>>THE FCC HAS UNVEILED ITS PLANS AND EFFORTS TO SCALE BACK NET
NEUTRALITY, IN FACT THEY ARE COMPLETELY GETTING RID OF THE
2015 REGULATIONS THAT WOULD ESSENTIALLY FORCE INTERNET
SERVICE PROVIDERS TO TREAT EVERY WEBSITE EQUALLY.
AND AS A RESULT
THESE INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS ARE NOW FREE TO EXPERIMENT WITH
INTERNET SPEEDS ON VARIOUS WEBSITES AS THEY PLEASE.
THERE
IS ANOTHER COMPONENT TO THIS THAT IS RELEVANT, AND IT IS THE
EFFORT TO BLOCK INDIVIDUAL STATES FROM REGULATING THE
INTERNET --
>>IF YOU'RE WONDERING HOW THIS WOULD WORK IN PRACTICE, IT'S
ACTUALLY PRETTY SIMPLE --
>>THIS ENTIRE CASE IS LIKELY TO GO TO THE COURTS.
THE FCC'S
DECISION WILL BE CHALLENGED, I HOPE AGGRESSIVELY, BUT WHAT PAI
IS DOING RIGHT NOW IS A DISASTER IF YOU BELIEVE IN A FREE
AND OPEN INTERNET.
>>LET'S DIVE IN HERE.
FIRST, THE FACT THAT PAI BECAUSE IT
RESTORING INTERNET FREEDOM IS GROTESQUE.
IT'S ORWELLIAN.
WHAT
HE IS SAYING IS OBAMA PUT IN PLACE REGULATIONS -- SO SCARY.
WAIT, WHAT DOES THE REGULATION DO?
HE SAYS IT MICROMANAGES THE
INTERNET.
REALLY?
WE ARE ALL ON THE INTERNET, HAS IT BEEN
MICROMANAGED?
NO.
WHAT THE REGULATION DID WAS SET A
GOVERNMENT RULE THAT SAID THE CORPORATIONS THAT CONTROL THE
PIPES INTO YOUR HOMES CANNOT REGULATE THE INTERNET.
THEY
CANNOT CHOOSE WINNERS AND LOSERS, SLOW DOWN OR SPEED UP
DIFFERENT WEBSITES BASED ON THEIR CORPORATE INTERESTS.
IT
SAID THE INTERNET MUST BE FREE AND EQUAL TO EVERYONE, IT
DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOUR POLITICAL POSITIONS ARE.
SO HE'S
PURPOSELY LYING ABOUT IT IN ORDER TO SERVE THE PEOPLE HE
WORKED FOR BEFORE, HE WORKED FOR VERIZON, HE WILL WORK FOR THOSE
CORPORATIONS AGAIN, BUT I WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND SOMETHING
THAT'S IMPORTANT BECAUSE I DID A STORY ON THIS YESTERDAY AND READ
SOME OF THE COMMENTS, AND YOU SHOULD BE FURIOUS ABOUT IT, BUT
SOME PEOPLE WANT TO DO SOMETHING TO AJIT PAI, THAT IS NUTS.
YOU
HAVE TO UNDERSTAND, AJIT PAI IS A BUTLER, A WAITER, A SERVANT.
SO GETTING ALL ANGRY AT HIM IS GETTING MAD AT THE GUY --
A BUS BY THAT CLEANS YOUR TABLE.
>>HE'S A SYMPTOM OF THE CORRUPT SYSTEM.
>>AND IN HIS MIND HE'S LIKE, WHAT, VERIZON GAVE ME ALL THIS
MONEY, THEN I CAME HERE, I GOT SUCH A NICE POSITION AND IT'S
FINE, I'M JUST GOING TO TAKE AWAY YOUR FREEDOM ON THE
INTERNET AND CALL IT FREEDOM.
HE'S GETTING PAID TO DO THAT.
WHAT YOU SHOULD ACTUALLY BE ANGRY ABOUT IS THE SYSTEM THAT
ALLOWS FOR THIS KIND OF SYSTEMIC CORRUPTION, AND IT HAPPENS IN
THIS CASE TO BE REPUBLICANS, IT ALSO HAPPENS ON THE DEMOCRATIC
LEVEL AS WE EXPLAINED IN ANOTHER STORY WE JUST DID ABOUT BANKING.
