Home Media AngryBeavs Supports Net Neutrality

AngryBeavs Supports Net Neutrality

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This post pertains to the future of AB website and other websites you likely enjoy reading.

The idea that Comcast et al can limit the speed you see a website, or limit you entirely from seeing content goes beyond disturbing. For those who don’t think anything bad can happen, it already has. Click this link to read about AT&T banning Pearl Jam content. There are many other examples. Look around if you’re interested.

A little background on how the front end of internet currently works. If you are logged into Google and provided real credentials then they know your name, age, location, past search results (super creepy), etc. If you used fake credentials, they still know your location via IP address and past search results from that IP. What Google then does is tailor your search results to your metrics and your past searches. On top of this, if net neutrality fails we’ll have Comcast et al limiting the (a) speed you see this content or (b) whether you see it at all. Never trade convenience for freedom.

In that light, let’s take this hypothetical example:

Say a Beaver fan types in “Fire Mike Riley” into Google. Assuming he is not logged in and gets past Google’s tailoring of results, he now has to get past Comcast. Say a Riley family member works at Comcast, and that person doesn’t want him fired. Or say that Comcast takes the general stance there will be no dissent against the current administration. The user might never find angrybeavs.com (which is currently in my top 10 results for that phrase). Instead, the user might get a result from Beaverblitz where they are talking about firing Mike Riley, but in a tongue-in-cheek way that mocks actual dissenters. The point being the results can be tailored to control you. It is already happening via Google (you would be wise to delete all Google accounts and use startpage or duckduckgo, which do not track you). For a read on how Google currently “personalizes” (that sounds so much nicer than controls, doesn’t it?) your results click here. So while this example with AB is pretty ridiculous, you can see how it becomes detrimental when a user is searching for social or political information.

If you support net neutrality, and you should if you want to keep reading ABs and threatening/informative/dissenting sites like it, then you should go here and sign the petition. Get loud, raise hell, make noise. If you can get off your ass for a meaningless football game then you should be able to get up for this much more important cause. AB will never be repressed or suppressed [unless lazy, uninformed assholes allow it] and shudders at the thought of it!

http://act.freepress.net/sign/internet_fcc_proposal/

109 COMMENTS

  1. I also encourage users to use firefox browser the install these add-ons: adblock, better privacy, and ghostery. These will block ads, block malicious flash based cookies, and block trackers, You can take it a step further and block ad servers in your host file by using hostman. Some sites will not work and you’ll need to add exceptions or temporarily disable the add-ons. But in short, there is no reason to ever see an ad or be tracked while browsing the internet.

  2. Signed This falls under the category or basic foundational freedoms upon which our country is founded. Thank you Angry, Happy Veterans Day

    • No problem, buddy. What I don’t understand is why we have to tinker with the internet. Unlike the Beaver football team, It is not broken and works quite well as is. The FCC seems to be bought once again.

  3. Also, you can call the FCC: 202.418.1000

    I plan to do this tomorrow because I’m busy today, but if someone calls today let me know if you speak with a real person.

  4. great. just great. ducks move to 2nd in latest playoff poll. They’ll breeze these next two games but hopefully ASU gets them in the Pac-12 title game

  5. watching Akron/Buffalo on espnu and wondered when did the zips become the zeroes? They look like the ducks tonight with the fancy gold helmets. lame

  6. I think this is a losing battle but hope I’m wrong. If there’s money to be squeezed out of something and politicians to be bought, the average Joe doesn’t stand a chance.

  7. What annoys me is the implication that something is wrong with the internet as is. There is nothing wrong. But by creating this false debate over whether to keep it free or let isp be the gatekeepers, there’s an implication something is broken. It is very manipulative.

        • As much as I love some of the Minnie players… Rau is my favorite…UND is here. They’re not coming. They’re here.

          And running away to some wimpy conference full of wimpy teams is not going to excuse Minnie. Enjoy that #1 ranking. It has been there all year. I think UND started st somewhere around 17 or 24 or something.

          Yup.

  8. The big lie:
    http://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/2014/11/11/why-obama-is-wrong-on-net-neutrality/

    And that’s a very very big lie.

    The reason I am working through Comcast/Infinity right now is because they have a monopoly where I live. It’s a regional monopoly. But it’s a monopoly nonetheless. If I want an alternative hard line source where I live, I need to go with dial-up.

