Yesterday, one of the many worst-case scenarios of a Trump presidency came to pass, as the FCC repealed the net neutrality rules that were the last bulwhark against turning the internet and our access to it into a corporate hellscape. The telecommunications corporations previously allowed to run almost completely unfettered are now completely unfettered in their well-funded quest to fuck with consumers, throttle speeds, further marginalize unapproved voices, raise prices, and release worse products, all while squeezing out competition and consolidating power. It’s awful, and impossible to view in any other light, which is why 83% of Americans supported keeping the rules, including 75% of Republicans.
Jimmy Kimmel was just as pissed about it as anyone else, calling it “absolutely despicable” and laying into FCC chairman Ajit Pai as a “jackhole.” Enjoy some cathartic humor, as well as a reminder that the clock is ticking on healthcare.gov, too:
Seth Meyers went a little longer on the subject, in particular zeroing in on Pai’s obsession with the phrase “light touch” to describe the type of regulation he sought, which is both creepy and inaccurate.
As will be the kicker on all such stories going forward, please enjoy these videos now, before doing so nets you a $.007 per viewing “premium content” tariff, as will surely be the case in our near future.