

Whitehouse.gov Net Neutrality Petition Passes 95k Signatures - SkyMarshal
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/restore-net-neutrality-directing-fcc-classify-internet-providers-common-carriers/5CWS1M4P?t=1

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w1ntermute
Have any of these petitions actually resulted in significant policy changes?
Seems to me that the system is just a way to pacify would-be protesters by
giving them an outlet for their discontent that has a low barrier to entry.

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SkyMarshal
Who knows what's going on behind the scenes, but as you say the barrier to
entry is low, and yet the vast majority of petitions still don't reach the
100,000 threshhold, so that gives the Whitehouse some insight into peoples'
priorities, at least among netizens.

Also, I have heard that Congress has a rule of thumb - if more than three of
their constituents take the time to write and mail an actual letter about the
same topic, and they're not looney's but serious-minded people, that signals
it's a real issue amongst their constituents and something that needs to be on
their radar.

I suspect this petition system works similarly.

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jessaustin
_...the vast majority of petitions still don 't reach the 100,000
threshhold..._

That's right, only the important petitions get that many signatures:

[https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/deport-justin-
bieb...](https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/deport-justin-bieber-and-
revoke-his-green-card/ST1yqHJL)

[currently at 233,220]

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SkyMarshal
Less than 5k needed to require a response. If you haven't signed it yet,
please do.

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jedberg
Guys, before you jump on this bandwagon, do your research. Common carrier is
bad for everyone, including the consumer.

It means that a floor will be set on the price of peering as well as a
ceiling, so ISPs that currently peer at no cost will be forced to charge each
other and then pass that on to consumers.

I'm a huge fan of Net Neutrality, but common carrier status is not the
solution.

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SkyMarshal
Is there a solution that prevents carriers from privileging different types of
data but maintains ability to peer at no cost?

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jedberg
Congress can either give the FCC the power to mandate it without common
carrier, or congress can simply legislate net neutrality on its own.

But I don't think a solution exists that is soley in the pervue of the
executive.

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kchoudhu
The "Deport Justin Bieber" petition blew past 100K signatures a couple of days
ago; I don't see him being told to leave the country yet.

Could it be that these petitions are completely useless?

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SkyMarshal
It costs little to nothing to participate, and the E(X) is somewhere between 0
and saving Net Neutrality - aka non-negative, no downside - it's not like you
lose your firstborn if the petition fails.

And yet the majority of these petitions fail anyway, so the few that do
provide some useful signal, even if we can't know the extent to which it
influences the decision-making process.

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GeneralMayhem
The obvious downside would be the typical slacktivism worry that by allowing
an easy, ineffectual way for people to voice their opinions you're reducing
the likelihood that they'll bother to go for more difficult but more effective
ways; sort of a crowding-out effect for effort.

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ChrisAntaki
The signatures are racking up. It's good to see people standing up for net
neutrality. Just added mine.

