For this weeks blog I'm going to concentrate on one specific group that has spoken out against the issue of Net Neutrality.
The Tea Party group has recently taken a strong stance against this issue. The Tea Party organization feels that if this policy is passed it would increase government regulation and power, and be a direct assault on individual liberties.
The group is so against this proposal that 35 of their Tea Party groups sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) urging them not to increase their authority over the broadband providers.
The Tea Party group uses an argument of direction in order to let the FCC know what can happen if they support this issue.
The purpose of the argument of direction is to raise the fear that an action will force us into a process where the out come is not desirable.
The Tea Party lays out the argument that American currently enjoy a free and open Internet however if this regulatory proposal is put into effect would stifle broadband expansion, create congestion, slow internet speeds, jeopardize job retention and growth, and lead to higher prices for consumers. The end their argument by stating that the Internet has never been a regulated utility and they urge the FCC to keep things the way they are.
The Tea Party ends their argument by re-enforcing the main point which is that if the FCC regulates the Internet it will be a total affront to "Free Speech and Free Markets".
I came across this article about public sphere and net neutrality. Thought it could be useful to you...
ReplyDeletehttps://ezproxy.lib.uwm.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.uwm.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ufh&AN=45286496&login.asp&site=ehost-live
Alyse,
ReplyDeleteThank you, for the article however I was not able to access it through the URL provided. Do you have a title, author?
Thanks again!
Marion
Marion: the article is: Taejin Koh, Public Sphere and Network Neutrality, 2009, conference paper presented at International Communication Association and is available through EbscoHost. Let me know if you can't find it and I can email the article to you.
ReplyDeleteAlso, it's interesting to me that the Tea Party is saying that more government regulation will congest or clog the internet. Isn't congestion the very problem that the FCC and the government is trying to address with its solution? If so, I think that it's interesting how the two sides are approaching the problem and where they see the problem arising from. It seems as though an argument about definition is going on: how they are defining the problem then prescribes their solution. If the government says that the status quo of lack of regulation is causing the problem, then the government needs to step in. If the Tea Party is saying that we are ok now and only government intervention is problem, then the solution would not be more government action.