WATCH: Comedian John Oliver Takes On FCC in Witty Net Neutrality Rant

Entrepreneur Staff

Staff Writer. Covers leadership, media, technology and culture.

June 3, 2014 2 min read

The FCC's discriminatory net neutrality proposal is hardly a joke, but as HBO's John Oliver demonstrates, it can best be explained through comedy.

Oliver, the host of HBO's comedy show Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, explained net neutrality in a 13-minute segment on Sunday, with some very entertaining results. Breaking down the issue with some pointed punchlines about the deep boredom the hearings on the FCC's recommended new rules have inspired ("I would rather listen to a pair of Dockers tell me about the weird dream they had"), Oliver said net neutrality is "why the internet is a weirdly level playing field, and startups can supplant established brands…The internet in its current form is not broken, and the FCC is currently taking steps to fix that."

Of the proposed "Internet fast lanes" that the cable companies would be able to pay for, Oliver said: "if we let cable companies offer two speeds of service, they won't be Usain Bolt and Usain Bolt on a motorbike. They'll be Usain Bolt and Usain bolted to an anchor."

Calling for internet commenters to use their persistence for a good cause with a "seize your moment my lovely trolls," Oliver ultimately directed those with displeasure to share with the FCC to http://www.fcc.gov/comments, which promptly crashed the site.

Check it out.