BUT HERE, REPUBLICANS, AMERICANS FOR TAX REFORM, FOR EXAMPLE,
GROVER NORQUIST, THESE ARE THE GUYS WHO WANT TAX CUTS FOR THE
RICH AND DEREGULATION FOR THE RICH, THEY LOVE THIS RULING.
THEY ARE LIKE, BRAVO PAI, EXCELLENT FREEDOM YOU HAVE GIVEN
PEOPLE, WINK.
IN OTHER WORDS, WE NOW GET TO SET THE RULES.
THAT'S
AN IMPORTANT THING TO EXPLAIN.
REGULATIONS JUST MEANS RULES.
IF
YOU GET RID OF SO-CALLED GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS, DOES
THAT MEAN THERE ARE NO RULES, JUST ANARCHY?
NO.
WHAT
REPUBLICANS ARE DOING IN THIS CASE AND WHAT THEY DO IN A LOT
OF CASES IS JUST TRANSFER THE RULEMAKING AUTHORITY FROM THE
GOVERNMENT TO PRIVATE CORPORATIONS.
IN THIS CASE THE
GOVERNMENT SAID YOU AREN'T ALLOWED TO MESS WITH THE
INTERNET, THAT'S WHY AS YOU HAVE SEEN IN THESE YEARS THEY DON'T
MESS WITH THE INTERNET AND ALL THE WEBSITES WORK THE SAME.
WHAT
AJIT PAI AND THE REPUBLICANS ARE PROPOSING HERE IS, NO, WE KNOW
THAT THE CORPORATIONS MAKE THE RULES.
SO THE GOVERNMENT, WHICH
OSTENSIBLY WORKS FOR THE PUBLIC INTEREST, THEORETICALLY, NOT
ALLOWED TO SET THE RULES.
PRIVATE CORPORATIONS, WHOSE ONLY
INTEREST IS TO MAXIMIZE THEIR OWN PROFITS, NOW SET THE RULES.
SO VERIZON, COMCAST, AT&T CAN GO GREAT, THE NEW RULES ARE MY
WEBSITES WORK REALLY WELL AND YOURS DON'T.
AND IF YOU OFFEND
MY CORPORATE INTERESTS, MY ADVERTISERS, MY CONSUMERS, I
WILL EITHER COMPLETELY BLOCK YOUR WEBSITE, BECAUSE IF I SLOW
IT DOWN ENOUGH NONE OF THE VIDEOS WILL WORK, MOST PEOPLE
WON'T BE ABLE TO LOAD THE ARTICLES, YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO
SEE THE WEBSITE AT ALL IN EFFECT -- IF YOU ARE RIGHT-WINGER,
REPUBLICANS WHO CLAIM TO BE MY REPRESENTATIVES ARE ON THIS SIDE
-- THIS IS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF HOW THEY LIE TO YOU AND THEY ARE
AT ALL ON YOUR SIDE, THEY ARE ON THE SIDE OF THEIR DONORS.
IN
THIS CASE THE REPUBLICANS GET PAID BY THOSE COMPANIES TO DO
THEIR BIDDING.
BUT IN REALITY, IT'S NOT LIKE THEY MIND THE
REGULATION, THEY KNOW THE CORPORATIONS WILL PUT
REGULATIONS IN.
WHY WOULD CORPORATIONS BE AGAINST THE
RIGHT WING?
FOR A LOT OF THE RIGHT WING, THEY THINK MUSLIMS
ARE THE PROBLEM.
WE NEED TO PROFILE THEM, THEY ARE UNIQUELY
DANGEROUS, ETC.
YOU KNOW WHO DOESN'T AGREE?
MULTINATIONAL
CORPORATIONS.
IN MY OPINION THIS IS A GREAT THING ABOUT
CORPORATIONS, BECAUSE THERE ARE 1.6 BILLION MUSLIMS IN THE
WORLD.
THOSE ARE THEIR CONSUMERS, THEY DON'T WANT YOU
TO OFFEND THOSE MUSLIMS.
SO IF YOU START TO SAY THINGS AGAINST
MUSLIMS, LOOK AT THAT, YOUR WEBSITE GOT SLOWED DOWN BECAUSE
YOU WERE COSTING ME MONEY.
YOU ARE GOING TO SAY THINGS AGAINST
LATINOS?
OH, YOUR WEBSITE IS REALLY SLOW, WHAT CAN I DO?
