Today the FCC made a historic move to protect net neutrality. By reclassifying ISPs under Title II of the Communications Act, the internet is now regulated like a utility.
“While some other countries try to control the internet, the action that we take today is an irrefutable reflection of the principle that no one, whether government or corporate, should control a free and open access to the internet,” said FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler during a packed meeting today in Washington DC.
In attendance at the meeting was Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, who called the FCC’s decision a “victory for the people.”
“To me, more than anything else, this is a victory for the people, the consumers, the average Joes, against the suppliers who have all of the power and the wealth and make decisions for them and they feel hopeless and helpless,” Wozniak told Bloomberg. “And here 4 million of us signed petitions. It’s an indication that the people can sometimes win. We’ve had a lot of defeats over the years, but once in a while we get a win.”
Tom Wheeler originally seemed opposed to net neutrality, but after Obama came out in support along with millions of petitioners, the FFC chairman completely changed directions. Today’s ruling also applies to mobile networks, which means companies like Verizon and AT&T can’t block certain apps or services on smartphones.
The FCC also has the power to investigate business agreements like the one between Comcast and Netflix. While there’s not a law (yet) to prohibit a company like Netflix or Apple from paying Comcast for faster speeds, ISPs are not allowed to throttle speeds based on any business arrangements.
We had to be there. (@ Federal Communications Commission (FCC) – @fccdotgov in Washington, DC) https://t.co/zrdLCk9tID
— Steve Wozniak (@stevewoz) February 26, 2015
Wozniak, as one of the tech industry’s most famous early entrepreneurs, thinks that today’s ruling is especially important for the smaller startups that don’t have the funds to pay ISPs. But he still wants there to be a day when the internet is “declared a necessity and brought to everyone.”
“There’s no big ISP that is going to bring broadband to my house,” Wozniak said, who often checks into his home in Los Gatos on Foursquare. “I live a short little Segway ride down a hill. When I go into town, I take a Segway down, not even a car, I am that close. And I don’t have broadband and I’m Silicon Valley and I don’t have broadband because I have no choice.”
Alex Heath is a journalist who works for Tech Insider. He’s the former co-host of The CultCast. He has been quoted by the likes of the BBC, KRON 4 News, and books like “ICONIC: A Photographic Tribute to Apple Innovation.” He lives in Lexington, Kentucky. If you want to pitch a story, share a tip, or just get in touch, additional contact information is available on his personal site. Follow him on Twitter.
31 responses to “Steve Wozniak declares FCC’s net neutrality ruling a ‘victory for the people’”
I’m not so optimistic about getting the government involved in “regulating” the Internet. This bill has been presented as being a win for the people, but I have serious doubts. Legislators have been trying to introduce taxes for all Internet purchases for years, but have been blocked. Now that the Internet is regulated like a utility, this will happen. I also expect that the government will try to introduce laws where just using the Internet will be become taxable. Each time the government steps into an area, new laws, limitations, restrictions and taxes ALWAYS follow. I predict that this is not the utopian bill it is presented to be, and that it is the entrance point the government has been looking for to gain control over user access, user information and increased income via new taxation. The result will be increased scrutiny by government agencies and a reduction of privacy.
Well if the ISP’s would have shown they could act responsibly this probably would not have happened. It wasn’t until they started their extortion racket that it became an issue.
Its hard for me to believe this is a blow to the big ISP’s and that it wasn’t their intention all along. I’m sure their plan B is going to be just as profitable for them in the long run.
I imagine metered internet is in our future, the more you use the more you pay. Since everyone is streaming content now the Media company ISP’s like COX will regain all those lost cord cutter revenue.
How long before we have someone appointed to be Czar of the Internet? How long before web sites that present opposing views to the government’s position on global warming or the war on terror or other government policies are declared illegal?
I have two answers to the “problem” with ISP’s promoting their content over others or making deals to favor traffic from one content provider over another: 1) make it illegal to have a company provide infrastructure and content services, 2) increase competition.
Woz lives in Oz not the USA right? There will be lawsuits from what I have read. Some are saying freedom of speech will be under attack….even more.
In a word: NO.
The Woz has said many thing in the past that suggests he has no idea on the minutia of things political. For one thing, the internet does not belong to anyone let alone Obama. The internet has been totally developed by private money and subscribers. To say the Government owns the internet is like me saying I own Ford because I drive a Ford.
I tend to agree with you here, but you’re wrong when you say “The internet has been totally developed by private money and subscribers. Actually the US Military and Pentagon put lots of money into developing the internet in it’s very early days.
that was true 50 years ago when college professors used it to communicate, but not today. The Military uses an entirely different system pretty much using satellite based systems.
No the Internet does not belong to any one, but ISP’s should, and will be over seen. They should not be able to have these huge Monopolies, and free rain to segregate the internet. The consumers gave them there wealth, and the consumer has the right to demand this.
Hahahaha You don’t get it yet do you ? The only thing that will change is what you pay for access and that will be more ! Got it ! “The consumers gave them there wealth” Did you really write that ! You idiot that applies to every business on earth that sells anything.
Yeah, I do get it. Companies like these ISP’s will charge high fees, and competition will scare the Sh!# out of them. And there will be a real watch dog making sure these scared ISP’s don’t try to sell the web to consumers in piece meal.
And yes that does apply to every business that sells any thing. Its why the FCC exists.
The FCC voted and approved a document in excess of 300 pages … that was never presented for public debate … how do we, or Woz, even know what they approved?
Based on past history, name one program the government has authority over they haven’t screwed up. That hasn’t created more deficit spending. Hasn’t ended up costing citizens more in the end. I recall a couple of decades back when Congress deregulated cable … said it would save me money. My bill quadrupled in less than two years … and I was getting fewer channels.
