back to article You want wires with that? Burger King backs, er, net neutrality

It is possible for a policy issue to jump the shark? It's not a question we've ever felt the need to ask, but today Burger King – yes, the sweaty meat slinger – put out a advert in which it comes to the defense of net neutrality in America. Quite why a fast-food joint would feel the need to weigh in the most controversial …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Well, Thank The Heavens

    Because, really, when it gets right down to it, Burger King is where I turn for the hard-hitting analyses I need of the important events of the day.

    Maybe next they'll weigh in on the rampant government corruption in Ottawa?

    1. kain preacher

      Re: Well, Thank The Heavens

      Yet this got the message across to more people

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Well, Thank The Heavens

        You can make some people believe anything if you dumb it down enough.

        1. israel_hands

          Re: Well, Thank The Heavens

          You and the other Trumpanzees are a stark example of the truth behind those words.

        2. texmaster

          Re: Well, Thank The Heavens

          Exactly. The same simpletons who bought this BS pretends the internet was only invented a few years ago. What ever did we do before net neutrality?

          1. Chad H.

            Re: Well, Thank The Heavens

            >>>Exactly. The same simpletons who bought this BS pretends the internet was only invented a few years ago. What ever did we do before net neutrality?

            Well, O2 Broadband did try to charge you more to access streaming. If you bought their 8Mbps package no netflix for you.

        3. Rattus Rattus

          Re: You can make some people believe anything if you dumb it down enough

          True. For example, that "trickle down" economics works, or that tax breaks for the wealthy create jobs, or that America is the "land of the free".

          1. Byron "Jito463"

            Re: You can make some people believe anything if you dumb it down enough

            >>For example, that "trickle down" economics works

            Funny, we had unprecedented growth under Reagan and his trickle down economics model. But what do I know, I just have proven historical evidence and documented facts to support the concept. Silly me.

            >>or that tax breaks for the wealthy create jobs

            Actually, we're seeing proof of that now. Companies getting tax breaks are investing that money back into the US economy. I'm no fan of Trump, but I'm willing to concede when he does something right.

            >>or that America is the "land of the free".

            Freedom is a mindset. People who don't want to be free (those who rely on nanny state goobermint to protect them), never will be. People who cherish freedom - even in the midst of strangling regulations and burdensome government - will always be free.

            There are plenty of people in both camps in the US, but I believe there are more of the latter category, than the former.

            1. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              "Funny, we had unprecedented growth under Reagan"

              Yes, also the public debt doubled. Debt that needs to be repaid, one day.

              There was also a 1990 boom under Clinton, with different conditions. Growth may have many different reasons - for example 1980 and 1990 growth happened also because the introduction of new technologies - and that has nothing to do with tax breaks only, and is often the apex of investments made well before. Or may be due to lifting regulations like the Steagall-Glass act, which then turn into a huge crisis. Or even due to moving more and more plants abroad, Mexico or China, to exploit cheap labour.

              Anyway, if growth only advantages a relatively few people, it's not really a great thing. How long US middle-class salaries have been stagnant?

              "Companies getting tax breaks are investing that money back into the US economy."

              Yes, but where? Dividends? Buy backs? New jobs? They PROMISED new jobs, they did it already in the past, then went for funneling money only to shareholders and big bonuses. Look at what happened when Bush made a big tax discount on repatriated money. Many promises, and money went into already large pockets.

              Companies increase the work force (and pay it better) if and only if they feel a real need for it - they don't hire more people just because the tax are lower - they hire new people if the see a ROI in doing it.

              The 1980 created a lot of new jobs in the electronics and software industry. Then the hardware one was moved to Far East, while the software industry consolidated - less competition, less jobs.

              Anyway, any tax break won't make them cheaper than someone in Mumbai or Dhaka. Also, would you accept a REDUCED salary because taxes are lower? Only this way a company would find hiring appealing. If they have to pay you the same amount, from the company perspective any tax break on salaries is irrelevant, you still cost the same. Sure, maybe you'll have some more money to spend, but they won't all return to the company.

