Net Neutrality Realism vs. Obamanet

L2, Obamanet

Quotes from dissenting opinions on the Federal Communication Commission “Open Internet Order” FCC-15-24 (the Obamanet order).

Commissioner Ajit Pai (now FCC Chairman):

“Americans love the free and open Internet.  We relish our freedom to speak, to post, to rally, to learn, to listen, to watch, and to connect online.  The Internet has become a powerful force for freedom, both at home and abroad.  So it is sad to witness the FCC’s unprecedented attempt to replace that freedom with government control.

It shouldn’t be this way.  For twenty years, there’s been a bipartisan consensus in favor of a free and open Internet.  A Republican Congress and a Democratic President enshrined in the Telecommunications Act of 1996 the principle that the Internet should be a ‘vibrant and competitive free market . . . unfettered by Federal or State regulation.’ And dating back to the Clinton Administration, every FCC Chairman—Republican and Democrat—has let the internet grow free from utility-style regulation.”

“But today, the FCC abandons those policies.  …  It seizes unilateral authority to regulate Internet conduct … . So why is the FCC changing course?  Why is the FCC turning its back on Internet freedom?  …  We are flip-flopping for one reason and one reason alone.  President Obama told us to do so.”

“The Commission’s decision to adopt President Obama’s plan marks a monumental shift toward government control of the Internet.  It gives the FCC the power to micromanage virtually every aspect of how the Internet works.”  Continue reading Net Neutrality Realism vs. Obamanet →

The NY Times’ Scientific Ignorance is on Display

fake news media, L2, obscurantism,

The New York Times has exhibited its scientific ignorance again.  This time, it republished a tweet from DPRK News Service accusing the American military of “near total ignorance of ballistic science.”  Fortunately, DPRK News Service is a parody Twitter account, so this case received some publicity.

This case is not just funny.  It demonstrates that the New York Times cannot distinguish a fake news service from a real one.  Not surprisingly, it regularly publishes fake news.  This case also shows the scientific illiteracy and obscurantism of the formerly mainstream media and its readiness to repeat any claims about science, as long as they fulfill their ideological needs.  Their claims of the Trump administration’s “ignorance of climate science” are similarly based on a hoax (fraud, to be accurate).

Self-Excitation Mechanisms in Leftist Echo Chamber

dems, L2,

A new article The Leftist Echo Chamber in the Digital Age is published on this site.  It is about the social dynamics inside of the liberal public sphere that have let it slide so low and so far to the left.

It is hard to dispute that today’s political polarization is unprecedented since the Civil War. I think it has been caused by three tightly linked developments: a) the radical Left takeover of the liberal establishment and Democratic party; b) the radicalized lib/Dem establishment takeover of the media, academia, government, nonprofit sector, and most academic institutions; and c) foreign interference aiding and egging on the lib/Dem establishment.  Continue reading >