When it comes to someone looking out for “regular joes” … I don’t have any more faith in a government bureaucracy than I do a big ISP. Especially when the government excels as much as big business at reaching into our pockets so they can line theirs.
While in theory, Net Neutrality may be a great concept … the FCC is not a knight in shining armor.
Though at least the Woz will now have broadband … the FCC will see to that … but how much will it cost we “regular joes” for him to receive it.
These things are too complicated for you regular Joe’s to understand, the King has this all under control. No need to panic, move along.
They approved higher rates for the end user ! That’s it, end of story.
The internet will be handled like TelCo’s now, I wonder why there is only one phone company servicing the area where I live…oh hear, Government supported monopolies. Hello USSR.
Next they’ll announce Pravda as the official Federal Newspaper
Gee, the billionaire entrepreneur can’t figure out how to get cable to his mansion.
We now know who wasn’t the brains behind Apple’s success….
And who is really for “the people,mthen consumers, the average Joes….”
M’kay…
That’s the whole Point! When Monopolies control the Internet, even a frekin Billionaire cant get cable where he wants. LOL, and that’s a shame.
There is no Government Monopoly when the people have a say (the voting system). Citizens cant vote for the next president of an ISP, but they can vote for the next president of a Government. OR Government Monopoly as you say.
You are confusing elected officials with appointed bureaucrats. The “voting system” really has little to no influence on the latter.
Presidents can not dictate (though some may try) to commissions like the FCC, they are independent of the White House and Congress … they are appointed (as in unelected) bureaucrats that work at their own volition … with no influence from the voting public. Did you get to read the over 300 page document the FCC approved yesterday … if so, you are one of the very few in the nation that did because it was never released for public view before the vote took place. So how did voters have any input on what will be handed down?
I have yet to meet one bureaucrat that didn’t also believe that the government should have more control as they also believe the citizenry is too stupid to think for themselves.
While you may feel the evil ISP’s are to blame of all your ills … you just traded one evil for another … the latter will now encumber your use of the internet, begin restricting content and reach into your pocket even deeper than you thought possible.
It’s inevitable … because that is what bureaucrats believe is their purpose.
Who are they appointed by? If we can vote the person in office who makes the appointments, isn’t that the same as the people having a say in who gets appointed? Wheeler was appointed by Obama. Wheeler was a Comcast lobbyist, but even he had to conform to the will of the people and the man who appointed him.
Who do companies answer to? share holders. Corporations are amoral, their interests are in profit only, the will of the rest of the people are ignored for the sake of making more money. Do you really want an amoral company with one goal in mind in charge of the internet?
A government ran by the people we!…We! Vote in place. So, No. Not a monopoly. If you don’t like it than vote for another President who will appoint the kind of FCC Chairman that you want. This is the choice you have with a Government that you don’t have ISP’s having free rain to do and control what they want.
OK….. Once again. NO…. I did not elect the people in-charge of the FCC. I elected the president of the of the United States of America, Barack Obama. The President that I elected, will now make decisions based on my best interest. This President then appoints a commissioner (the Head of The FCC- in charge) who has to be voted on by the US Senate (again a Senate that we Vote in Place). And this APPOINTED chairman will then also make decisions based on my best interest. If I am not satisfied with that commissioner, it will surly be a hot topic for that Presidents RE Election.
We don’t have a say on allot of bills. That’s why we VOTE the people in office that will create these bills, and speak on our behalf. A Democracy! So cut the BULLS#!%.
OMG — a 98 percenter sticking up for a one percenter. Comrade, off to the reeducation camps — now!!
But seriously, my point was he has plenty of money and smarts to figure out how to get it done and the money to get it done. But like a typical rich guy, he doesn’t want do spend his own money.
What!
Witch Doctor says the “whole point” is that this “frekin billionaire” liberal doesn’t have enough common sense to get in out of the rain. Billionaire conservatives that want internet access will get internet access…
Bones never lie.
What a farce! As if Obama’s government is really going to do anything that will hurt one of it’s biggest supports and voices…. Comcast who owns NBC and MSNBC who is virtually the mouthpiece for the government. In the end this law will ultimately secure a monopoly for Comcast by making it impossible for others to compete. Great!
The ignorance about what happened at the FCC is embarrassing. The FCC is not Congress, they don’t pass “bills” and they have absolutely no authority to take over the internet. The federal bureaucracy fucks up everything it touches or has touched, yet people want to allow it to regulate the internet.
The Woz has lost his marbles. LOL He just talks in the mic and the lemmings respond. Hey Woz, numbnuts the gov. just f*$ked the consumer over big time. Now we get half of what we had and pay 3x more.
Witch Doctor says this “catastrophe in waiting” will be worse than the obama failed billion dollar bailout, the obama failed middle eastern policies, and the failed obamacare.
Bones never lie.
I disagree with Steve Wozniak on this one. While yes, it would be nice for rural, or out of the way areas to have all the Broadband choices that other, more-populated places do, the true issue at hand is allowing the FCC (essentially the United States Government), in having their grubby-bloated hands on yet another controlling aspect of our lives. The way Obama/FCC has spun this, the Internet is an out of control monopoly of corporate thugs that need to be reigned in and regulated. This is not the case whatsoever. The Internet has done just fine on its own with every-increasing competition and no regulation. As the article states, as long as their is competition, why would having heavy-handed laws and regulation, in any way, help the Internet? Look at each and every Federal Agency and ask yourself this question: How efficient are they? Now take a look at the Internet and how far we have come with this great technology in such a short amount of time. It is only going to get better as markets grow, and new demands create more and more needs, thus bringing in more competition. It’s called Free Enterprise. And our Federal Government does NOT have a good track record in this area….