              That's why Trump reduced the corporate tax and taxes on the wealthy ones. Lobbyists were never interested in anything else. Let's see what happens, US debt is far higher than it was in Reagan times, and US economy less competitive. Good luck....

            2. strum

              Re: You can make some people believe anything if you dumb it down enough

              Byron,

              Reagan was the Father of the Deficit. He dragged the USA into debt,even though a world-wide boom bouyed his economy.

              And you aren't seeing 'proof' of anything now; you're seeing a few, well-publicised set pieces, which bear little or no relationship to average behaviour.

              Lastly, freedom is not a mindset. That's utter garbage. Freedom is the ability to do what you want to do (without impinging on the freedoms of others).

              1. Byron "Jito463"

                Re: You can make some people believe anything if you dumb it down enough

                >> Reagan was the Father of the Deficit. He dragged the USA into debt,even though a world-wide boom bouyed his economy.

                False. While the debt did rise (primarily due to military spending to combat the USSR - yes, there are those of us who remember the USSR and the dangers it posed), the rise was offset by the increase to our GDP, which increased income to the government. So while more money was spent, there was more coming in, as well. It's nowhere near the reckless spending of Obama.

                >>And you aren't seeing 'proof' of anything now; you're seeing a few, well-publicised set pieces, which bear little or no relationship to average behaviour.

                Time will tell.

                >>Lastly, freedom is not a mindset. That's utter garbage. Freedom is the ability to do what you want to do (without impinging on the freedoms of others).

                We'll have to agree to disagree on that.

        4. hplasm
          Meh

          Re: Well, Thank The Heavens

          "You can make some people believe anything if you dumb it down enough."

          True, the evidence is out there.

          It is orange.

        5. CrazyOldCatMan Silver badge

          Re: Well, Thank The Heavens

          You can make some people believe anything if you dumb it down enough

          And there you have, encapsulated in a nutshell of cynicism, the truth behind US politics.

          Can you spell 'demagogue'? I'm sure you can..

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Well, Thank The Heavens

        @kain

        Do you really believe that? This controversy has already received mountains of visibility, with wall-to-wall negative coverage from every media outlet and Internet pundit with a blog, YT channel, or tumblr. I am quite dubious that very many interested in being informed about this issue had yet to be reached.

        If BK had done this three months ago, I may have been impressed, if a bit incredulous. Now, it seems like opportunistic dog-piling, because everybody's doing it and it's safe.

    2. Blank Reg

      Re: Well, Thank The Heavens

      No, harper is gone, now it's just your run of the mill levels of government corruption

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    At ****ing last

    Just because I don't have an El Reg Badge™ next to my name, it's taken me well over 30 minutes to get this posted.

    1. Jamie Jones Silver badge

      Re: At ****ing last

      You're holding it wrong.

  3. usbac Silver badge

    We can at least hope this presents the issue in a way that the typically apathetic Joe Public can understand. I frankly don't care if Burger King gets a little extra publicity out of it, if it helps to get the issue in the minds of people that wouldn't care otherwise.

    At my workplace, most of the people I talk to have no idea what Net Neutrality is, or why it's so important. When I explain it to them, they get it. I just don't have time to go around and explain it to the other 330,000,000 people that need to understand it.

    1. My other car is an IAV Stryker

      Only 330 million?

      Given the Big Data / Server vendors in the US -- if only for Patch Tuesday -- what goes on with US networks has the potential to affect THE WORLD!!!

      Therefore, "...the other 7,000,000,000 people..."

      FTFY.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Only 330 million?

        Hope at leas the big ones use a CDN outside US.... just to distribute the load...

      2. Jamie Jones Silver badge

        Re: Only 330 million?

        Naah. A global effect will be minimal. This is all about how American consumer ISPs deal with consumer connections.

        If the worst of the worst happened, and companies became less profitable, they'd still cater to their international audiences. Costs may rise globally, but companies with a strong global reach will keep going.

        Hypothetically, if Trump 'banned' google, or any of the others with a global reach, they'd not close down, they'd shift their base to another country.

