Jolt
Thursday Jolt: Close Call for the Internet
Today's Loser: State liquor-store employees.
Thanks to voters' overwhelming approval of Initiative 1183, the Costco-funded liquor privatization measure, more than 900 employees at state-owned liquor stores and the state's Seattle distribution center will be laid off by June.
Although Costco has said they'll offer an interview to any former state employee who wants to work for them, there's no guarantee that Costco will hire all 900 workers. The warehouse retailer has about 30 outlets across Washington State; in contrast, there are more than 300 liquor stores in Washington State.
Today's Winner: Internet Users
Net Neutrality—the concept that internet service providers can't favor some content over other content—survived a Republican resolution in the US Senate today that would have scrapped FCC rules preventing ISPs from playing favorites, say, to big corporate content providers.
The resolution went down 52-46 after liberals including US Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) detailed why they supported the FCC rules. Cantwell concluded by drawing an analogy between content and household appliances. "It's as if ... your refrigerator and your toaster and your dryer all of sudden would start charging different rates because the electricity company would decide it had the ability to charge different rates. Would we put up with that?"
(And classic Cantwell: She simultaneously explained why the FCC rules don't go far enough; they leave out mobile internet access, and she's introduced an alternative bill that gives consumers receiving broadband over mobile sources the same protections as fixed sources such as cable.)
I will say, net neutrality is a bit more complicated than it sounds and ISPs may be less of a problem when it comes to Internet control than search engines, as Microsoft VP Brad Smith has pointed out. Microsoft, a content provider once wary of powerful ISPs, used to be a loud advocate of net neutrality rules, but has stepped back from the battle because, they say, they haven't seen a problem with ISPs.
Thanks to voters' overwhelming approval of Initiative 1183, the Costco-funded liquor privatization measure, more than 900 employees at state-owned liquor stores and the state's Seattle distribution center will be laid off by June.
Although Costco has said they'll offer an interview to any former state employee who wants to work for them, there's no guarantee that Costco will hire all 900 workers. The warehouse retailer has about 30 outlets across Washington State; in contrast, there are more than 300 liquor stores in Washington State.
Today's Winner: Internet Users
Net Neutrality—the concept that internet service providers can't favor some content over other content—survived a Republican resolution in the US Senate today that would have scrapped FCC rules preventing ISPs from playing favorites, say, to big corporate content providers.
The resolution went down 52-46 after liberals including US Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) detailed why they supported the FCC rules. Cantwell concluded by drawing an analogy between content and household appliances. "It's as if ... your refrigerator and your toaster and your dryer all of sudden would start charging different rates because the electricity company would decide it had the ability to charge different rates. Would we put up with that?"
(And classic Cantwell: She simultaneously explained why the FCC rules don't go far enough; they leave out mobile internet access, and she's introduced an alternative bill that gives consumers receiving broadband over mobile sources the same protections as fixed sources such as cable.)
I will say, net neutrality is a bit more complicated than it sounds and ISPs may be less of a problem when it comes to Internet control than search engines, as Microsoft VP Brad Smith has pointed out. Microsoft, a content provider once wary of powerful ISPs, used to be a loud advocate of net neutrality rules, but has stepped back from the battle because, they say, they haven't seen a problem with ISPs.
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