This week Manufacturing’s Winner & Loser of the week are a little bit different than previous weeks. Instead of just one person or company in each category, the winner and loser position were given to broader groups of people. Take a look and see who ‘won’ and ‘lost’ this week.
Winner
This week the winners are all the people out there who consider themselves consumers of the Internet.
Yesterday, the Federal Communications Commission voted to protect net neutrality through the creation of uniform standards for Internet users. The new rules are designed to ensure that all Internet service providers treat content equally through regulations on blocking traffic and charging for faster Internet services.
It was believed by many that if net neutrality was not protected small companies would be priced out by larger companies with the means to create “fast lanes” for themselves.
Tom Wheeler, the FCC Chairman, explained that the goals of maintaining net neutrality were to “ensure incentives for private investment in broadband infrastructure so the U.S. has world-leading networks and ensure that those networks are fast, fair and open for all Americans."
Even Steve Wozniak, the Co-Founder of Apple, agrees. Check out the video below to hear more of his perspective on net neutrality and why it is such a victory.
Loser
It was a rough week for the Republican-run Congress this week as President Barack Obama chose to wield his veto power — for only the third time since taking office – on the GOP favored Keystone XL pipeline bill.
Republicans assert that the $8 billion pipeline project would generate jobs, growth, and provide means for independence from Middle Eastern energy sources. But, even with these arguments the bill did not make it through the President, who is siding with environmental groups who view the pipeline as another contributor to global warning.
The Republican Congress does not seem to have the necessary support — two-thirds majority in both the House and the Senate — to overpower the veto either. The Associated Press report that they are falling around four votes short in the Senate and approximately eleven in the House.
“The veto forced Republicans, still reveling in their dramatic gains in the midterm elections, to confront the limitations of being unable to turn their ideas into law without the president's consent — despite the fact they now control both chambers of Congress,” explains the Associated Press.
Though this week was a loss, the GOP is not giving up on the Keystone XL pipeline. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said that the Republican Party will continue their efforts to override the decision until the deadline of March 3rd. He also explained that the Republicans may insert the Keystone XL pipeline into other critical legislation that will be harder for the president to veto.