    2. Mark 85

      They could have went a bit further. Once neutrality is gone, Big Cable theoretically could start charging any website a fee for moving their data along to a customer. So BK could add things like "pickle.. that will be $0.05", "mustard... only if you get the pickle", "onions.... $0.10".

  4. edsonmoreira
    FAIL

    And a key ingredient is missing

    People just need to see a big line inside BK and decide to go to a COMPETITOR and get a burger there!

    1. Chad H.

      Re: And a key ingredient is missing

      >>>People just need to see a big line inside BK and decide to go to a COMPETITOR and get a burger there!

      Except in the US, a lot of people *don't* have that choice. If they have a choice at all, its one or two scumbag companies doing the exact same thing.

      1. CrazyOldCatMan Silver badge

        Re: And a key ingredient is missing

        Except in the US, a lot of people *don't* have that choice

        And the answer is pretty simple - local loop unbundling. So - my home internet isn't from BT although it's delivered via a BT phone line - my ISP pays BT for access to the link between the exchange and my house (simplifying things a little) and then I pay my ISP.

        That local loop price is regulated so that BT can't price other ISPs out of the market. Which is why I have a selection of about 30 ISPs to choose from at varying price points and capabilities.

    2. Claptrap314 Silver badge

      Re: And a key ingredient is missing

      As mentioned, there is only one competitor, and they are in collusion. When cable was rolled out in the late 70s and early 80s, they got a bunch of sweetheart deals with the local governments. It is these sweetheart deals that allowed them to drive all other ISPs out of business. Just realize that Google has had rough sledding trying to get into that business.

      Now of course, the final mile is a huge barrier to entry in its own right, aside from the sweetheart deal.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: And a key ingredient is missing

        So the solution is to end the sweetheart deals. Oh, but that wouldn't allow Big Government to get their claws on the Internet...

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: And a key ingredient is missing

          In New Jersey, Verizon got the State to end the "sweetheart" deals with the municipalities - by lobbying for the right to run right over the local governments' control of rights-of-way in exchange, they promised, for statewide universal access to FttP. It's been more then ten years and we're still waiting.

          Yeah. The solution.

  5. k317
    Happy

    Kudos

    Simplified but effective. Humorous too.

  6. Fruit and Nutcase Silver badge
    Coat

    Target Audience

    Reports of Michael Wolff’s book state that Trump is partial to scoffing burgers bought from another well-known purveyor of fast food. If Trump begins to understand net neutrality as a result of this advert, it s by far in excess of what Tweety Pai has done.

  7. Byron "Jito463"

    Such a pile of drivel

    The internet didn't suddenly become a mystical land of rainbows and unicorns when NN was implemented, and it's not going to end just because it was reversed. The fact that it was so easy to repeal should be reason enough for anyone to see, that allowing a small group of unelected officials in the FCC to regulate the internet is a horrible idea.

    I don't agree with all aspects of NN, but there were some good parts to it. I'd rather that Congress take the better pieces of it and write a proper bill, where it takes more than 3 votes (of a 5 man panel) to make or break things - break being the operative word.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Such a pile of drivel

      Every time I say this is a job for Congress I'm massively downvoted. Seems most NN proponents would prefer it be instituted by fiat, the way Obama did it.

      1. ratfox

        Re: Such a pile of drivel

        It should be a job for Congress... Unfortunately, Congress is so dysfunctional nowadays that it can barely manage to keep the lights on.

      2. CrazyOldCatMan Silver badge

        Re: Such a pile of drivel

        instituted by fiat, the way Obama did it

        Strangely enough, you don't seem to have an issue with Trump removing it by fiat..

        At least the previous FCC Chairman went through all the parts of the procedure - including looking at public comments.

  8. ecofeco Silver badge

    Brilliant!

    Good job Burger King!

  9. IRM242
    Trollface

    Anyone hungry?

    We take many things for granted, "Instant Access" is one of them. I personally enjoyed the video ... and also got hungry :)

    Here's a Burger King Mask for all of you:

    https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000WPJJD2/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=B000WPJJD2&linkCode=as2&tag=unustradvolu-21&linkId=abc96d8a6ae6fa8e75c81395ba8d8c04

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