Making the Internet more profitable for Republican business friends.

Meet the Republicans trying to sell the internet to the highest bidder (Click here to read more)

June 18, 2014 6:08 pm by: Marcos Da Silva Category:
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In May, 28 members of the House of Representatives lobbied the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to drop net neutrality, the idea that Internet service providers should treat all data that travels over their networks equally. The lawmakers proposed instead a system that would allow Internet service providers (ISPs) to provide better access to some websites willing to pay a higher premium, creating new ways  for ISPs to manipulate how internet users access websites and erecting new barriers to entry for small businesses.
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The FCC heard them loud and clear and also proposed allowing the creation of Internet fast lanes, but hope is not lost. Congressional Democrats have heroically come to the rescue, unveiling legislation yesterday that would force the FCC to ban Internet fast lanes.
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However, the bill may face strong opposition from those 28 lawmakers, who include House Speaker John Boehner, Majority Leader Eric Cantor, Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy and Republican Conference Chairman Cathy McMorris Rodgers of the House Leadership. They received more than 2.3 times the amount in campaign contributions from the cable and satellite TV production & distribution sector than the average for all members of the House of Representatives.
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The more one digs, the more digital dirt one finds: those Republicans who have signed the letters against net neutrality and the reclassification of the internet as a public utility have received, on average, $59,812 from the cable industry, 5 times more than the average for all members of the House, $11,651. Twenty-nine members of Congress own stock in Comcast, making Comcast the 25th most held stock among members of Congress.
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