SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2017
Internet
$25,000
ĞĂƌ&ƌŝĞŶĚƐŝŶtĞƐƚĞƌŶ>ĂŶĞŽƵŶƚLJ͕
Dear Friends in Western Lane County,
We have just topped $17,000 in our local
Red Kettle Campaign. This is a wonderful
opportunity to help others locally this
Christmas! Our Goal is $25,000 – please help!
Join us as volunteers or donors! It’s both fun
and rewarding!
SOME GREAT NEWS!!! We have an
anonymous donor who has pledged to
match the amount we raise this year – up to
$25,000*! DOUBLE YOUR CONTRIBUTION!
Mail a check to our P.O. Box 1041 in Florence
or make your kettle donation BEFORE
DECEMBER 24TH! Will you please help us
reach our goal? We need your generous
donations and precious time now – so thank
you and have a MERRY CHRISTMAS!
$17,149
Thank You
Florence Area Volunteers
WůĞĂƐĞƐĞŶĚLJ
Please send your generous donation today to:
SALVATION ARMY—(Memo WLC)
P.O. Box 1041, Florence, OR 97439
*Th e matching amount will be for Th e Salvation Army-Western Lane County Endowment Fund
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Th e Salvation Army of
Western Lane County
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Volunteer
for the local
Red Kettle
Campaign
Call Sam Spayd
541-991-6139
Sam Spayd, 2017 Volunteer Kettle Coordinator with
Janet Snow, 2015 & ‘16 Volunteer Coordinator
from 9A
Wright points out there can be
several network connections
between the ISP and a content
provider like Netflix.
“If we were so inclined, we
could get a connection directly to
Netflix,” he said. “However, this
comes at a price, both in mone-
tary terms and in time and com-
plexity.”
While bigger companies may
decide to make that investment,
smaller ISPs must carefully
weigh the cost and benefit.
“In reality, the difference in
these two scenarios is only sin-
gle-digit milliseconds, so the
performance gain isn’t great,” he
said.
Giving consumers a choice
among their providers can
empower individuals to vote
with their wallets and choose the
ISPs that provide the best experi-
ence, but Wright doesn’t believe
classifying ISPs as a public utili-
ty will help with this.
“If you want the proverbial
‘dumb pipe’ and one choice of
internet providers, then yes,
being regulated as a public utili-
ty would work,” he said. “If you
want ISPs to push the limits of
the technology, dramatically
increase speed and performance
and help push technology for-
ward, then no.”
The biggest mobile network
providers to Florence — AT&T
and Verizon — have echoed
large cable company sentiments
in their simultaneous support for
open internet and little regula-
tion.
Mobile provider AT&T on its
website plainly states, “We sup-
port an open internet,” but direct-
ly underneath rejects the 2015
FCC order as an “80-year-old
statute.”
However, proprietary content
on mobile devices adds another
layer of concern.
AT&T agitated net neutrality
groups in 2012 when it limited
the use of iPhone’s pre-installed
service FaceTime on its cellular
networks. FaceTime, which pro-
vides free video chatting among
iPhone users, was restricted to
customers who joined AT&T’s
“Mobile Share” data plan or
could find WiFi — a move
iPhone users considered akin to
holding FaceTime hostage.
As one commenter lamented
on technology website Ars
Technica, “I should be able to
use any app that isn’t illegal and
use my bandwidth with any
app.”
While AT&T denied this vio-
lated net neutrality rules, it even-
tually acquiesced to demands in
2013 and removed the limita-
tions. This event was cited in the
FCC’s 2015 Open Internet Order,
and it remains to be discovered
whether other voice or texting
apps will suffer similar discrimi-
nation if they compete with a
carrier’s options.
Brandon O’Connor, Store
Manager at AT&T’s Florence
Branch, admits some uncertainty
as to what the FCC vote will
bring for mobile users.
“There’s too much unknown
at this point, especially with my
company,” he said. “It’s really
hard to say what they’re gonna
do based on the [FCC] decision.”
Verizon, meanwhile, also
claims support for an open inter-
net and said it welcomes the
repeal of its Title II designation.
