Internet Regulation

The Marxists in the administration and the Obazoids over at the FCC have decided that you are far to dangerous to be allowed free and uncensored access to the internet. Obama’s bud Hugo did it, so why can’t he?

Jim DeMint

Aside from the fact that a federal judge has ruled that the FCC et al had vastly overreached in its previous attempt at control of cable TV channels, the FCC has no federal mandate to regulate the internet or any portion thereof.

It’s plainly an assault on the First Amendment. This cannot stand. We need to throw our support behind SC Republican Senator Jim DeMint in battling this outrage and getting it repealed.

Another huge thorn are the RINOs who sold us down the river on the START treaty. It might be time to point out that Russia (or the old Soviet Union) never honored a treaty. But then, that little fact never seems to bother the air heads in the State Department.

This treaty addresses a cold war that no longer exists. It limits our ability to respond to a rapidly changing geo-political situation in which the middle east becomes the focus in a new and different sort of contest, with a sort of winner-takes-all rulebook. The many enemies of this country would all love to be able to strike at us.

A treaty which limits our ability to defend against any threat from any direction or source is a treaty which we cannot afford to be in. The Republicans who voted for this damaging treaty should be challenged and removed from office.

Semper Vigilans, Semper Fidelis

© Skip MacLure 2010

(cross-posted at Red State)

The Politico today has a column penned by David All, a young GOP internet consultant, and Saul Anuzis, Chairman of the Michigan GOP. The column looks at the premise that the GOP is behind its Democratic counterparts online, and suggests one possible reason why - we don't support the idea of big government intervention in regulating the Internet.

As Republicans, we must not only adopt the new techniques and structure of Internet democracy, but also understand the importance of preserving the open nature of the Net as a policy issue.The tools that are available at low cost to Republicans are only there because of an Internet ecosystem that has managed to remain open, despite the efforts of phone and cable companies.

Republicans need to adopt a lighter approach that will preserve the values of decentralization and freedom — essential conservative values — on the Internet. If we fail to engage in this effort, the Internet service providers, who control the last mile of the tubes into a customer’s house or small business, will choke off the affordable tools available to conservative activists.They have already started exercising their market power to block applications that enable Internet users to distribute information across the Net.

They will make the Internet look a lot more like cable TV, where citizens lack access to every legal channel available and where, consequently, conservative activists get shut out. Taking away these free tools will come at the major expense of the activists and small-businesspeople who are the core of our party’s strength.

Given the attacks on cable and telephone companies in this diatribe, it would be easy enough to discount any response from me as shilling on behalf of cable. Look at my bio, however, and you'll see that I may be the one person uniquely qualified to address every inaccuracy and outrageous claim in his post. Prior to coming to work in the cable industry, I was the eCampaign Director for Bush-Cheney '04, and the Republican National Committee. I've been involved in Republican politics - and online politics - since I launched one of the first state party websites (EVER) at the New Mexico GOP in 1995. At that time, there were only about 5 state parties online.

Since I have been active in GOP politics, and specifically online politics, since Andreesson released the browser in 1994, I have a bit to say about the reasons the GOP is behind (which virtually nobody argues). As an employee of the cable industry, I have a bit to say about what , if anything, that has to do with net neutrality.