Effective today, I am making some policy changes affecting our Comments section.  It is important for everyone to understand that organizing a pushback against usage caps means putting aside non-germane issues that really don’t help to keep people focused on the issues here.  Therefore,

1. This is not a “right” or “left” issue.  We have people from all political points of view here, each concerned for their own reasons or beliefs why caps are bad.  Some feel this is a slippery slope towards controlling what people do online, others see it as a corporatist agenda to reduce competition and abuse market power.  Some seek a regulatory approach, others want competition in the free market, and many more want a combination of the two.  They are all valid, and it’s okay to offer different solutions.  But this is not the fault of any political party, past or current president, or federal official.  After 20 years of watching this industry, there are both Democrats and Republicans who support or oppose our views on these issues.  It’s remarkable how bi-partisan the good and the bad ideas are.  A Democrat in the North Carolina legislature is pushing the anti-municipal broadband legislation.  Republicans in Texas have largely not been receptive to appeals from constituents about usage caps.  In short, you’ll find good and bad all over, and we’ll need all of the good we can find, no matter what political party one aligns with.
2. Resist flame wars in the Comments section on other writers.  I am going to start purging the more egregious ones.  Argue and debate the issues, not each other.  It’s okay to have different opinions, and people should expect they might be debated about them, but let’s keep it above the belt.

The Comments system is now configured to allow you to edit your comments for up to 30 minutes after they are written.  If you are particularly annoyed with someone, you might consider writing the reply in a text editor, saving it, and waiting a few hours/next day before you paste it into the comments editor and send it.  Heat of the moment replies are often regretted later.

Thanks for helping out.