Oracle gives FCC a great big sloppy kiss: You're doing a great job axing net neutrality, privacy In a bizarre, fawning letter, Oracle has given America's broadband watchdog, the FCC, the equivalent of a telco reach-around. The letter [PDF] from Oracle co-CEO Safra Catz's office, and signed by senior VP Kenneth Glueck, appears to have been written solely to praise FCC chairman Ajit Pai and his recent actions: a situation …
Oracle specifically points out in their letter that the FCC under the previous administration was anything but neutral in their behavior, selecting winners and losers, as is the wont of statists everywhere. Witness Net Neutrality being enforced by FCC decree rather than legislation. Now Oracle is happy that the FCC will apparently cease laying their heavy thumb on the scales. If NN is such a hot idea let those who favor it pressure Congress for action. If the Reps refuse then it becomes a legit attack avenue in the next election, that is assuming NN's virtues outweigh it's sins.
The author says the letter is "highly unusual" for a big corporation, and the entire premise for the article's existence hangs on it. But such things do happen occasionally, right? And recent historical events might be called highly unusual too, so maybe it fits with the times, eh? But then it couldn't be called a "reach around" I guess...
I don't know just how neutral the FCC will be during the Trump admin, but I doubt it can get any less neutral than before. BTW, this Republican Pai is a 2nd generation Indian Immigrant, for what it's worth. Not the typical conservative Republican, eh?
You don't like competitive capitalism? Your basic argument appears to be a belief in the corporatist capitalist economic model, where competition is based on fiscal and political power rather than the seeking of innovative advantage. Why not just say that is what you believe?
As for Pai being a second generation Indian immigrant? That basically means he's an American (who just happens to have an ancestory from India) by birth; therefore not an immigrant. Not the typical conservative Republican? Whatever does that mean?
People have their own political viewpoints, just because they look or appear, to some, to belong to one stereotypical group does not necessarily mean they actually do belong that group. This is why it is important not to fall into into the easy, no thought necessary, prejudices of the narrow minded. I'm quite sure you would not want to be perceived as a stereotypical ignorant troll, as I am sure, you aren't.
> "You don't like competitive capitalism?"
Is that actually how you see my comments? Should I reduce the syllable count? Or maybe we just don't agree on the purpose of NN, eh? You think opposition to NN is the same as opposition to competitive capitalism? I suppose that's the consensus construction, and I'm just an old out-of-it fool.
About the Pai thing, I was merely pointing out that the Republican party has plenty of non-white members, despite the propaganda of the Left. If you choose to twist that into a charge of racism, that's your quirk, not mine.
Oracle has always been a sociopathic organization, and being manipulative is just part of the game, even if done badly. So why would anyone be surprised that they try to be sycophantic if they perceive that to be to their advantage? The one thing the present Administration has shown it is full of are Trump sycophants, like the FCC chairman.
As the last section says, its all about Trump and his delicate ego, CEO Catz is enjoying the position of being on the White House tech team, this letter makes her look good, makes Trump tell whichever AG he has not yet fired to forget about any court dealings against Oracle and he can later spout some bull shit stat that he has brought thousands of IT jobs back to the fascist states of America, yes I did read the last sentance that Oracle is laying off staff, but Donald, 45, Drumph, Putin's puppet, the Orange One, cheeto Hitler, the Taco Terror wont see that on Fox news so it likely wont get a mention.
Now, do I post this anonymously or not is the next question...
..this is super disturbing.
And by 'bit' I mean 'window licking champion for 5 years running' - I'm not a smart man by any means. However, even a dunce like me can see how gross this is, and what sort of world it is leading into.
It feels like Trump is normalising a cult of personality; a man so obsessed with opinion and criticism that any slight against him is met with the full force of any number of lawsuits.
And now he's the president of the bloody US, in a funny time in history - with liberals so confident smelling their own farts that they can't see that not everyone shares their ideals, facing off against conservatives recently energised by a man who says all the right words to validate all their prejudice. It feels like sanity is going to become the new fundamentalism
If you want to help protect NN and privacy rules you should support groups like ACLU and the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Free Press who are fighting to keep Net Neutrality and privacy rules.
https://www.aclu.org/
https://www.eff.org/
https://www.freepress.net/
also you can set them as your charity on https://smile.amazon.com/
also write to your House Representative and senators
http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/
https://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?OrderBy=state
and the FCC
https://www.fcc.gov/about/contact
Admittedly you're right about health care and gun rights as those can affect any company. But it is curious why this letter was written given Oracle's business and matter it's discussing. Is Oracle going into the ISP business? Some things just feel weird and this is one of them.
Shenanigans like that make me feel that I am reading an article from the 80s about some Soviet guy praising the Politburo to get some much-needed brownie points.
Then, the week after, there is a footnote in the news about a regrettable accident in the metro, and the guy disappears from all the official photos.
So, looks like there is still room for "improvement".
Oracle knows that people in tech hate them, so they are secretly undermining the FCC by writing it an obsequious letter congratulating Chairman Pai on his vision and how well that aligns with what Big Red wants.
Then out of suspicion that this will mean some Larry Ellison-approved double digit price increase rent-seeking down the road, tech customers flock to oppose of Chairman Pai!
Oracle is playing chess, while the FCC is playing checkers!!
It's much simpler. Catz herself comes from the same lobby many of Trump's men and women come from. Tech advisor? She was a banker - she has no tech background. Oracle probably sees money to be made, and is siding with Trump while most of the IT sector is on the other side. Exactly because the recent FCC declensions have no impact on Oracle business, they're free to incense it.
As an American I have to say this is odd but not wholly out of bounds. These days when administrations engage in any action they like to run with the cover of public letters from organizations that allow you to claim that you have strong backing. In this case Oracle did do it because of their lovey relationship with the admin, that is basically what these advisory positions are for. But as examples go this is hardly out of league. Oracle at least is a real organization and is in a related business area.
Several weeks ago Pai got a similar sloppy kiss from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People one of our oldest Civil Rights organizations alongside other related groups like Americans Advancing Justice and the Asian Americans Association all of whom have exactly zip to do with FCC regulation. That these groups are funded by Comcast and AT&T is just a happy accident.
And as odd as that is, at least these groups exist.
In the ongoing healthcare debate, for example, the Republicans are now claiming broad support from the "One Nation Health Coalition" which didn't exist until last week and consists entirely of Lobbyists.
What does every dying company do? Spam! Spam to bring the customers back. Spam to get the name out again. Spam to hold back imminent death.
Oracle has been acquiring mass-mail companies and promoting customer engagement and retention as their hot new service. My personal experience is that Oracle's mailing lists have been used in a manner inconsistent with current US privacy and e-mail laws. If my experience isn't unusual, they may be vigorously pro-Pai to prevent themselves from getting into a lot of trouble for what they are doing.
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