Obama: "I'm a big believer in net neutrality."

[t0dd]

Source: The Hill

Net neutrality was a hot topic for President Barack Obama's YouTube question-and-answer session today.

Citizens were invited to submit questions for the president on YouTube during and after his State of the Union address last week. Since then, 640,000 votes were cast for 11,000 questions, and YouTube selected a few dozen of the highest-rated questions for Obama to answer during a live interview.

Interestingly, net neutrality was the most-asked-about topic under the Jobs/Economy category.

When asked directly if he believed in a free and open Internet, Obama responded, "I'm a big believer in net neutrality."

“I campaigned on this. I continue to be a strong supporter of it," he continued. "My FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski has indicated that he shares the view that we’ve got to keep the Internet open, that we don’t want to create a bunch of gateways that prevent somebody who doesn’t have a lot of money but has a good idea from being able to start their next YouTube or their next Google on the Internet."

"This is something we’re committed to,” he continued. “We’re getting pushback, obviously, from some of the bigger carriers who would like to be able to charge more fees and extract more money from wealthier customers. But we think that runs counter to the whole spirit of openness that has made the Internet such a powerful engine for not only economic growth, but also for the generation of ideas and creativity."

Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/79081-obama-im-a-big-believer-in-net-neutrality

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Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mP01t0Z4Hr8&feature=player_embedded

The Internet Gatekeepers (Comcast, Verizon, AT&T, and Time Warner) won't be happy about this. :eyes:

Bravo! :applause:

[Pirate Smile]

1. K & R

[Hawkeye-X]

2. Make it an constitutional amendment so the big bois can't fuck with it.

Internet shall and always will be neutral from the clawed arms of the illegal corporations.

[Go2Peace]

3. Good to hear it. It is an area which cannot have a "compromise" solution

either it is kept open and on an even playing field or not.

[deacon]

14. 100% agree. n/t

[Pithlet]

4. Another K&R

:kick:

[scarletwoman]

5. Is that like how he's a "fierce advocate" for gay rights? nt

[laconicsax]

7. Time will tell...

[theHandpuppet]

10. That was exactly my response when I read this

Talk is cheap.

[scarletwoman]

17. Yup. "Talk is cheap." nt

[populistdriven]

6. Then why does his FCC net neutrality policy permit ISPs to block bittorrent?

www.realnetneutrality.org

[TheWatcher]

12. Look, by now you should see how simple this is.

He says pretty words, then commits 180 degree opposite actions.

If this keeps up, his new nickname should be "President Contradict".

The answer to your question is simple.

His words do not mirror his actions.

They do make us feel good, though.

And in the end, that's all that matters.

Right?

[howaboutme]

15. That does worry me

Obama has had an uncanny ability to say exactly what his supporters want to hear, and then he gives up the position allegedly in the interest of negotiations, non-partisanship and corporate interests.

It should concern us greatly that without net neutrality, the corporate media will only expand upon what they already have which is the ability to control and use propaganda en mass as a means to manipulate public opinion to their interests. The recent Supreme Court decision giving foreign and multi-national corporations the right to spend infinite money to influence US elections while greatly enriching the US corporate media already strikes a huge blow to our fragile democracy.

[Ardent15]

8. K and R

[Vidar]

9. I hope he backs those words up.

[Canuckistanian]

11. So, will he veto any bill that threatens it?

Even if it's a rider on the "Protect America's Children from Terrorism Act"?

[deacon]

13. k + r n/t

[Toasterlad]

16. He's Also a "Fierce Advocate" For Gay Equality

He declares himself lots of things.