    And dial-up would be as efficient as Comcast/Infinity whenever a Duck game is on. In fact, it might be faster. I do nothing on Netflix or FB on my laptop for personal use. The only time I use streaming is for Friday or Saturday nights with movies or for Beavs games here and there. The kids are constantly streaming stuff on their tablets. So that’s another issue. But, as I said, when the infrastructure is streesed they can’t do a damn thing either.

    Sorry. I pay for consistent service. And if I can’t get it I’m going somewhere else.

    Oh… but I can’t because part of the taxes I pay also go to my provider for infrastructure maintenance… in order to keep my neighbors happy?

    If you have a right of way on my property, you are subject to my rule, the public rule. There is no free market here. We are in this together. And if you don’t like it you can forfeit your lease on my property which is dedicated to you and other utilities in order for us all to be in this together.

    It’s that simple.

    • Btw… I’m done with Comcast in about a week. I’m going satellite with a pretty sweet deal. I’m a little worried that the data usage cap of 250Gb might push it with the kids and their constant usage. But I have variable options for upgrades in the future should that end up being the problem I foresee. I will pay about 10% more than I am currently. But I find the value in service alone to be worth that.

      If you’ve ever called Comcast/Infinity about anything, you know what I’m talking about.

      • but it sounds right… except for the Obama praise. that did confuse me as well.

        it’s just a letter, but it is on topic and correct.

        now i need to go find a supporting argument from an impartial observer.

        luckily, the gao usually belly laughs at most of what the gop proposes… and about 75% of what the dems throw out.

        does that make congress 175% inefficient?

    • Did you miss the part where the FCC created net neutrality rules in 2010 that were struck down by the courts in 2014?

      That’s why there’s now the push for ISP’s to be reclassified as common carriers. For the FCC to have the authority to regulate them in this manner they’ll have to be categorized as a telecommunications service instead of an information service.

      • I’ve missed nothing on this. I remember when Congress and the FCC were having hearings on this, and Comcast paid people to fill the venue so nobody who actually gave a damn could come into it due to fire code capacity statutes. I think I posted about that here more than once.

        I’ve also posted about the need to make what is a public utility an actual public utility. I’m serious about public right of ways and how private enterprise feels entitled about using them. I can go deeper and complain about how the road from the freeway to WalMart is always free of pot holes and nicely paved while my street has a four year-old pot with some good stew in it. Yet I pay more per assessed dollar and more per assessed real estate value than does WalMart with their sweetheart tax deal.

        My truck and my four-banger don’t tear up the roads like WalMart’s umpteen wheelers do. So I shouldn’t have to pay relatively as much as they do for public use. The roads to their stores are for their benefit–so that customers can come spend money, products can be delivered and employees can get to work. So I shouldn’t have to pay far all that, diminishing my responsibility for that part of the public domain. Yet they pay less.

        Why?

        • They’re job creators!
          #AynRand #Snark

          But more seriously, the current hierarchy is so messed up. We’re at a breaking point unless we harness cheap energy soon.

        • And in case you didn’t notice, when the wholly impartial and truly altruistic SCOTUS gutted those neutrality statutes not so long ago sites like google made an immediate change in access. You used to be able to find forums and discussions about topics within forums from everywhere. But they don’t even have a “forums” search option on their base page anymore.

          It makes discussion in the public domain much harder. It is an immediate imposition on my life and the lives of many others. I now spend more time looking for some forum I kinda remember from three years ago where I had a discussion about something… than I do on FB for the whole year. FB is just an address book for me, but I have to pay for everyone else to use it because that’s what those opposed to net neutrality say I should pay for with my money.

        • I don’t know why you’re asking me about this since all I said was that they tried to get some NN rules on the books, but they were struck down…

          Anyway, I’m sure your town likes having that Walmart there which is why they pretty much bid in the form of tax breaks for Walmart to choose them. Your town would probably pay you to leave so they might be keeping your tax rates high in an attempt to get you to relocate.

          • This makes no sense:
            “Anyway, I’m sure your town likes having that Walmart there which is why they pretty much bid in the form of tax breaks for Walmart to choose them. Your town would probably pay you to leave so they might be keeping your tax rates high in an attempt to get you to relocate.”

