I was almost ready to crown Barrack Obama the worst President of the last 100 years…resting that title away from the last President who was pretty bad. Then President Obama does something that shocks the hell out of most of us…he comes out in favor of total Net Neutrality. Not only that, he wants the carriers classified as utilities so they can be regulated by the FCC…just like phone companies.
He not only shocked me, but also the FCC who were determined to shortly come out with their own rules regarding the Internet. Of course, he also surprised some Republican lawmakers (especially those who rely on large cable companies for political donations and other goodies) who immediately came out in condemnation of his initiative.
The good news (or bad, depending how you look at it) is neither the President nor Congress have any control over the FCC. All they can do is make recommendations. However, the public has overwhelmingly showed their support of Net Neutrality and has inundated the FCC with 4 million mail and messages.
The FCC was about to make their ruling, probably supporting some hybrid formula that would probably give large carriers like Comcast some additional income. Remember, the Chairman of the FCC was a lobbyist for the cable and wireless industry, with positions including President of the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) and CEO of the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association (CTIA). He should never have been nominated to the FCC (ironically by President Obama).
Is the President sincere in his quest or is this just some political machinations to improve his damaged standing with the American people? God only knows. Having once worked deep inside the political machinery, I distrust all politicians and their motives. However, in this case, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
I encourage you to read the first story and watch the President’s short video on Net Neutrality. I sure hope he is sincere. -JRC
Tech News and Opinions
President Obama Calls For A Free And Open Internet, Wants It Reclassified As A Utility
In a video and letter, he lays out in no uncertain terms that he believes no cable company or access provider should be able to put limits on access to the Internet.
FCC may delay release of Net neutrality rules until 2015
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, who had promised to deliver proposed new rules for managing Internet traffic, may be finding the task more complicated than anticipated, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Home Depot switches execs to iPhones, MacBooks as it blames Windows for massive breach
According to a report on the WSJ, hackers gained access via a Windows vulnerability, allowing them to target 7,500 self checkout terminals.
Microsoft pushes ahead with its quest to make apps more intelligent
Microsoft is attempting to redefine 'productivity' with new apps like Sway and the coming 'Revolve' contact-calendar app that embed more intelligence inside.
Amazon’s Echo and the smart TVs that are listening to and watching everything you do
Amazon’s Echo defies easy description. Actually, that’s not quite true: the easy way to describe it is “creepy as hell”. The Echo is a 20cm-tall black cylinder, that sits in your home and listens to everything you do.
President Obama Calls For A Free And Open Internet, Wants It Reclassified As A Utility
In a video and letter, he lays out in no uncertain terms that he believes no cable company or access provider should be able to put limits on access to the Internet.
FCC may delay release of Net neutrality rules until 2015
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, who had promised to deliver proposed new rules for managing Internet traffic, may be finding the task more complicated than anticipated, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Computer Tips and Tricks
The 35 Best Google Search Tips and Tricks
The symbols and punctuation listed here are the ones that allow you to better refine your search results when used in conjunction with your desired search terms.
Download Free Excel Templates to Manage Time, Money or Productivity
You don't have to excel at Excel to make the most of the spreadsheet app. Download free templates to use Microsoft's program to manage your schedules, budget your money and much more.
How to Find and Remove Duplicate Files on Windows
Duplicate files waste precious space on your computer’s hard drive — especially if you have an SSD — and make your computer’s backups bigger for no good reason. Here’s how you can free up some disk space.
Ninite is the Only Safe Place to Get Windows Freeware
Ninite is a free tool that automatically downloads, installs, and updates various Windows programs for you, skipping past the evil toolbar offers. For Windows users, Ninite is arguably the only really safe place to get freeware.
Create Installation Media for Windows 8.1
The Windows Installation Media Creation Tool from Microsoft lets you choose the language, product edition, and architecture, and then can save the resulting install media to a USB flash drive or to an ISO file, which you can later burn to disc if needed.
Mobile Computing
Charge your iPhone faster
In this feature we’re going to look at how to charge up your iPhone, and some of the best ways to get better, and faster, iPhone charging.
Office for iPhone Apps: 3 Things to Know
The world's most widely used office programs, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, are finally standalone apps for iPhone.
Apple just made it easier to ditch your iPhone for Android: You can now 'deregister' iMessage online
Today Apple quietly released a new tool which makes it easier for iPhone owners to deregister and turn off iMessage — something you might want to do if you ever switch to Android and still want to receive text messages.
Google Android 5.0 Lollipop Review
Pro: Beautiful new design. Improved email app. New APIs will improve music and gaming apps. Awesome voice search. Cons: Hard to get. Still doesn't make clear which apps work well on tablets. Browser could use a refresh.
What's killing your battery? Android's top 10 performance-sapping apps
Is your phone or tablet battery constantly reduced to a sliver of red on the screen? New research has found the worst performance-draining apps on Android devices, and Facebook is the biggest culprit.
No comments:
Post a Comment