Topic: Common Carrier

The FCC is reportedly considering a "hybrid" approach to net neutrality that would classify back-end internet services as common carriers while keeping retail services deregulated. The proposal, supported by the Mozilla Foundation, is criticized by the hosts as a way to favor big content providers like Netflix and Hulu. They also note that Ars Technica, which reported on the plan, is owned by Condé Nast.

The discussion focuses on the push to classify the internet as a common carrier under Title II. The hosts argue that this move actually benefits large incumbents like Comcast and Time Warner by creating a regulated utility environment that stifles smaller competitors and municipal broadband projects.

The mayors of New York, San Francisco, and Portland sent a letter to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler urging the reclassification of broadband as a common carrier. The letter emphasizes the need for "lawful content" to be accessible without delays. Analysts point out that the focus on "lawful content" implies a level of government censorship and control over the internet that is often ignored in the net neutrality debate.

Protesters from Popular Resistance are forcibly removed from an FCC hearing after demanding the government regulate the internet as a common carrier. The hosts mock the protesters' logic of asking the government for more regulation to achieve "freedom." The group's website is examined, revealing a broad range of activist causes from anti-war efforts to net neutrality.

The hosts theorize that the net neutrality fervor was manufactured following Comcast's bid to acquire Time Warner Cable. They argue that being designated a "common carrier" utility actually benefits monopolies like Comcast by discouraging new competitors. The segment suggests that Netflix and Comcast may have collaborated to stir up public outrage over "slowdowns" to force regulatory changes that favor established players.