#ustelecom

[dragoni]

Gov. Jerry Brown on Sunday restored net neutrality rules in California that were repealed under the Trump administration, setting up a legal battle with the federal government over whether states can prevent companies from blocking access to the internet.

California cares about it’s citizens. Trump cares about Republican Donors and Lobbyist #GOPSwamp 💰

Sessions and Republicans, when did you stop believing in States' Rights?

News that the governor signed the ambitious new law was swiftly met with an aggressive response from Justice Department officials, who announced soon afterward that they were suing California to block the regulations. 

The state law prohibits broadband and wireless companies from blocking, throttling or otherwise hindering access to internet content, and from favoring some websites over others by charging for faster speeds.

California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra

"While the Trump Administration continues to ignore the millions of Americans who voiced strong support for net neutrality rules, California — home to countless start-ups, tech giants and nearly 40 million consumers — will not allow a handful of power brokers to dictate sources for information or the speed at which websites load,” 

Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco)

“We’ve been down this road before: when [President] Trump and Sessions sued California and claimed we lacked the power to protect immigrants,” 

“California fought Trump and Sessions on their immigration lawsuit. California won — and California will fight this lawsuit as well.”

Why doesn’t your state have net neutrality regulations?

Experts have said the new law would impose the toughest net neutrality regulations in the country by reinstating the rolled-back federal regulations at the state level. It tasks the state attorney general with evaluating potential evasion of the net neutrality rules.

It also adds new restrictions on some zero-rated data plans, package deals that allow companies such as Verizon or Comcast to exempt some calls, texts or other content from counting against a customer’s data plan. Those limits prohibit plans that exempt content from some companies but not the same type of content from others — video streamed on YouTube but not Hulu, for example.

Jeff Sessions’ HYPOCRISY #RussiaGate #Kavanaugh

“Under the Constitution, states do not regulate interstate commerce — the federal government does,” Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions

Cali, vote out Republicans who voted to Kill Net Neutrality  #PutinRepublicans

Devin Nunes

Duncan Hunter

Kevin McCarthy

Jeff Denham 

Mimi Walters

Doug LaMalfa

Paul Cook 

Steve Knight

Ed Royce 

Ken Calvert

David Valadao 

[porschejohnson]

AT&T/Verizon lobbyists to “aggressively” sue states that enact net neutrality

ISPs will sue to block net neutrality laws until they get one they like.

March 28, 2018-- AT&T, Verizon and other companies are planning to sue any states that are trying to enforce their own net neutrality laws. This comes in response to states such as Washington state, California, and New Jersey who have introduced--or passed in Washington state’s case--legislation that would require ISPs to uphold net neutrality. USTelecom, a lobby group that represents companies like AT&T have come to the telecommunication companies’ aid to push back. Essentially, USTelecom feels that there should be no need for each state to have their own net neutrality rules stating that “protections should be no different for consumers in Minnesota or Iowa than they are in California or Florida.” They are arguing for one net neutrality law to end this whole debate. As of now, there are no lawsuits nor has Congress come together to make a final vote as to what to do with net neutrality. However, April 23rd is swiftly approaching and I wonder if after April 23rd, it’ll be the last anyone talks about net neutrality.

[dragoni]

The Net Neutrality Repeal Is Official. Here’s How That Could Affect You.

Net Neutrality rules that required internet service providers to offer equal access to all web content are no longer in effect as of Monday.

June 11, 2018 is “a date which WILL live in infamy”!  

What’s up next? Selling your browser history and personal data #PWNED

This is why voting matters. RESIST. Register to VOTE. VOTE. Repeal and Replace Republicans in 2018 and 2020. #VoteDemocrat

The rules that were repealed

BLOCKING Internet service providers could not discriminate against any lawful content by blocking websites or apps. #InternetCensorship  #FreeSpeech

THROTTLING Service providers could not slow the transmission of data because of the nature of the content, as long as it was legal. #PayToPlay

PAID PRIORITIZATION Service providers could not create an internet fast lane for companies and consumers who paid premiums, and a slow lane for those who didn’t. #FastLanes

Net Neutrality was based on “hypothetical harms and hysterical prophecies of doom.”,  Ajit Pai, F.C.C. chairman

If it’s only “hypothetical” what could go wrong?

FACT: FCC chairman, Ajit Pai created a promotional video to Kill Net Neutrality with The Daily Caller. The woman smoking is Martina Markota, a producer who pushed the Hillary 'Pizzagate' conspiracy created by White Supremacists!

Will Pai follow up with Harlem Shake 2, the Death of Net Neutrality? Will AT&T, Verizon, Comcast, Sprint and other members of the USTelecom lobby appear in the video?  #PWNED

[dragoni]

FCC Emails Show Agency Spread Lies to Bolster Dubious DDoS Attack Claims

As it wrestled with accusations about a fake cyberattack last spring, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) purposely misled several news organizations, choosing to feed journalists false information, while at the same time discouraging them from challenging the agency’s official story.

