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4 Arguments Against Net Neutrality
Why service providers say paying for the fast lane is sweeter than it sounds
Network neutrality is the idea that all data should be treated equally no matter who is sending it. The U.S. government is trying to decide if it’s OK for ISPs to create more lanes, then charge content providers a higher fee for traveling down the fast ones. Here’s why the service providers say this is a good idea:
![(graphic: Lily Therens) (graphic: Lily Therens)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/netneutrality_lt.png?1577874531)
Protecting Ourselves From a Slower Internet
Without net neutrality, small businesses and consumers lose
You may have heard about the “internet slowdown” that happened in September. While the term “slowdown” isn’t accurate because the internet was running at full speed, prominent sites like Netflix, Vimeo and Etsy displayed a symbolic loading symbol to protest recent actions by the Federal Communications Commission to eliminate network neutrality.
![Rick Schubert of Bee Happy Apiary uses a smoker to calm his bees, which will motivate them to eat nectar and slow down a bit, making them easier to transport. Rick Schubert of Bee Happy Apiary uses a smoker to calm his bees, which will motivate them to eat nectar and slow down a bit, making them easier to transport.](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/1114_ft_agriculturebees_kj.jpg?1577874530)
As the Bees Go
Local beekeepers prepare for another uncertain winter
Rick Schubert is settling in to the part of bee season that didn’t exist when he opened Bee Happy Apiary with 300 hives in 1977. It’s mid-September, and at headquarters, tucked in the dusty hills off a private road in Vacaville, the faint humming of honey bees serves as background buzz to the voices of men.
![](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/1114_ft_insurance_lead_ss.png?1577874530)
Captive Market
A steady rise in workers’ compensation rates has pushed some companies to create their own insurance carriers
Nationwide, captives are growing fast. In 2012, 18 new U.S. group captives were formed, the highest level since 2007. But buying into a captive puts both rewards and risks into the hands of business owners.
![](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/1114_blog_nashvilleedu_ss.jpg?1577874530)
Lessons in Education
The Nashville business community supports local education, and Sacramento should do the same
One thing became clear during the Metro Chamber’s 2014 Study Mission: Nashville’s business community is highly invested in educational opportunities and outcomes. The city’s education system has benefited by leveraging resources from the business community. The business community in turn benefits from workforce quality and retention, which is an ideal model for the Sacramento region to emulate.
![(shutterstock) (shutterstock)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/1114_blog_training_ss.png?1577874530)
Tactical Training
An efficient system will save you time and energy
You’ve finally done it. Your business now has that elusive support team that should enable you to take the odd weekend off, serve more clients and stop being the bottleneck for every decision. Time to celebrate! … Except, you remember, you still need to train those new team members.
![(shutterstock) (shutterstock)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/1114_blog_prop13_ss.png?1577874530)
Leave Prop. 13 Alone
Raising property taxes will mean death for small business
California’s business climate is well-known for being unfriendly. CEO Magazine has rated California as the worst state in which to do business for more than eight years running. Undoing Proposition 13’s provisions, as is currently being proposed, will make a big problem even worse by increasing taxes on the very businesses that create jobs and contribute to our economy.
![(shutterstock) (shutterstock)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/1114_dept_evilhr_ss.jpg?1577874530)
Catty Chatting
When you need to reprimand a digitally dubious employee
I manage a group of about 13 people, and we communicate via instant messages. I have one employee who persistently bad-mouthed me in online conversations. I confirmed that he was aware that I could see his messages, and I told him I saw messages that concerned me. Since then, he’s disengaged from his job and is only doing the bare minimum. I feel I should address this with him, but I’m unsure of how to do so.
![(graphic: Lily Therens) (graphic: Lily Therens)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/1114_blog_bees_lt.png?1577874530)
Risky Bee-siness
To protect honey bees, California Almond Board cautions against tank mixing
Last summer, honey bee hives pollinating orchards in SoCal, from Fresno to Bakersfield, took a hard hit. Apiculturist Eric Mussen points to tank mixing formulas as the culprit behind what he estimates at over 80,0000 colonies lost. According to Mussen, chemicals often not thought to be harmful to bees can turn deadly when mixed.
![(shutterstock) (shutterstock)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/1114_ft_wellnesssleep_lead_ss.jpg?1577874530)
Dream On
10 tips for the sleep-deprived, one of which might ruin your life
Let me take a wild guess: You feel like you don’t get enough sleep. Too much to do, you’re stressed out and you think getting eight hours of sleep is about as realistic as keeping current on Oprah’s Book Club. Or maybe you’re annoyed that your body needs too much sleep? Think of all the workouts you could get in, books you could read and emails you could return with a few extra hours in each day. Wouldn’t we all love to train our bodies to require less sleep?