Obama trying once again to seize the internet

Net NeutralityHe’s tried before and failed, but our free-market-hating president is at it again! After multiple failed attempts, Obama is once again making an attempt to grab control of the internet away from the free market and put it under government control.

Using his favorite “net neutrality” talking points, Obama is preparing to save the internet from itself. Of course, it is only for the good of the system, right? Here are the words of the chosen one himself:

“We cannot allow internet service providers (ISPs) to restrict the best access or to pick winners and loser in the online marketplace for services and ideas. I believe the FCC should create a new set of rules protecting net neutrality and ensuring that neither the cable company nor the phone company will be able to act as a gatekeeper, restricting what you can do or see online.”

Upon closer review, the irony of his statement simply can’t be ignored, nor can the repercussions if his plan were to succeed.

  • Picking winners and losers? Isn’t that what he has been doing for renewable energy, the auto industry, and Wall Street banks?
  • Ensuring that neither the cable company nor the phone company acting as gatekeeper? Yeah, it’s much better to have a bunch of unelected beureaucrats working under your direct orders doing that job, right?

The simple fact is that we already have Net Neutrality thanks to the competition that comes with a free marketplace. If an ISP were to do as Obama claims, customers would go to someone else for service. The implication that this practice occurs is simply a lie.

So, what could possibly be the real reason Obama wants your internet? A classic from the O’jay’s provides the answer:

Economists are saying that if the internet were subject to the same limitations of the interstate telecommunications industry, the FCC could impose fees on internet service. Wait a minute. Could? Try absolutely will! And if you want a reality check on what that would look like, take a look at your phone bill and notice the taxes you pay every month. At the current 16.1% fee structure, it would be the largest, one-time tax increase on the internet in history.

Need another motivation? How about government control over everything involving the internet. Content. Access. Price. You name it! While the government may promise that it will use their power of net neutrality for good and not evil, we need look no further than Obama’s efforts to silence his political foes through the FCC’s attempt to revive the Fairness Doctrine.

In fairness, that last point isn’t unique to Obama. RINOs such as Lindsey Graham have also called for laws to silence those who dare criticize the government. But regardless of the source, the notion of having the Big Brother determine what “equal access” to the internet will look like should send chills down the spine of every liberty-loving, constitution-keeping American.

More government is never the answer. And if it is, then you’re asking the wrong question. There is no market failure concerning the internet. Let’s stop this one in it’s tracks before we get a cure that’s worse than the non-existent disease.

 

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