Another blatant example of Republicans putting the interest of lobbyists and companies before the public good.

Will the FBI and Justice Department under Jeff Sessions prosecute the conspirators based on the email evidence? #RuleOfLaw #LawAndOrder

Americans, how outraged are you that Republicans LIED so they could KILL Net Neutrality?

Here are the conspirators:

Ajit Pai, FCC Commissioner

David Bray, FCC’s chief information officer from 2013 until June 2017. He was the anonymous source behind reports that the FCC had been “hacked” in 2014

Mark Wigfield, the FCC’s deputy director of media relations

Michael Krigsman, columnist for ZDNet

Internal emails reviewed by Gizmodo lay bare the agency’s efforts to counter rife speculation that senior officials manufactured a cyberattack, allegedly to explain away technical problems plaguing the FCC’s comment system amid its high-profile collection of public comments on a controversial and since-passed proposal to overturn federal net neutrality rules.

“the agency conducted a quiet campaign to bolster its cyberattack story with the aid of friendly and easily duped reporters, chiefly by spreading word of an earlier cyberattack that its own security staff say never happened.”

The FCC’s system was overwhelmed on the night of May 7, 2017, after comedian John Oliver, host of HBO’s Last Week Tonight, directed his audience to flood the agency with comments supporting net neutrality. In the immediate aftermath, the agency claimed the comment system had been deliberately impaired due to a series of distributed denial-of-service attacks (DDoS). Net neutrality supporters, however, accused the agency of fabricating the attack to absolve itself from failing to keep the system online.

“The security team was in agreement that this event was not an attack,” a former FCC security contractor told Gizmodo of the 2014 outage. “The security team produced no report suggesting it was an attack. The security team could not identify any records or evidence to indicate this type of attack occurred as described by Bray.” The contractor’s statements were supported by Sohn and confirmed by two other sources with knowledge of the matter who asked not to be named or quoted.

“I have seen no evidence of a DDoS attack on the FCC comment system,” FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel told Gizmodo. “But I did see millions of Americans write in to the FCC to stop its misguided effort to roll back net neutrality. It’s time for the agency to own up to what really happened.”

In several emails, the FCC encouraged journalists to compare the 2017 incident to a DDoS attack on the Pokémon Go mobile game a year before. Michael Krigsman, a columnist for ZDNet, took the bait, despite the FCC continuing to withholding any proof an attack occurred. Krigsman wrote, unqualifiedly: “It’s similar to the distributed denial of service attack on Pokemon Go in July 2016.”

Learn More:

Read the full collection of FCC emails.

“Alternative Facts:” FCC E-Mails Reveal Agency Lied About Denial-of-Service Attack,  Stop the Cap!

FCC Now Says There Is No Documented 'Analysis' of the Cyberattack It Claims Crippled Its Website in May, Gizmodo

FCC Commissioner Says Her Agency Is Now Just A Giant Rubber Stamp For Sinclair Broadcasting, TechDirt

Reporter manhandled by FCC guards because he asked FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly a question, The National Press Club

[dragoni]

All the Different Ways You Can Lobby to Save Net Neutrality

We may be living through the last few weeks of a free and open internet in the United States. On December 14, the The Federal Communications Commission is set to vote on a new order that will dismantle Net Neutrality, and due to a 3-2 Republican majority at the government agency, it’s expected to easily pass.

HELP Save Net Neutrality. The FCC works for We The People.

#NoCensorship

#NoThrottling

#NoPayToPlay

#NoFastLanes

#NoMonopolies

Resist #USTelecom

#ResistPai

#ResistTrump

Email the FCC Leadership Directly

You can email all five leaders of the FCC to express your support for Net Neutrality. Here are the email addresses you need to know—the Republicans are the ones who want to dismantle Net Neutrality.

Ajit Pai, Chairman (Republican) - [email protected]

Mignon Clyburn, Commissioner (Democract) - [email protected]

Michael O’Rielly, Commissioner (Republican) - Mike.O’[email protected]

Brendan Carr, Commissioner (Republican) - [email protected]

Jessica Rosenworcel, Commissioner (Democrat) - [email protected]

Contact Your Representatives In Congress

Battle for the Net has a tool at the top of its website to help you send a pre-written email to your representatives, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation has one as well. Additionally, California Senator Kamala Harris has a petition on her website where you can express your support for Net Neutrality.

If you’d rather call your representative directly you can find your senator’s number here and your House of Representative member’s number here.

Go to a Rally

You can find a list of locations here or create your own at this link. Battle For the Net is also planning drop-in events at a few politicians’ offices, which you can find here.

Help Spread the Word

If you run a website, Battle for the Net has a handy widget you can use.

If not, the site also has banners and images you can share on social media and other platforms.