I
WANT TO BRING IN IMMIGRANTS FOR CHEAP LABOR, YOU ARE OPPOSED TO
THAT?
YOUR WEBSITE IS SO SLOW, SORRY ABOUT THAT.
IF YOU ALLOW
PRIVATE CORPORATIONS TO SET THE RULES THEY WILL SET THE RULES
OBVIOUSLY FOR THEIR OWN INTERESTS, NOT FOR YOURS.
>>BUT CENK, THE FREE MARKET WILL DECIDE.
>>BUT THERE IS NO FREE MARKET HERE.
>>EXACTLY.
>>IN ORDER TO HAVE A FULLY FUNCTIONING FREE-MARKET YOU NEED
ACCESS TO INFORMATION, YOU NEED AN INFORMED PUBLIC THAT KNOWS
WHAT IS GOING ON, AND WHERE DO YOU THINK PEOPLE ARE GETTING
THEIR INFORMATION FROM RIGHT NOW?
IN SOME REGARD IT'S KIND OF
SCARY WITH ALL THE FAKE STUFF THAT OUT THERE, BUT THE INTERNET
HAS DEMOCRATIZED INFORMATION, WHERE YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO TO AN
IVY LEAGUE SCHOOL TO EDUCATE YOURSELF.
YOU HAVE EVERY FACT,
EVERY BIT OF INFO YOU WANT TO KNOW, AT YOUR FINGERTIPS.
AND IF
YOU HAVE MULTINATIONAL CORPORATIONS IN CHARGE OF WHAT
YOU CAN AND CAN'T SEE, THAT'S A REALLY DANGEROUS PLACE TO LIVE
IN, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU CONSIDER THAT WE ARE ALREADY SO
INCREDIBLY DIVIDED AS A COUNTRY.
I SEE THIS IS MAKING THINGS A
LOT WORSE.
YOU NEED THE INTERNET JUST LIKE YOU NEED COLLEGES TO
BE A FREE MARKET PLACE OF IDEAS.
AND RIGHT NOW I'M REALLY
CONCERNED THAT THESE GIANT INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS, MANY
OF WHICH ARE MEDIA CONGLOMERATES AS WELL, THEY OWN A BUNCH OF
MEDIA, WILL NOW DECIDE YOU ONLY GET TO SEE CERTAIN THINGS.
YOU
ONLY GET TO BE INFORMED BY OUR PERSPECTIVE, AND ANYTHING THAT
DISAGREES WITH OUR PERSPECTIVE WILL BE SLOWED DOWN TO THE POINT
WHERE IT'S INACCESSIBLE.
>>IF YOU ARE A PROGRESSIVE SHOULD HATE THIS BECAUSE IT'S
AGAINST FREEDOM, IF YOU ARE A RIGHT-WINGER YOU SHOULD HATE IT
MORE TO BE HONEST.
BECAUSE VERIZON OWNS HUFFINGTON POST,
THEY OWN AOL AND YAHOO, AT&T WILL BUY TIME WARNER, OR THEY
ARE TRYING TO COVER WHICH HAS CNN, ETC., THEY ARE WILLING TO
MAKE DEALS WITH THOSE OUTLETS BECAUSE THEY DON'T OFFEND THEIR
CUSTOMERS AND CONSUMERS.
THEY DON'T HAVE ANY DEALS WITH
BREITBART BECAUSE BREITBART OFFENDS THEIR CONSUMERS DAY IN
AND THEY OUT.
YOU GUYS ARE THE FIRST TO GO.
SO WHEN THEY COME
FOR YOU I WILL ACTUALLY DEFEND YOU, AND THAT IS WHAT WE ARE
DOING.
BECAUSE THEY WILL COME FOR EVERYONE, BECAUSE THEIR GOAL
IS NOT FOR HAPPINESS AND FREEDOM AND UNICORNS, THEIR GOAL IS
MAXIMIZE PROFIT FOR THEIR OWN INTERESTS.
AND AGAIN, AJIT PAI
IS NOT THE GUY TO GET ANGRY ABOUT AND SAY YOU WERE GOING TO
DO TERRIBLE THINGS TO HIM, THAT'S A BAD IDEA.
YES, GO TO
THE FCC AND PROTEST, USE POLITICAL MEANS TO PROTEST.
I
WILL GIVE YOU THE ADDRESS AGAIN, FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS
COMMISSION, 445 12TH ST SW, STOP BY AT ALL TIMES.