            Why would they pay me to leave when they are gaining more revenue per square foot and per employee from me than WalMart could ever hope to pretend to attain?

            News flash!

            If all WalMart stores disappeared from the face of the earth tomorrow, life would go on without a beat being missed. If I disappeared tomorrow, you and the state would have to pay good money to disperse my property and then more good money to pay my employees until they got another job.

            That’s overstating it since my estate would be handled without the state’s involvement. But it’s more common than you know or want to know.

            There is no value to a WalMart other than it being one big strip mall inside itself. What you buy there can be got on the interwebs for less with free shipping. But if you had that intelligence you would buy something good for a little more so you didn’t have to replace it four or five times over and end up paying a lot more.

          • “Your town would probably pay you to leave so they might be keeping your tax rates high in an attempt to get you to relocate.”

            That part was meant as a good-natured rib. ;)

            If going on a Walmart rant is how you communicate agreement you may want to look into other avenues of expressing that… :P

  9. I must say I am pleasantly surprised to see this topic come up on AB. For some reason I thought this place was a bunch of Obama hating republicans and libertarians. I’m not sure why I thought that…

    Obama has gone on record for what he thinks about net neutrality, and it really should be a non-partisan issue. But that hasn’t stopped the political right from spewing nonsense about this issue, and most likely only because Obama is for it.

    Time Warner and Comcast is of course doing all they possibly can. They’ve given millions in campaign contributions to both dems and pubs. It will be interesting to see how this plays out, though I expect it to go as per usual with the Obama administration: Obama will either not bring it up anymore and let it be, or cower to the republicans.

    I’m curious, have any of you heard of Wolf-PAC? A PAC that is dedicated to getting money out of politics. Fortunately, it seems to be catching steam.

    • Cowering to the gop is his status quo. Just look at the ACA. Who was the major gop spokesman during that time on that specific subject? What is he doing now?Hell, he wasn’t even a senator when he was the major mouthpiece for opposition against the public option, which coincidentally (ha!) never happened. I guarantee it’s more lucrative than being a US Senator. And that’s a pretty lucrative deal if one wants it to be. Hell, it’s lucrative by default because being an incumbent is like belonging to a union who is stereotypically corrupt. You can be a US Senator and bank it even if you’re the most altruistic US Senator that ever lived.

      That’s the one thing that burns me about all this. If anyone… ANYONE… wants to be a proponent of a free market, they need to allow the government to provide a single-payer service for any public utility (health is one) that is out there. That will be the benchmark for service. If you as a private enterprise can better it, you go ahead and do that. Much much kudos to you for doing so. But government should only be a backstop. If you can’t provide better service than that, what does that make you?

      • Think about it for a second. If the government can do it better for less, why are we paying mercenaries more for doing less?

        This sticks in my craw as a vet who has seen what mercs do. They not only cost-plus our government (and us) for services easily and otherwise provided by our government. They also diminish morale within the government and within the populace who is supposed to trust our government.

        • The easy analogy is the US Post Office.

          If you love the US Constitution, then you know that the post office and maintenance of “post roads” is explicitly written out in the Constitution. But some people who falsely claim to love said document rail against the USPS on a regular basis. They point to UPS and FedEx as examples of how it can be done better.

          Well… the Constitution only covers post offices and access to them from one to the next. They have zero obligation to bring your mail to your door or curb-side box. They can just one day say, “Fuck it all! If you want your mail, you can come to the post office and get it.”

          Who do we think the first two monied interests will be who fight this idea?

          That’s right, UPS and Fed Ex. The major portion of their business model is based on the end-user being serviced by the USPS. And they do that because that is the loss-leader in that industry if it were actually an industry based on the free market.

          But it’s not a free market. It’s a market subsidized by you and me. It is what it is because we allow a sort of right of way for these private companies to exist and be profitable.

          Take that right of way out of the picture and start charging them for what they simply take for granted. Then let’s see how profitable this so-called free market is. Then let’s cry about how inefficient government is. You take away government, you lose what you think is the free market.

          That’s because there is no free market without government.

