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A comment on FCC must reveal IP addresses and user-agent headers of net neutrality commenters. Parent comment

Re:FCC must reveal IP addresses and user-agent headers of ne... by pdonis on Monday May 04, 2020 @11:55PM (#23076323)
> A lot of people do want that because they view prohibiting it as a government take over of the internet. I personally think that is absurd, but it's a very popular opinion.

Can you point to some places where this opinion is expressed? I've never encountered it.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:FCC must reveal IP addresses and user-agent headers of ne... by root_axis on Tuesday May 05, 2020 @12:55AM (#23076656)
> Can you point to some places where this opinion is expressed? I've never encountered it.

HN for starters.

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9107915

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14347013

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9114134

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20166118

And many more examples if you search.

But not just here, I've seen this opinion represented pretty much anywhere I see net neutrality discussed. Anecdotally, it's nowhere near a majority opinion, but it's definitely not an uncommon one.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:FCC must reveal IP addresses and user-agent headers of ne... by pdonis on Tuesday May 05, 2020 @11:53AM (#23081371)
I don't see anyone in the links you provided saying they want ISPs to decide what sites they can visit or not. I only see them saying that they believe government regulation of the Internet in the name of net neutrality would be worse than having to bargain with ISPs about access to content as private entities bargaining with other private entities.

I happen to think they are wrong as a matter of tactics in this particular case: governments gave ISPs the special privileges they have now, and if we can't get governments to just withdraw those privileges altogether and force ISPs to compete on a level playing field, net neutrality regulation might be the "least worst" alternative we can actually achieve.

But as far as being skeptical of government regulation in general, and government regulation of any form of mass communication in particular, as a longer term strategic position I think they are right. Net neutrality regulation, even if we could get it, would not allow us to just sit back and relax, problem solved. We would still have to be prepared to protest the next time the government tries to overreach, and the next, and the next, and the next...

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:FCC must reveal IP addresses and user-agent headers of ne... by root_axis on Tuesday May 05, 2020 @01:38PM (#23082607)
> I don't see anyone in the links you provided saying they want ISPs to decide what sites they can visit or not. I only see them saying that they believe government regulation of the Internet in the name of net neutrality would be worse than having to bargain with ISPs about access to content as private entities bargaining with other private entities.

A distinction without a practical difference. They do want ISPs to decide what sites they can and cannot visit because that is the defacto state of affairs in a world without net neutrality, it is only that they are satisfied with the decisions the ISPs have made thus far.

[ Parent | on HN ]