6307

Getting broadband to core institutions as you described is doing little? Okay. So you’re angry they aren’t doing enough? That the proposal isn’t perfect with last mile fiber everywhere?

6308

Why would we even do last mile fiber in really hard to reach rural communities? Wouldn’t a wireless solution for last mile problems be a hell of a lot cheaper and easier to deploy? For example, there are companies like Starry that are solving the last mile problem without laying down wires. [I have friends who use this service locally and love it, and they are gamers.]

6309

We really need to force the prices down. If I was president, I know who exactly I’d place on the FCC to make it happen.

I’m more concerned about prices and monopolies at this point than I am last mile access.

That said I’d be open to nationalizing Comcast/Charter then letting the Postal Service control it and fix postal profitability that way.

6310

Good lord. You wand Louis DeJoy running NBC and Universal Pictures? You realize Comcast isn’t just Comcast, right?

6311

I meant the ISP part. They’d also have to allow competitors to sublease bandwidth, like how Earthlink used to operate until Charter and Comcast got their monopoly power and shut them down.

Until 2019 I was getting Earthlink broadband over Charter/TWC’s network and only paying 2/3rd what most were paying.

My bill went up from $40 to $100 due to Charter buying TWC.

6312

Schumer announces that Jan 17 the Senate will debate changing the filibuster rules to allow passage of the new voting rights act.

6313

At least make the moderate and the loon be on record to support primary challengers.

We’re not going to get anything critical done until Dems who won’t get on board pay the price in primaries. This will require Manchin and Sinema losing primaries.

6314

That is almost stirring.

6315

That sounds awesome. Here’s a dumb question, can debate on ending or altering the filibuster be filibustered?

6316

The filibuster is applied to a motion to end debate, a cloture motion, so I don’t there is any way to filibuster starting debate.

6317

Fuckin’ go get 'em, Chuck.

6318

They’re both really critical problems – there’s still a decent chunk of the country that has no access. Then there’s a larger chunk that has access, but only through a monopoly provider. Then there’s an even larger chunk (if memory serves) that has access through a duopoly, but that duopoly has been in sync on pricing so closely that it’s pretty clear we have anticompetitive practices going on.

It’s been the focus of the last… 4 administrations to promote deployment. I think we’ve reached the end on where that’s going to happen under regular or even supported market incentives. Similarly, unless satellite works out, we’re not going to see additional competition coming any time soon. So both problems need to be addressed, but the former – the last mile issue – is much easier for either party because it doesn’t threaten the donations from industry.

6319

At this point, with the ISPs in this country having fully realized they make more money by providing less service, it’s going to take a disruption in the cartel, either through a new technology, or government intervention.

Reagan’s deregulation and the Koch Brothers ALEC butchers prepared the way for our current mess.

6320

My plan if I were the Democrats:
Vote to change the filibuster.
That fails, but whatever.
Now you make the Republicans actually filibuster. You force then to sue there and debate, and if they stop, then you pay voting rights.

If the GOP wants to actually try to filibuster voting rights for a year, go for it. Make them do it.

6321

You knock out a couple Republicans so they can’t vote, or trick them into not being in town, then hold the vote if you must.

6322

Timex, how would that work? Which GOP senators would suffer if no additional legislation or judges were considered until Biden’s term expires? Why would they not just happily and loudly vote NO on every cloture attempt?

6323

Because they are too fucking old and they would die.

In terms of the Senate not doing stuff the Democrats want to do in the meantime, is that stuff that they are really waiting to do now? Why haven’t they already done all that stuff? Why did they go on Christmas vacation of they had shit they needed to do?

That’s part of what makes me think the Democrats are a joke half the time.

“The GOP is literally destroying democracy and the entire world!”

-clock strikes 4 on a Thursday-

“I’m out folks, see you guys in 2 weeks!”

Shit is with important or it isn’t, and it really seems like they act like it isn’t much of the time.

6324

WUT?

This is an actual answer to the question posed?

6325

It is absolutely a real answer.

Make old people stay there.

6326

Ah, you are talking about a scenario with a rules change that requires a positive vote for continuing debate and that debate would then preclude all other business. Meaning at any moment the GOP lacks the number of votes to continue debate cloture can be called and passed. Would be nice.

So, @milo I guess to answer your question it’s not about the GOP suffering consequences among their constituents, it’s about enough of them not being present to vote to continue debate since they’d have to actually maintain 40 (or more depending on the rule change) present members to vote to continue debate for days at a time. The moment 11 of them are napping/peeing/grabbing a sandwich, boom, you vote to close debate.