Watch Obama's Net Neutrality Promises, Promises, Promises (VIDEO)

President Obama campaigned on net neutrality, and yet the White House has been surprisingly quiet on the issue since the breakdown of FCC negotiations and in the wake of Google and Verizon's joint policy proposal.

By contrast, as the video below highlights, we heard a great deal about net neutrality from Senator Obama while he was on the campaign trail. Both before and after taking office, Obama repeatedly expressed his unwavering commitment to maintaining an open Internet.

"The most important thing we can probably do is to preserve the diversity that's emerging through the Internet...something called net neutrality," he declared in April 2008. "I will take a backseat to no one in my commitment to network neutrality."

Just recently, however, a White House spokeswoman told Time only that the President "supports an open Internet that drives innovation, investment, free speech and consumer choice" and "[supports] the FCC's process." She declined to comment on the White House's view of the Google/Verizon framework.

"America has been fighting to figure out how to tap this awesome new resource that we have and Google has helped to show us the way," Obama said in a speech in November 2007.

Will Google continue to help "show us the way" with its net neutrality policy proposal? And, if so, would accepting the Verizon/Google framework, as outlined in its current form, go against Obama's many promises on net neutrality?

In the video below, Huffington Post video editor Ben Craw has spliced together clips presenting what Obama has said on net neutrality over the past three years. What do you hope to hear from him next?

Video produced by Ben Craw

Comments

[Travis Dey]

12:08 PM on 08/19/2010

In my case, this was the only video today that was UNWATCHABLE unless I "unblocked" Google's Ads (DoubleClick) tracking scripts. The irony is NOT amusing.

[jjsardo]

08:00 PM on 08/16/2010

I have voted for a Republican for president three times: Twice for Bill Clinton and once for Obama.

Both are Democratic Party Quislings. Obama is about to become a Social Security Quisling. (Refer to his Cat Food Commission which he carefully rigged against SS).

If there is no acceptable third party candidate in 2012, I will leave the field for president blank.

Obama’s record to date is so pathetic he may well decide not to run in 2012. Hopefully this is the case and the party will then nominate a true Democrat, if such a thing still exists.

[Ifeomamn]

09:34 AM on 08/16/2010

The Obama and FCC are the same. The FCC Chairman wanted to go ahead with the net neutrality until the supreme court ruled that the FCC does not have that authority. It is now up to congress. Instead spending time trying to always find fault on the President, I will advise that you spend your time making sure that people who support your postion wins the election. The Repubs and the Tea party are now against net neutrality. Educate the public so that the majority will vote accordance with their interest instead of against. The problem we now have in this country is there is no MEDIA ANYMORE THAT REPORT FACTS.....

[ThatsTheTheWayItIs]

08:44 AM on 08/16/2010

Unless you are an computer engineer, preferably in networking,

You don't understand this, and you are being used.
This is not a takeover of the Internet.
"Net neutrality" is like "death panels": all fear-mongering.

This applies only to INTERNET TO YOUR CELL PHONE, IN YOUR CAR !!
Something that did not exist 5 years ago.
It does NOT apply to local wireless, Wifi, what your laptop uses at home or in cafes.
It does NOT apply to Internet over cable, phone, satellite, fiber optic, never will.

I have a Verizon cell phone, access to the "world-wide phone network", that's what it is.
Verizon favors me visiting some "sites". I can call other Verizon users for free, no minutes.

Verizon already enhances my cell access to favored sites, and now will my Internet cell-phone access. It is not going to slow down any sites, just speed up those who pay for it.

Only video needs that speed-up; this is for TV ON YOUR CELL PHONE!
That's the "killer app", much ado about nothing. Turn it off and drive.

People hear "wireless" and think it applies to how they already use their laptops. Not true.

[Mermaids daddyo]

09:07 AM on 08/16/2010

"It is not going to slow down any sites, just speed up those who pay for it."
Are you paid directly by verizon or are you a third party contractor???
Tool.

[ThatsTheTheWayItIs]

03:10 PM on 08/16/2010

Why does everyone one this site assume info given is biased?
I assume because they operate that way, based on self-interest rather than fact.

I'm 60, retired 30-year software engineer, don't own any US stock, except solar, and I don't think this helps them. If you own a DirectTV DVR it's running my code, runs on Linux, as in free software. I was a digital video and medical imaging expert. The radiologist my be using my code to read your MRI.

Yes, I was once a corporate "tool", like millions of others. Made six-figures, never had to lie or shill to be paid that.

This may be hard to accept, but corporations mostly make things and provide services people want, or else they go out of business and we "tools" all lose our jobs. It's called "the real world".

[jmpurser]

09:32 AM on 08/16/2010

Yes, it "only applies" to the places Google and Verizon think the most money can be made.

[ThatsTheTheWayItIs]

03:02 PM on 08/16/2010

I don't think so. People here are young, and overestimate the importance of wireless, iPhones and remote Internet access.