    • saw that the other night. glad he laid into the oregon lottery for having video poker and slot machines everywhere. lottery is such bad public policy. state run slots and video poker is even worse. talk about a monopoly

      • It’s not even the monopoly part of it, although, that is disturbing in itself. It’s that it’s a public policy at all. And it’s worse that the greatest generation, who benefited from the greatest social works programs ever instituted in this country and succeeded because of them, are now saying, “I got mine, fuck you.”

        It’s mind-blowing. It’s simply antithetic to what even these baby-boomers told me to believe when I was a kid. It’s just beyond the pale.

    • was just going to post that. Good job by the coaching staff! This year is gonna be brutal but hopefully the real turnaround starts next season

      • The real impact of these guys will be in 2 years when they are sophomores. Next year will be bad too with all the guys learning to play with one another.

        Also depth may be an issue as guys from this year might transfer.

        • agreed, but I’ll enjoy watching this team develop. if they eventually become an NCAA tournament team, it will be rewarding to have been there to watch them grow to that level, moreso than a team that just brings in 1 and done guys and has a revolving door.

        • next year will be much better than this year. Although I don’t expect them to be in contention for a tourney invite until these 4 are sophomores. Remember these guys were beating our current team players in pick up games over the summer. And they still have one more season to develop more in high school. I have my optimistic cap on finally. Best recruiting class since Eddie Payne brought in Corey Benjamin, JB Bickerstaff and Carson Cunningham. Ron Grady might’ve been in that class be he was overrated as shit.

          • This is a better class than that. This one rivals the whole of Miller’s mid-80’s classes. There was one guy who came to school in ’86 that makes that class the best ever. But other than that we have some really good players coming in who will complement each other as well as the six or so seniors who will still be here.

          • Grady was decent, but the injury and personal issues kept him from reaching his full potential. Kind of funny that he bailed on OSU to go play for McKay at Colorado State, who then bailed on him to come here. This new class is much, much better than the class of ’96. I even think the class with Jared Cunningham, Burton, Brandt, and Nelson was better. At least that class got along with each other. I just read Carson Cunningham’s book about his playing days and he LOVED OSU and wanted to stay here but the chemistry wasn’t there among his teammates. I remember him and Corey didn’t get along.

    • Sounds like the lady Beavs basketball team had a great signing day too, including a 5* top 40 nationally ranked player from Salem. Turns out, you can recruit to Corvallis…

        • But to start Rueck had nothing and still he was able to get talent into his program. He started with a program in shambles. He had, what, 2 returning players on the roster. He was recruiting volleyball players to fill out the team. And now he is pulling 5* recruits, in state recruits, and yes winning.

          What’s the problem at valley football center that Lindsay Smell seems to think you can’t recruit to Corvallis?

          • Having no players is better than inheriting players, especially if the outgoing regime left a bunch of bad attitudes. That clean slate can be enticing for many reasons–playing time, immediate leadership, building from scratch with no expectations. All those can be very nice for high level talent.

          • Lindsay etal say you cant recruit to Corvallis just to support Mike Riley, who they all like. He is a nice guy. The actual evidence says otherwise, but they ignore that. Many podunk college towns have good football programs. Hell, WSU went to a Rose Bowl not all that far back. Erickson did fine. Dee Andros did well. We dont expect a top ten ranking every year like those at UO. Just an occasional one, and Riley has never delivered.

          • Riley was nice to Lindsay so she is loyal to him but doesn’t appear to be so to the school. I don’t get her stance at all. She came to Oregon State because she could begin writing for the Barometer as a freshman. Journalism was her sport and she got playing time right away. You’d think she’d be grateful. Instead, she displayed no originality, but plugged into the mantra of “nobody’s better than Riley, Corvallis sucks, OSU is a crap school off the highway.”

            When Tinkle was hired, she quoted Gottlieb when he said he didn’t buy into “you can’t recruit to Corvallis.” However, she persists. I think she’s mad because most everyone likes Gina better.

          • Lindsay sure sounded different on Talking Beavers last night. She’s seems pretty fed up and is like what the f**k is going on. Parker sits and facilitates and Slade Norris is on the verge of tears.

