Thread by @SayethSimon

Thread | Net Neutrality is likely to be repealed today, and it will change not just our internet but the progressive technology culture that the United States has long been a leader of. Here's what it means for you: 1/ battleforthenet.com #NetNeutrality

Large telecom companies are behind the push to repeal this because they can make more money off of the cable or dish connected to your house. These are companies that have LONG been bad faith actors in the space, most notably going back to the 1996 Telecommunications Act. 2/

Under the provisions of the Telecommunications Act, cable providers were given enormous tax incentives to do something good for Americans: Build fiber optic infrastructure in a "reasonable and timely fashion."

Spoiler: They didn't.

More info: huffingtonpost.com/entry/59c9ef3f…
3/

Instead, using some creative legal reading of section 706 of the Telecommunications Act, cable companies figured out how to squeeze more bandwidth out of copper lines and existing infrastructure instead of investing in new fiber lines.

Part 2: huffingtonpost.com/entry/part-ii-…
4/

Basically, cable and comms companies, in doing this, showed that their word is useless when their bottom line is at stake. Net Neutrality promises will meet a similar end with no regulatory requirement for it.

@comcast & @verizon will find ways to charge you more for less. 5/

.@AjitPaiFCC is a former shill for @Verizon, and actually joked about that at a December 7th dinner with his old pals over at Verizon. It is just one more sign of creeping and deep corruption at heart of our government. latimes.com/business/hiltz… 6/

The farcical argument against deregulation is that regulations slow companies down and cost you money, and it's one companies like @Verizon have been pushing for years.

They do slow one thing down: Steamrolling consumers and workers. 7/

But one of the largest impacts will be on innovation and the progressive technology culture the United States has been since the internet was invented. With removal of #NetNeutrality, we establish cable companies as the arbiters of the success of web based businesses. 8/

Companies like @nest, @netflix, @google, @facebook and even dear old @Twitter may very well be killed in the cradle of their initial growth by a requirement to compete with established, wealthy companies for internet speeds and access. 9/

Removal of #NetNeutrality means those startup businesses will be less likely to flourish and improve your lives by disrupting the industries established companies have a vested interest in.

This is GREAT for Comcast, because they don't have to innovate to win. 10/

Innovating is expensive. Corruption is cheap. That's why Taxi commissions worked for years to undermine @Uber with local lawmakers by arguing their inferior service needed to be protected, and some won that protection but lost in the long haul. Comcast will too.

11/

Corporations like these are often too short sighted, i.e. focused on the fiscal quarter, to see the damage this will do for their business long term.

For instance, as a @comcast customer I will readily pay hundreds to leave my contract for @googlefiber because of trust. 12/

Neutrality and violations of it will fundamentally undermine the value of internet products from these companies, but they are hoping you aren't motivated enough by it to leave them. They're also confident they can shut down their competition.

But you make that choice. 13/

So today, the fight is to win, but in the weeks and months to come to bring such hell fire and damnation down on the companies working to undermine our modern way of life that they not dare infringe.

And we elect democrats in 2018 and 2020.

Voting matters. #NetNeutrality /end