We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Friday, February 27, 2015

How Net Neutrality Came Back from the Dead

Click here to access article by Sam Gustin from Motherboard.

Let us celebrate a rare victory. But, I believe the vote on the FCC regulatory body was close (3 to 2); thus this may only be a temporary victory. 
...on Thursday, Wheeler—the former cable and wireless industry lobbyist—completed an astonishing year-long turn-around, and did what many had thought unthinkable. Under Title II authority, the FCC established its strongest-ever net neutrality protections, handing open internet activists (and their public interest allies) a once-in-a-generation victory.

Wheeler’s evolution from high-powered industry lobbyist to internet folk hero is one of the most unlikely tales in the history of modern regulatory policy.
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