    • The Riley supporters fall back on the 28 year skid, to scare those who want change. But its true of any coaching change, and they happen ALL the time. Its called having some guts. The problem at OSU is the moron AD who got us in contract situations where there is a need to change, but now you cant do it. He did it with Robinson and Riley. He was forced to change anyway, when the BB fans gave up. What is needed is the fans not attending. Just stay home and you will get change. Riley cant be bought out, but if the stadium is always half full, he will retire. He is not a bad guy and will see what he is doing to the program. And if he does it right, he will give the school a big heads up so they can recruit someone good. If he does it wrong, he screws the school and program. We are going to see what Riley is made of.

  10. The wrinkled old scrotum Dwight Jaynes decided to weigh in? Thank god. Another writer who never watches OSU football thinks it would be a mistake to fire Riley. Thank you, Mr. Scrotum.

    • I’d say some chance he retires but more probable he returns. Like 70/30 odds. Reason he might retire: him looking ill and then telling Goe he only wants to focus on this year. The way he said it implied something could be on his mind.

      • I think Riley expected a much better season with his senior, record-setting QB and veteran D.

        He doesn’t look like someone ready to start all over. Inexperienced QBs, OLBs and CBs tend to really struggle at OSU.

        • I think since he put Mannion in for Katz, he fully expected this year or even last year to be the Rose Bowl year and possibly retire at the peak.

          • He certainly has the talent and experience on the roster. If not for the glaring scheme deficiencies on D and the forever lack of a sense of immediacy on offense… and weird and inconsistent ST play… this team might have had a good run this year.

            I like some of the returning pieces next year. But I don’t see them coming together as one if we can’t get the current version to do so.

          • The schedule setup favorably for a 9-10 win season if Riley hadn’t regressed so much this year as a coach. the two injuries that were most significant were Isaac and Grimble. With those tow health 9-10 wins should have been realistic. With them out we shoulda been looking at 7. For this team to just fall apart coupled with 1-11 in the last 12 conference games is a glaring signal that Riles time has come.

    • Yes

      Just to apply some perspective, I think this season, when over, could well rate as the Apocalypse. The four horsemen are a-comin. OSU will likely be in last place, while UO looks to have a good shot at the NC. The disparity/contrast between the football fortunes of the two rival schools will be at its greatest.

      I think Riley can see he isnt cutting it anymore. But I would think Riley would want to retire on some kind of positive note, not with his team at the very bottom, and his main rival at the very top. That would be admitting complete inferiority.

      All that said, I bet he does retire and accepts the situation. The prospects for doing better next year seem slim.

  11. Hey PBH…you just got thrown under the bus.

    Then it got worse. Jerry Pettibone won 1, 1, 4, 4, 1 and 2 games during his time in Corvallis before Riley arrived to have three and five-win seasons before heading off to the NFL.

    And I think there is a 20% Riley does retire.

    • What in gods name made the Chargers hire Riley in the first place?? It was my sophomore year and I remember thinking WTF??? Did he do some things I missed?

  12. Well, I guess its officially time to shit can ALL expectations and hopes for this season. Nobody is even writing about the Beavs anymore, and I’ve looked but Mannion is not on any award lists. We all know Riley isn’t winning coach of the year in any capacity either.

    Just really disappointing, with all the hopes going into September now seeing only a few more games left, and none are looking easy. The season will be over before we know it, and then we get to watch bball try not to have a completely winless season for a few months.

    We all know women’s hoops and gymnastics having success is cool and all, but I’m not going to suddenly become a fan of those sports just because my team sucks in 2 out of the 3 sports I care about. Hell, I can’t even pretend to give a shit about collegiate gymnastics. The girls are really graceful and limber, but they’re also creepy as hell.

    My only hope is that Riley and his band of gypsy assistants somehow figure out a way to not be a complete embarrassment next season, and that Tinkles class for next season

    A. Stays together

    B. Are as good as advertised.

    C. Our coaches know what to do to make them better, and

    D. Can recruit outside the immediate families of the coaching staff, or

    E. Have more kids. Also, only hire coaches that plan to have 1 or more 4* recruits as kids.

    And hey, maybe Riley can right this rust bucket jalopy team enough to at least T bone ASU or the Yucks, just as they think they’re going to cross the intersection towards the god damn playoff on ramp.

    But more likely, we will blow a head gasket or throw a rod on the way. We may still limp it to the intersection, but at our speed would only be able to register a glancing blow at best.

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