[User23]

I haven’t noticed any change in my Internet connectivity since so-called net neutrality regulations were rolled back. That said, the fears of a single party dictating what you can and can’t see on the Internet are not just clear, they’re present. How many net neutrality supporters stood up for Alex Jones? Or say anything about shadow bans on Twitter, Facebook, and Google search results based on organizational capriciousness?

Net neutrality is just another example of a regulatory capture competition between the old telcos and the new masters of the Internet. The massive PR spending alone is proof. See Paul Graham’s article[1] for a better explanation than I can give here.

Interestingly the authentic left has the answer: Publicly owned corporations, universities, and perhaps other mainly local institutions providing network connectivity are the real antifragile solution to the problem net neutrality regulations claim to address.

[1]http://www.paulgraham.com/submarine.html

[burkaman]

Here's the EFF's Civil Liberties Director coming as close to standing up for Alex Jones as any reasonable person needs to: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/beware-the-digital-c...

[jrockway]

> How many net neutrality supporters stood up for Alex Jones?

Are ISPs refusing to peer with Alex Jones? If not, this has nothing to do with net neutrality.

[User23]

If net neutrality is exclusively a regulatory power grab by Google and the like at the expense of traditional ISPs, then it's true Alex Jones has nothing to do with it. However, if one acknowledges some kind of moral principle that content shouldn't be discriminated against based on the source, then one has to show why that should apply to traditional ISPs and not to the newer Internet companies that run all the same infrastructure the traditional ISPs do.

[jrockway]

It seems unrelated to me. If I write an Op-Ed and send it to the New York Times, it's not a net neutrality issue if they refuse to publish it. Maybe they personally hate me. Maybe my idea seems dumb to them. Myabe I ka'nt spel rite. Even though The NYT has a website, that doesn't mean they are under any obligation to publish something there just because I want them to.

I don't see why Facebook is any different. It's their website, they have no obligation to publish anything.

Whether or not you believe Facebook can exercise editorial control over user-submitted content, it's not a net neutrality issue. Net neutrality is about moving IP packets around without charging different rates based on what's in the headers. That's all.

[User23]

You didn't respond to my central point.

You did however clarify that for you net neutrality is purely about application layer providers strong-arming link layer providers via regulatory capture. Thanks, it makes your position much clearer.

[Sohcahtoa82]

> How many net neutrality supporters stood up for Alex Jones?

By asking this question, it makes it clear you don't know what NN is about. It has nothing to do with censorship.

> That said, the fears of a single party dictating what you can and can’t see on the Internet are not just clear, they’re present.

Facebook/Twitter/YouTube/etc. didn't ban Alex Jones because they didn't want us to be able to see what he wants to say. They did it because they didn't want to be the ones broadcasting what he says. He incites violence. I do not fault anybody for refusing to be the platform relaying that message.

[monocasa]

> I haven’t noticed any change in my Internet connectivity since so-called net neutrality regulations were rolled back.

That's just because of how slow ISPs are at reacting to anything. I know product owners at a couple cable companies and they are actively modifying their systems to take advantage of the new lack of net neutrality.

> That said, the fears of a single party dictating what you can and can’t see on the Internet are not just clear, they’re present. How many net neutrality supporters stood up for Alex Jones? Or say anything about shadow bans on Twitter, Facebook, and Google search results based on organizational capriciousness?

Net Neutrality regulates the ISPs. If he were banned from Comcast or something so that he couldn't have internet connectivity, then that would be applicable.