Guest post by Chris Castle
The new copyright small claims court legislation (The CASE Act) passed the House Judiciary Committee, but not without thuggery from Rep. Zoe Lofgren and the Internet Association. Chris Castle narrates the issues and proposes a solution for Big Tech’s “Senate strategy” that inevitably includes Senator Ron Wyden, the grifter from Oregon and proud father of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. Lofgren’s threat comes about 8:27:00 on the YouTube video here.
Internet Association Statement on CASE Act
We are up against a direct threat on stopping the CASE Act from Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Google) and our old “friend” Senator Ron Wyden, the data center senator. Just in time for #ClimateStrike, the political muscle that comes from jamming electricity burning data centers down the throats of politicians in exchange for backroom deals on tax reductions for a company that pays very little tax anyway.
We usually associate the iconic ACLU brand with good things, but not when it comes to Google. When it comes to giving indie artists a remedy for their rights in the CASE Act, ACLU sides with the multinational culture devouring Big Tech companies. For example, in a fine example of policy laundering, ACLU takes a gratuitous swipe at the Copyright Office using a Google “study” to allege bias. ACLU Statement on CASE Act
See: ACLU Gets $700,000 from Google Buzz Award musictechpolicy.com/2011/10/31/the-…r-the-company”/
ACLU Helps EFF With DMCA Delaying Tactics musictechpolicy.com/2010/07/07/aclu…laying-tactics/
ACLU Cribs from Google Lobbyists on Pro-Piracy Letter to Congress musictechpolicy.com/2016/05/04/why-…ns-from-google/
Here’s the background on data center lobbying that almost sank the CLASSICS Act–if we have a radio station in every congressional district and data centers sucking down electricity in every state, artists have an even bigger burden than ever before on policy justice.
Why Artists Should Care About Data Center Lobbying
Did a Wyden Campaign Donor Fund Hedge Fund Operated Out of Senator’s Basement?
Google Investing $3.3 Billion in Data Centers in Europe (How will this affect Google’s Copyright Directive, privacy and antitrust lobbying?)
Already, data centres use an estimated 200 terawatt hours (TWh) each year. That is more than the national energy consumption of some countries, including Iran, but half of the electricity used for transport worldwide, and just 1% of global electricity demand (see ‘Energy scale’). Data centres contribute around 0.3% to overall carbon emissions, whereas the information and communications technology (ICT) ecosystem as a whole — under a sweeping definition that encompasses personal digital devices, mobile-phone networks and televisions — accounts for more than 2% of global emissions. That puts ICT’s carbon footprint on a par with the aviation industry’s emissions from fuel.
According to The Oregonian (Senator Ron Wyden’s home state):
Data centers have become one of Oregon’s biggest industries, with Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon spending billions of dollars to buy and equip online storage facilities in rural parts of the state. They’re lured primarily by tax savings, which can shave tens of millions of dollars from a server farm’s annual operating cost.
Google CEO on EU charm offensive says about their plans to hog Europe’s electricity and vaporize lakes and rivers:
Today I am in Helsinki, Finland, to meet with Finnish Prime Minister Rinne to discuss his priorities for the European Union Presidency, from building sustainable economic growth to achieving a carbon-free future.
The Nordic countries are great examples of how the internet can help drive economic growth. As part of our vision to build a more helpful Google for everyone, we are supporting Europe’s digital ambitions in two ways.
First, by continuing to invest in sustainable digital infrastructure across Europe. Today, I announced that we plan to invest 3 billion euros to expand our data centers across Europe over the next two years. That will bring our total investment in Europe’s internet infrastructure to 15 billion euros since 2007. Our investments generate economic activity for the region and support more than 13,000 full-time jobs in the EU every year, according to a study published today by Copenhagen Economics.
Are Data Centers The New Cornhusker Kickback and the Facebook Fakeout?
The Trichordist 
You must be logged in to post a comment.