal status of this document?
It has no legal status.
Is it binding to the participatory countries as a matter of law?
No.
Can a court strike down a local law that runs contrary to ...
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Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible