Denton Record-Chronicle (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 111, No. 101, Ed. 1 Tuesday, November 11, 2014 Page: 3 of 16
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Denton Record-Chronicle and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the UNT Libraries.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Denton Record-Chronicle
NATIONAL
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
3A
Obama Internet proposal
touches off angry debate
By Anne Flaherty
Associated Press
WASHINGTON - Presi-
dent Barack Obama touched off
an angry debate Monday over
government regulation of Inter-
net service, coming down on the
side of consumer activists who
fear slower download speeds
and higher costs but angering
Republicans and the nation’s ca-
ble giants who say the plan
would kill jobs.
Obama called on the Federal
Communications Commission
to more heavily regulate Inter-
net providers, including prohib-
iting them from charging data
hogs like Netflix more money to
move their content more quick-
ly. The announcement sent ca-
ble stocks tumbling.
The FCC, an independent
regulatory body led by political
appointees, is nearing a decision
on whether broadband provid-
ers should be allowed to cut
deals with the content providers
but is stumbling over the legal
complexities.
“We are stunned the presi-
dent would abandon the long-
standing, bipartisan policy of
lightly regulating the Internet
and calling for extreme” regula-
tion, said Michael Powell, presi-
dent and CEO of the National
Cable and Telecommunications
Association, the primary lobby-
ing arm of the cable industry,
which supplies much of the na-
tion’s Internet access.
This “tectonic shift in nation-
al policy, should it be adopted,
would create devastating re-
sults,” Powell added.
Netflix swung behind Oba-
ma, posting to its Facebookpage
that “consumers should pick
winners and losers on the Inter-
net, not broadband gatekeep-
ers.”
“Net neutrality” is the idea
that Internet service providers
shouldn’t block, slow or manip-
ulate data moving across its net-
works. As long as content isn’t
against the law, such as child
pornography or pirated music, a
file or video posted on one site
will load generally at the same
speed as a similarly sized file or
video on another site.
In 2010, the FCC embraced
the concept in a rule. But last
January, a federal appeals court
struck down the regulation be-
cause the court said the FCC
didn’t technically have the legal
authority to tell broadband pro-
viders how to manage their net-
works.
The uncertainty has prompt-
ed the public to file some 3.7 mil-
lion comments with the FCC —
more than double the number
filed after Janet Jackson’s infa-
mous wardrobe malfunction at
the 2004 Super Bowl.
On Monday, Obama waded
into the fray and gave a major
boost to Internet activists by say-
ing the FCC should explicitly
ban any “paid prioritization” on
the Internet. Obama also sug-
gested that the FCC reclassify
consumer broadband as a public
utility under the 1934 Commu-
nications Act. That would mean
the Internet would be regulated
more heavily in the way phone
service is.
“It is common sense that the
Paul Sakuma/AP file photo
In this Oct. 10, 2011, file photo, the exterior of Netflix head-
quarters is seen in Los Gatos, Calif. Internet providers
shouldn’t be allowed cut deals with online services like Net-
flix or YouTube to move their content faster, and should be
regulated more like phone companies, President Barack Oba-
ma said Monday in an announcement that was swiftly reject-
ed by industry.
same philosophy should guide
any service that is based on the
transmission of information —
whether a phone call, or a packet
of data,” Obama said.
This approach is exactly what
industry lobbyists have spent
months fighting against. AT&T
on Monday threatened legal ac-
tion if the FCC adopted Obama’s
plan, while Comcast Corp. said
reclassifying broadband regula-
tion would be “a radical reversal
that would harm investment
and innovation, as today’s im-
mediate stock market reaction
demonstrates.” Similar state-
ments were released by Time
Warner Cable Inc. and several
industry groups including
CTIA-The Wireless Association,
USTelecom, the Telecommuni-
cations Industry Association
and Broadband for America.
Many Republicans including
House Speaker John Boehner,
R-Ohio and Senate GOP Leader
Mitch McConnell of Kentucky
sided with industry in denounc-
ing the plan as government
overreach.
‘“Net Neutrality’ is Obama-
care for the Internet,” declared
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, a tea
party favorite, on Twitter. “The
Internet should not operate at
the speed of government.”
The Internet Association,
which represents many content
providers like Netflix, Twitter,
eBay and Google, applauded
Obama’s proposal.
On Monday, as the Standard
& Poor’s 500 index edged up
slightly, big cable companies
slid. Time Warner Cable, Com-
cast, Cablevision and Charter
Communications dropped 2
percent to 4 percent in the hours
immediately after the an-
nouncement.
FCC Chairman Tom Wheel-
er has said he is open to using a
“hybrid” approach that would
draw from both Title II of the
1934 law and the 1996 Telecom-
munications Act. On Monday,
Wheeler said he welcomed the
president’s comments, but sug-
gested that his proposal was eas-
ier said than done.
“The more deeply we exam-
3tappy ffihtfiday
JCennetfa
V
Love, Mom & Dad
ined the issues around the vari-
ous legal options, the more it has
become plain that there is more
work to do,” Wheeler said. “The
reclassification and hybrid ap-
proaches before us raise sub-
stantive legal questions. We
found we would need more time
to examine these to ensure that
whatever approach is taken, it
can withstand any legal chal-
lenges it may face.”
The FCC isn’t under a dead-
line to make a decision.
The president’s statement all
but guarantees that the major
cable companies will spend the
next few months trying to en-
courage Congress to step in to
protect their interests. Still,
Internet activists are hoping
that Obama’s position will go a
long way, even as his popularity
among his party has waned.
“When the leader of the free
world says the Internet should
remain free, that’s a game
changer,” said Sen. Edward Mar-
key, D-Mass.
With Honor
and Respect to
Our Veterans
They are our family, friends and neighbors; everyday
citizens, yet so much more. They are the brave men and
women who have put their lives at risk to protect and
serve our country in war. Time and again, our country’s
veterans have been on the front lines in defense of our
freedom. On Veterans Day, we take this opportunity to
say thank you to the brave souls who have served in
battle for our Armed Forces.
2025 W. University • (940) 383-4200
www.deberryfuneraldirectors.com
www.dentonrc.com
★★★★★★★ ★★★★★★★+
Veteran’s Day Sale!
Raffia BiraaMM’ hud
50% OFF EVERYTHING!
Extended Hours 9am - 9pm
1701 Brinker Rd
Denton, TX 76208
SHOP A LOT, BRAG A LOT, SAVE A LOT
High Yield CD with a Bump!
Get the flexibility you deserve with the safety of a CD! If our rates go up, you get the
option to “Bump-Up” to the new rate one time during the term of your CD.
23 month = 1.15% APY
11 month = 0.90% APY
1403 W. Chapman Dr. • Sanger, TX • 940.458.2001
960 E. McCart • Krum, TX • 940.482.3211
4 Locations in Denton County
1517 Centre Place Dr.«Denton, TX « 940.349.5600
2730 W. University Dr. • Denton, TX • 940.387.4417
1-800-924-4427 • firstunitedbank.com/CD
The promotional Annual Percentage yield (APY) and “Bump-up” is available on 11 and 23 month Certificates of Deposit (CD) effective as of 09/21/2014. Terms, conditions and the bump-up promotion are
subject to change without notice. Minimum opening deposit is $1,000 in new money. Option to bump-up for one time during the initial term. The new rate will remain in effect until the CD maturity date. A
penalty may be imposed for early withdrawal. Fees could reduce the earnings on the account. No brokered deposits.
Moitgagg* rnsuraneg* i^ea,^ ^
nagement
SPEND LIFE WISELY'
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Parks, Scott K. Denton Record-Chronicle (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 111, No. 101, Ed. 1 Tuesday, November 11, 2014, newspaper, November 11, 2014; Denton, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1125002/m1/3/?q=Christmas+AND+slave: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .