(12-23-2017, 09:41 PM)DragonFury Wrote:

(12-23-2017, 09:10 PM)homebiscuit Wrote: That sounds like a bunch of hyperbolized hand wringing. In theory it could happen, but so could a visit by space aliens. In reality an ISP would be digging its own grave if it took such egregious measures. ISPs make their money by delivering what customers want, not by denying them in order to promote some nebulous sociopolitical agenda. The free market will dictate what they provide, not the big mean Koch brothers ruling from some evil dark ISP command center.

Just because it's unlikely doesn't mean it's acceptable. If you could make atomic weapons disappear from the world with the snap of your fingers would you really decline the opportunity just because it seems unlikely that any country would actually use their ability to deploy said weapons? Control of the internet translates into a vast amount of power to whomever has said control, and though the federal government is not the perfect entity to wield this power it is a far better alternative to having the likes of Comcast and Verizon control that power.

Comparing the irreversible destruction of mankind to the anticipated correction of censorial trends by market demands hardly reinforces your argument, but I get your point. However, ask CNN, MSNBC, and Huffington Post what pushing an obvious bias did to their market shares (and for the subsequent advent of alternate news sources) and you'll clearly see the free market is very effective at maintaining freedom and availability of content.

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