FOR GOD'S SAKE
BE CIVIL, BE FORCEFUL IN YOUR POLITICAL PROTESTS BUT BE CIVIL.
CALLED THEM, AND AJIT PAI'S EMAIL IS ON THE WEBSITE.
THEY
GOT 22 MILLION COMMENTS ON THIS RULE, THEY NEVER TELL US WHICH
WAY THOSE COMMENTS WENT.
ALMOST ALL OF THEM WERE AGAINST THIS
RULE FROM THE RIGHT WING, THE LEFT-WING, AND THE MIDDLE WING.
BUT THEY ARE LIKE, WE GOT 22 MILLION COMMENTS.
AND THEN WE
THREW THEM IN THE GARBAGE.
HOW MANY WERE AGAINST TO THE RULE?
I'M NOT GOING TO TELL YOU BECAUSE IT'S EMBARRASSING.
FINALLY, LAST THING, WHY DID THE OBAMA ERA RULES -- THEY MAKE IT
SOUND LIKE THAT, RIGHT WING, I'M ON YOUR SIDE, OBAMA ERA RULE,
THAT'S SO SCARY -- WHY DID THEY CHOOSE TO REGULATE THE INTERNET
SERVICE PROVIDERS AS A UTILITY?
BECAUSE THEY WANTED TO MAKE SURE
THAT THOSE GUYS COULDN'T PUT THESE ROLES INTO PLACE.
THINK
ABOUT IT THIS WAY, THERE IS ONE PIPE GOING INTO YOUR HOUSE, A
PUBLIC UTILITY LIKE LEPROSY OR WATER.
IF THE GOVERNMENT DOESN'T
REGULATE IT, THEY MIGHT GO YOU WERE PAYING $80 FOR WATER, IT'S
NOW $1000 PER MONTH.
WAIT A MINUTE, THAT WILL SQUEEZE
EVERYTHING ELSE OUT, I WILL HAVE TO BE BASICALLY WORKING FOR THE
WATER COMPANY.
THAT'S RIGHT, IT'S THE ONLY PIPE GOING INTO
YOUR HOUSE, DO YOU WANT WATER OR NOT?
YOU ARE THIRSTY, AREN'T
YOU?
$1000.
THAT'S WHY THE GOVERNMENT HAS TO SAY YOU ARE
THE ONLY PIPE GOING ON, YOU CAN'T CHARGE $1000.
AND
ELECTRICITY, YOU WOULD LIKE ELECTRICITY?
HEATING IN THE
WINTER SO YOU DON'T DIE?
IT USED TO BE SEXY FIVE DOLLARS, NOW
IT'S $2000.
LIBERTARIANS WILL SAY IF THEY CHARGE THAT MORE
PEOPLE WILL DIE.
FIRST OF ALL, EXAMINE THAT SENTENCE FOR A
SECOND -- THEN THEY WILL REALIZE NOT TO USE THAT ELECTRIC
COMPANY.
THEY DON'T HAVE A CHOICE, THAT'S THE ONLY ELECTRIC
COMPANY.
AND THE ELECTRIC COMPANY WON'T SET IT AT $2000,
THEY WILL SET IT AT EXACTLY THE PRICE AT WHICH YOU WILL BE
CRUSHED BUT CAN BARELY PAY IT.
BECAUSE THAT WILL MAXIMIZE
PROFITS.
AND LIKE THOSE COMPANIES, THERE IS ONLY ONE
PIPE GOING AT YOUR HOUSE WITH THE INTERNET, AND ALMOST NO
CHOICE ACROSS THE COUNTRY, IT'S BASICALLY A MONOPOLY IN ALMOST
EVERY MARKET.
SO IF THE GOVERNMENT SAYS HAVE AT IT,
HOSS, WHICHEVER INTERNET PROVIDER IS GIVING THAT ONE
PIPE, THEY GO, GREAT.
I GOT THE CONSUMERS EXACTLY WHERE I WANT
THEM, CAPTURED AND AT MY DISPOSAL, AND I HAVE ALL THE
WEBSITES AND EVERYONE ELSE GOING ON THE INTERNET ALSO AT MY
MERCY.
THANK YOU, GOVERNMENT, FOR LETTING ME SET THE RULES FOR
MY BENEFIT.
THAT IS WHAT THE FCC AND REPUBLICANS ARE DOING TODAY
AND THAT'S THE REALITY.