Its not any specific rule or action at this time. It is the power to create such rules that is the problem. Right now everyone is paying lip-service to freedom of speech/content or focusing on this as a win for net neutrality over big corporations or whatever but they are missing the forest for the trees.
This is a huge power grab and most people are missing the implications. As the OP (that I replied to) pointed out such locus of power then become the focus of effort to control or influence that power. Look up "regulatory capture" on Wikipedia and see what happens in the long run under these types of regulatory environments (an executive agency implementing a broad legislative mandate/authority for some goal with virtually unlimited power to regulate). So those people who think this law is a victory to stop the "evil corporations" from controlling the internet will see that it actually plays into their hands.
More importantly, the locus of power does not just attract monied interests trying to cash-in on and influence that power for financial gain (or to minimize loss) but it attracts really bad people with bad motives that want to control people politically with a gun. (Don't forget that ultimately the power behind the FCC is the power to confiscate property, money or incarcerate at the point of a gun). This is a real threat to freedom of speech and ultimately ALL our freedoms. To concretize this, say you run a controversial blog and it pisses off a bunch of people. Now they petition the FCC to shut you down under the so-called "hate-speech" laws. There isn't a controversial subject that someone somewhere can't construe as hate speech so now the FCC becomes the de facto arbitor of allowable speech on the internet. People can claim innocent motives all they want and that this is not the meaning of the law but history and principles say otherwise.
Of course, this will all take years if not decades for the logical implications to play out -- and the anti-freedom factions will be denying the implications the whole way until its too late.
dmfdmf|11 years ago
This is a huge power grab and most people are missing the implications. As the OP (that I replied to) pointed out such locus of power then become the focus of effort to control or influence that power. Look up "regulatory capture" on Wikipedia and see what happens in the long run under these types of regulatory environments (an executive agency implementing a broad legislative mandate/authority for some goal with virtually unlimited power to regulate). So those people who think this law is a victory to stop the "evil corporations" from controlling the internet will see that it actually plays into their hands.
More importantly, the locus of power does not just attract monied interests trying to cash-in on and influence that power for financial gain (or to minimize loss) but it attracts really bad people with bad motives that want to control people politically with a gun. (Don't forget that ultimately the power behind the FCC is the power to confiscate property, money or incarcerate at the point of a gun). This is a real threat to freedom of speech and ultimately ALL our freedoms. To concretize this, say you run a controversial blog and it pisses off a bunch of people. Now they petition the FCC to shut you down under the so-called "hate-speech" laws. There isn't a controversial subject that someone somewhere can't construe as hate speech so now the FCC becomes the de facto arbitor of allowable speech on the internet. People can claim innocent motives all they want and that this is not the meaning of the law but history and principles say otherwise.
Of course, this will all take years if not decades for the logical implications to play out -- and the anti-freedom factions will be denying the implications the whole way until its too late.