The big money is in video over the Internet, VOD and live, replacing broadcast, cable, satellite. And as I said, only video needs the boost they are doing. Replacing the networks (which as others have pointed out why the real grab is the merge with Comcast). Few people will watch that video on a cell connection, it's just remote TV.

The future connection is fiber. People should be more worried about what Verizon will do with Fios, but on fiber you can give bandwidth to everybody, there's lots of it.

[bluguy8]

08:34 AM on 08/16/2010

yeah right. get Verizon & Google out of the equation. Their both crooks and it won't be neutral. If they own the net, I hope someone comes up with an alternative for the rest of us. Then verizon /Google can have all the net they want

[Snarkyone]

08:25 AM on 08/16/2010

Make no mistake, let me be perfectly clear, this will be a top priority until we find a way to waffle around until any real protection the internet enjoys will be bargained away.

[Mermaids daddyo]

09:08 AM on 08/16/2010

No corporation left behind!!!

[fromdnorth]

08:04 AM on 08/16/2010

Net neutrality is the deal breaker for me... If the WH fails on this there is no point to the commodity called the internet since spin will be all it would be good for...

It would be like the promise made by Kelloggs: Corn Flakes would stop masturbation...

[Snarkyone]

08:26 AM on 08/16/2010

Thought it caused hairy palms.....oh wait a minute, damn dyslexia!

[TakeTheCanolis]

07:54 AM on 08/16/2010

From the clip shown here it's unclear to me what Obama means by "Google has shown us the way." He could simply be referring to its innovations in providing a powerful search engine. If that's all he means, there's no immediate cause for alarm. However, given how corporate lobbyists control Congress, Democrats must make the most of this opportunity to pass legislation protecting net neutrality. If they don't, we may lose net neutrality at the whim of a future president and congress. If such a small Republican minority can exert this much pressure now, I shudder at the thought of what they could do with a majority.

Tell FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski: "Don't let Google be evil."
https://secure.freepress.net/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=471

Tell the same to your Senators and House Representative.

[GhostNyc]

07:48 AM on 08/16/2010

If you have been paying attention to the M.O of the Obama Administration- he does not strong arm legislation thru as the previous administration (even though sometimes many wish he would). The current team encourages things to go thru proper channels.

With that- contact the FCC chairman Julius Genachowski- [e-mail]

Support groups like Save the internet- http://www.savetheinternet.com/

Support politicians like Sen. Al Franken of Minnesota is one of the few fighting to protect net neutrality. http://www.alfranken.com/

Congress Alan Grayson recently did a 180 on support - Read it @ Huffpo- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/05/alan-grayson-sides-with-t_n_672313.html

If there was ever a single cause to support, this would be it. This has far reaching implications for the current and future state of the internet and how we all access it. Simply put with Net Neutrality someone at a ISP might decide that Huffpo is not as important as FAUX news dot com and limit Huffpos accessibility.

[jmpurser]

09:31 AM on 08/16/2010

Obama DOES "strong arm" legislation through on those rare occasions when it looks like Congress might not do the right thing by the corporations Obama represents. Hence his diving in when it looked like Congress was going to add pay restrictions and accountability measures to TARP II. He put a stop to that nonsense quickly. And what was his first action on "health care reform"? Killing single payer to ensure that a corporate welfare bill was all we could get.

Obama is very active when his "constituent's best interest" is on the line.

[rougebaisers]

06:11 AM on 08/16/2010

Promises promises promises.....Talk talk talk..........

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJP2PH8WKaI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSWBzY-mLFQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hd6riYfLPXk

[medialv]

06:05 AM on 08/16/2010

The major search engines already control most peoples reality.

If you search for something they don't consider important/mainstream enough....
you will never find a result for it.

For example: If some genius mind out there doesnt have alot of links pointing to their ideas/theories/pages......you better have some other way of coming across it.

Reality by omission.

[Trittydi]

04:48 AM on 08/16/2010

Obama did promise to protect the internet. We'll now see what his promises are worth. This will be a defining moment ... can he or can't he? Will he or won't he? REALLY.

I understood that he could not overcome the Health Insurance companies and the Banking interests. But the telecoms? Really?

Do they understand how much this will cost them with the younger voters? Our Internet freedom is basic to our identity as a country.
*

[Mermaids daddyo]

09:10 AM on 08/16/2010

They really just hope you will reelect the waffler because the alternative is much worse.

[Trittydi]

07:22 PM on 08/16/2010

I WILL be voting for President Obama in 2012. I understand what he's up against ... is he disappointing me? Yes - but he's still the only choice against turning things over to re-Thugs so they can finish the middle class off.
*

[Mr G]

04:12 AM on 08/16/2010

Another "top priority" of Obama's left to the wasteland. I'll bet the college kids are thrilled.

[Trittydi]

04:43 AM on 08/16/2010

Why?
*

[flerlerp]

03:06 AM on 08/16/2010

shake yourself. the internet as we know it, it's gone. there's a few bright guys out there building a foundation to subvert this mess. I'll keep you posted.

[leazzel]

02:09 AM on 08/16/2010

Where's the Porn communitity in all this? This could lead to alot of down time on the TnA industry.