For Verizon, though, the fact that
the current FCC Chairman, Ajit
Pai, is a former Verizon legal
counsel led to storefront protests
and online activism. Adding to
suspicions was Verizon’s 2012
agreement to pay $1.25 million
to end an FCC investigation into
its attempts to block users from
accessing “tethering” apps,
which allow users to link their
internet connection to other
devices and thus avoid extra data
fees.
It’s well-remembered among
net neutrality advocates, too, that
Verizon’s lawsuit against the
FCC in 2014 set into motion the
reclassification of all ISPs to
common carriers in the first
place.
Ultimately, guarantees as to
the state of the internet ecosys-
tem going forward are sparse,
and if past misbehavior by cor-
porations is any indication of
what is to come, there may be
something to net neutrality pro-
ponents’ misgivings.
Consumers
of
Android
phones, for example, may
remember that Verizon, AT&T
and T-Mobile shut out Google
Wallet from their devices until
2015, in large part due to their
co-investment in a competing
payment app. Prioritization of
this sort is an extra hurdle for
start-ups and content providers
that want to enter the market, and
it falls short of expectations for
consumers who demand access
to a variety of content. It remains
to be seen if problems like this
will become par for the course.
While consumer choice for
broadband service in Florence is
hardly the victim of monopoly,
this is little comfort to those who
expect a higher standard of
options.
“The internet is increasingly
important in almost every aspect
of personal life,” said Dawson.
“The way to maximize our abili-
ty to use this tool is to make sure
the information isn’t throttled.”
Internet heavyweights such as
Amazon and Facebook have
established themselves as front-
liners in the battle to protect con-
sumer and content provider
access to the internet. Online
movements such as battle-
forthenet.com offer outlets and
resources for those wanting to
get involved. With so many play-
ers in the game, it’s no wonder
many people hold an outlook that
is, at best, murky.
“All these rules can change,”
said Rogato. “Today the powers
that are in office can do this, that,
change rules. Four years later,
they could turn the other way.”
Wright entertains two possi-
bilities moving forward: “A flash
in the pan that everyone moves
on from quickly, or someone in
Congress proposes a bill that
overrules the FCC,” he said.
“That will be an even greater
fight on both sides.”
The uncertainty of how this
three-dimensional game of chess
will play out propels some to
man the ramparts of internet
freedom while leaving others
disimpassioned enough to let the
pieces fall where they may.
Whatever the case, it remains
clear the debate is far from over.
“The public will have to be
perpetually vigilant on this, I
think,” said Dawson.
Denyse
Lalitha
Melissa
Vanessa
Keep the numbers of these locally owned businesses on
hand for all of your service and shopping needs.
541-997-3160 • 351 LAUREL STREET
541-266-1641
$100 off purchase of 1 syringe of
Restylane or Juvederm
Offer valid through 1/31/2018
NBMC, 1900 Woodland Dr., Coos Bay, 1 st Floor
www.markelovmd.com
Will you join
us in making a
difference?
Design and Printing
We design to your desire
Customize t-shirts, hoodies and other apparel
for business, parties, reunions and more!
Create your own tye-dye shirts, wigs and jewelry
All donations are used for
food purchases.
Open weekdays at 11:00 am-6 pm
Mail your donations to:
Food Backpack for Kids
PO Box 3347
Florence. OR.97439
Call for more information
541-997-3533
M AGOOLA ’ S
Family Treasures
541-991-2760
Heceta Beach Shopping Center
87768 Highway 101 N, Florence 97439
ǡ͕͕͜
Florence Tech Solutions
• Smart TV Setup
• Virus Malware
• Cloud/iCloud
• Email Setup
• Tutoring
• iPad, iPhone, MAC
• Universal TV Remote
• Sound Bar Setup
• Smart Phone | Tablet
• Monthly Computer Tune-Up
• Streaming Setup
(Roku, Firestick)
• Printer Scanner
• Social Media Eduation
• Website Design
541-991-3705
Owner | Technician
info@Florencetechsolutions.com
Mon-Fri 9am-4pm • Closed Sat & Sun • 1431 Bay Street (Old Town)
SOFT TOUCH HAIR DESIGN
I will be closed the month of
January, 2018. Please call
to schedule your future
appointments now!
Wishing You Happy Holidays
and Best Wishes for the New Year!
Ginger Cole,
Owner
968 Nopal Street • 541-997-9123
541-991-3405
CCB#212734
11 A
