Why I am AGAINST Net Neutrality | Hacker News Reader

Why I am AGAINST Net Neutrality

simpleprogrammer.com

4 pointsjsonmez9 comments

TL;DR direct quote: "I didn’t bust my ass working extra hours, saving money and living frugally so I could create cheap housing for the poor, I did it to make money. Now, that doesn’t mean I’m a heartless bastard—I give away 10 percent of my income to charity—but, no one should be able to force me to do it. If internet providers want to be dicks, so be it—it’s their right."

I'm having a difficult time seeing how this part of the post relates to ISP regulations. Just because you worked hard to get to where you are today doesn't mean that you are excused from certain obligations. What if you decided that under certain market conditions, not fixing broken roofs or heating systems in your properties would be more profitable? I'm sure everyone can agree that allowing property owners to be "dicks" in this case would be a terrible idea.

Overall my biggest issue with your post is the framing around personal freedom. What we really need to talk about is obligations. As a Comcast customer (not by choice) I get billed for a certain level of service. The problem is that I rarely get what I'm getting charged for.

Internet service providers are in a unique position of providing a service that many people are beginning to regard as a basic human right. We give them the right to build and maintain networks in our communities - they have a responsibility to us too.

No they don't. You can create your own ISP if you don't like it. And internet is not a basic human right.

Prediction: As with most everything people want to give away, the ridiculous "internet is a right" argument is about to blow up. It's the quickest path to deride those who disagree with you and elicit guilt, no matter whether it makes sense. It's been misused for many, many things already; no reason for them to stop now.

Actually, you can't create your own ISP. In most US cities, the phone corporation and cable corporation are given a monopoly/duopoly over the "last mile" to your home. It's illegal for someone else to lay down cables and start a competing ISP business.

That's the real problem with network neutrality. If the big ISPs want to stop supporting network neutrality, saying "we own the cables", then the law that gives them a monopoly should also be repealed.

The "free market" can't handle the problem when the government gives someone an explicit monopoly. If the ISPs were a legitimate free market business, it would be fine.

Did the taxpayers pay for all of the ISPs equipment and all of their expenses (not just some, all)?

Yes.

Every single taxpayer has been paying double for their internet access. One time through the government, a second time through their ISP.

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