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Cable companies 'stunned' by Obama's 'extreme' net neutrality proposals
Major telecoms, lobbyist groups and politicians sharply respond to presidents call for greater regulation of internet as utility
Obama endorses strongest possible rules to protect net neutrality
Obama endorsed the strongest possible rules to protect net neutrality. Photograph: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images
Dominic Rushe in New York
Monday 10 November 2014 14.03 EST
Americas major telecoms and cable companies and business groups came out fighting on Monday after Barack Obama called for tough new regulations for broadband that would protect net neutrality, saying they were stunned by the presidents proposals.
The president called for new regulations to protect net neutrality the principle that all traffic on the internet should be treated equally. His move came as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) finalises a new set of proposals for regulation after the old rules were overturned by a series of court defeats at the hands of cable and telecom companies.
In response, Republican senator Ted Cruz went so far as to call Obamas proposal for regulating the web Obamacare for the internet, saying on Twitter the internet should not operate at the speed of government.
The powerful National Cable and Telecommunications Association (NCTA), which represents cable companies including Comcast and Time Warner said it was stunned by the presidents proposals.
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http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/nov/10/cable-companies-obama-net-neutrality-proposals-fcc-fight?CMP=share_btn_fb
RKP5637
(67,112 posts)djean111
(14,255 posts)He is head of the FCC.
I wish this did not seem like a Noh play.
pkdu
(3,977 posts)for next two years . What a thirdWay bastard.
Baitball Blogger
(46,769 posts)Fred Sanders
(23,946 posts)they were stunned, and by the shellacking all the cable stocks took in the news.
The Internet is now as vital a utility as water, gas and electricity. It meets the definition to be designated by the FCC...do they have the balls to say so now, they had their attempt at regulation knocked down in the courts because the Internet is not legally a utility. But it should be because the legal,problems then go away and the political problems will be with the cable companies and those that support control of the Internet by corporations, not by the people.
And Cruz and the GOP standing with the cable companies is gonna get noticed.
Obama has still got some mojo.