[dragoni]

FCC’s Broken Comments System Could Help Doom Net Neutrality

How spambots, fake names, and 2,000 "John Olivers" wreaked havoc on the net neutrality debate

“If you remove the seemingly fake comments and petitions without actual signatures, 98 percent of comments were pro-neutrality”

— Amy Spitalnick, Press Secretary for New York State Attorney General, Eric Schneiderman

The known facts about the #FCC #FakeComments #RussiaInterference  

The FCC collected 21.9 million comments regard Net Neutrality

AT&T, the communications conglomerate, claimed that “most” of the 21.8 million comments sent to the FCC “appear to us to be fraudulent.”

Many of the comments are duplicates or come from suspicious sources

More Than 80% Of All Net Neutrality Comments Were Sent By Bots

One pro-repeal spam campaign used mail-merge to disguise 1.3 million comments as unique grassroots submissions.

“nearly 450,000 comments were filed using Russian addresses.” #RussiaCollusion #FakeAmericans #VoterFraud

Russian bots target FCC in attempt to get net neutrality repealed #RussianHackers #RussiaCollusion #ItsMuellerTime

Some consumers have complained in letters to the FCC that their own names or addresses have been hijacked and used to submit false comments to the FCC that they did not support. 

Only 3,863,929 comments were "unique"

“the FCC has been unwilling to assist my office in our efforts to investigate this unlawful activity.”, Eric Schneiderman

“We The People” MUST #SaveNetNeutrality 

“#NetNeutrality is NOT DEAD YET. Congress has stopped FCC votes before. Do NOT give up!”

CALL your lawmakers: http://battleforthenet.com

PROTEST at Verizon stores on Dec 7: http://VerizonProtests.com

#ResistTrump #ResistAjitPai #ResistGOP Resist #TelecomMonopoly

[dragoni]

Opinion | Tim Wu: Why the Courts Will Have to Save Net Neutrality

The F.C.C. has overplayed its legal hand.

76% of Americans support Net Neutrality yet Ajit Pai, Republicans and the #TelecomMonopoly persist

Allowing such censorship is anathema to the internet’s (and America’s) founding spirit. And by going this far, the F.C.C. may also have overplayed its legal hand. So drastic is the reversal of policy (if, as expected, the commission approves Mr. Pai’s proposal next month), and so weak is the evidence to support the change, that it seems destined to be struck down in court.

The problem for Mr. Pai is that government agencies are not free to abruptly reverse longstanding rules on which many have relied without a good reason, such as a change in factual circumstances. A mere change in F.C.C. ideology isn’t enough. As the Supreme Court has said, a federal agency must “examine the relevant data and articulate a satisfactory explanation for its action.” Given that net neutrality rules have been a huge success by most measures, the justification for killing them would have to be very strong.

There is a long history of anticompetitive throttling and blocking — often concealed — that the F.C.C. has had to stop to preserve the health of the internet economy. Examples include: 

AT&T’s efforts to keep Skype off iPhones

the blocking of Google Wallet by Verizon.

Services like Skype and Netflix would have met an early death without basic net neutrality protections. 

[dragoni]

Major websites like Tumblr, Medium, Etsy, and Vimeo are joining Feb 27 day of action to block the…

The FCC voted to kill net neutrality, allowing Internet providers like Verizon, Comcast, and AT&T to impose new fees, throttle online content, and block apps and websites.

“The movement is growing and we are fighting to win. Join us for Operation: #OneMoreVote on February 27 and lets flood the Senate to save net neutrality!”

The Resistance is REAL! Take Action! No Corporatocracy

But Congress can still block the repeal of these protections using the Congressional Review Act (CRA), and we’re just one vote away from winning in the Senate. And one vote away from giving Ajit Pai the worst day of his corrupt political career.

So on February 27 major websites, online communities, and Internet users are planning Operation: #OneMoreVote, an Internet-wide day of action laser-focused on finding the final vote we need to pass the CRA resolution in the Senate and take the fight to the House.

Planning for the day of action just started, but already popular companies like Tumblr, Etsy, Vimeo, Medium, Namecheap, Imgur, Sonos, and DuckDuckGo have announced their participation. 

The day of action is being called for by the groups behind BattleForTheNet.com: Fight for the Future, Demand Progress, and Free Press Action Fund, who have been responsible for many of the largest online protests in history, from SOPA to the Internet Slowdown.

Internet users will be encouraged to sound the alarm on social media and sign up to receive alerts with their lawmaker’s position on net neutrality and prompts to take action on the big day, while websites, subreddits, and online communities will display prominent alerts driving phone calls, emails, and tweets to Senators and Representatives calling on them to pass the CRA.

50 Senators have already come out in support of the CRA, which would completely overturn the FCC’s December 14 decision and restore net neutrality protections. 

Several Senators have indicated that they are considering becoming the 51st vote we need to win, but they’re under huge pressure from telecom lobbyists. Only a massive burst of energy from the Internet will get them to move.