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Net neutrality gains political traction
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by CynicalPatriot | June 8, 2009 at 08:34 pm
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Big Corporate Media and the Cable Companies oppose Net Neutrality
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Free and open access to the Internet helped the technology grow and thrive. The political fight to maintain robust access for all has picked up strength in Washington, D.C. That is good news for consumers.
The shorthand for the field of battle is net neutrality. Proponents argue that a network provider should not restrict users for reasons against their interests, such as to deny them the right to use certain services because those services are owned by somebody else.
An early pitched battle defeated legislation that would have allowed Internet access providers to charge customers variable rates by speed of service. The stakes for consumers were bluntly defined.
President Obama recently invigorated the pursuit of net neutrality in a speech about the security of U.S. interests in cyberspace. He promised to work with private industry to protect Internet technology from attack and manipulation, and at the same time protect the privacy of Americans.
If this is true, this is a 180 degree reversal from his recent position.
In my humble opinion, net neutrality is the cornerstone of the 1st Amendment in the United States now and far into the future.
But my mood is one of wait and see.
Obama has a bad track record with me. He has 2 huge broken campaign promises. No lobbyist in the White House and no earmarks.
Therefore, I will wait to decide upon the written legislation passed by a congress that has actually read it.
Respectfully,
Don Mashak
The Cynical Patriot
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at 04:08 on June 9th, 2009
With the EU election and now a member of parliament being from the Pirate Party it certainly would.
at 10:39 on August 3rd, 2009
"An early pitched battle defeated legislation that would have allowed Internet access providers to charge customers variable rates by speed of service. The stakes for consumers were bluntly defined."
At stake, of course is the cable-vision-izing of the internet, and what that terrible eventuality would mean in terms of squashing the ability of everyday people to participate directly in nearly cost-free self publishing, producing grass roots editorial content in the manner that has been their custom for the past fifteen years. (Yes the internet existed prior to 1994, but a relatively small faction took advantage of it).
Prior to the internet, average citizens could not be both journalist and press establishment. Until the world wide web boom, the traditional press could establish any particular version of reality that they desired via the prohibitive cost barrier for paper, radio, and television mediums.
Certain big businesses would like to bring those days back again.
One might naively think that a separation of rate schedules is fair, and that if one pays the higher premium, then one is warranted the speedier service. Some may find nothing wrong with that, but there are significant issues. The ability of persons to publish expressions and opinions, direct via the internet, and for the increased financial success of smaller enterprise within the scope of internet-dependent businesses, it is necessary to have a level playing field that could not exists outside of legislation.
Due to corporate self interests.
In the beginning, there were private railroads and (even) some private roadways. After those means of transportation became necessary for the businesses of the country to survive, and furthermore to facilitate fair access of the transportation system by all, both were nationalized.
To carry through with the interstate highway analogy, I would say that in the absence of a flat rate schedule, the "cable-vision-like" entities of the world would be fast and accessible, while the rest of us would be relegated to the dirt roads.
It would destroy this pesky new citizen press and the capability (at least theoretically) for people to see the "other" versions of "reality".