Save The Internet
Now here’s something that isn’t making headline news and should be. This will affect everyone if it makes it through and probably people either think no one will be able to enforce it or it’ll never happen in their life time. This is real Big Brother type stuff.
If you’ve ever been frustrated because you were using a library, campus, military, or work computer and couldn’t get to a website because it was blocked, imagine if your phone company or service provider could do that to you just because they want more money? Imagine that your service provider could charge you extra to go to ebay or Amazon.com or bloglines or cnn.com. Imagine that your service provider could decide whether or not you could read Air America’s site or Rush’s or Fox News or NPRs based on their politics not yours.
Just think about it.
Congress is pushing a law that would abandon “network neutrality.” Network neutrality prevents companies like AT&T, Verizon and Comcast from choosing which Web sites open most easily for you based on who pays them more. Your local library shouldn’t have to outbid Barnes & Noble for the right to work more properly on your computer.
If the public doesn’t speak up now, Congress will hand control of the Internet to companies that want to decide what you do, where you go and what you watch online. Politicians are already trading favors for campaign donations from these companies. They’re selling us out to people like AT&T’s CEO, who says “the Internet can’t be free.”
Internet freedom could soon be fenced in by the phone and cable companies. If Congress turns the Internet over to AT&T, everyone will be affected.
If Congress abandons network neutrality:
- Political groups—Political organizing could be slowed by a handful of dominant Internet providers who ask advocacy groups to pay “protection money” for their websites and online features to work correctly.
- Nonprofits—A charity’s website could open at snail-speed, and online contributions could grind to a halt, if nonprofits can’t pay dominant Internet providers for access to “the fast lane” of Internet service.
- Google users—Another search engine could pay dominant Internet providers like AT&T to guarantee the competing search engine opens faster than Google on your computer.
- Innovators with the “next big idea”—Startups and entrepreneurs will be muscled out of the marketplace by big corporations that pay Internet providers for dominant placing on the Web. The little guy will be left in the “slow lane” with inferior Internet service, unable to compete.
- Ipod listeners—A company like Comcast could slow access to iTunes, steering you to a higher-priced music service that it owned.
- Online purchasers—Companies could pay Internet providers to guarantee their online sales process faster than competitors with lower prices—distorting your choice as a consumer.
- Small businesses and tele-commuters—When Internet companies like AT&T favor their own services, you won’t be able to choose more affordable providers for online video, teleconferencing, Internet phone calls, and software that connects your home computer to your office.
- Parents and retirees—Your choices as a consumer could be controlled by your Internet provider, steering you to their preferred services for online banking, health care information, sending photos, planning vacations, etc.
- Bloggers—Costs will skyrocket to post and share video and audio clips—silencing citizen journalists and putting more power in the hands of a few corporate-owned media outlets.
Source: Save the Internet
tags: COPE Act, Congress, net neutrality, blogs, iTunes, web hosting, politics, Internet
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13 comments
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on April 21, 2006 at 2:41 pm
Tamara said:
I already signed, but I’m so glad you’re putting this out there. I should post it on my Live Journal. Which is read by approximately 8 people. Then again, I rarely post. So there again is a reason to post this.
Can you tell there’s an hour left at work, I’m cranky, and I have a bizarro half-sinus-headache-half-migraine thing that’s boring a hole through my left eyeball and the left side of my neck? Eesh.
on April 21, 2006 at 2:51 pm
Big Dog said:
I am not sure how this works but I certainly agree that it should not happen.
If it does a few smart people like us need to develop our own web that is free and make lots of money by providing server space….
AT&T screwed up the phone world. WHat makes anyone think they could handle the web?
Tamara, bang your head on the desk for a while. It feels much better when you stop……
on April 21, 2006 at 2:53 pm
Tamara said:
Heh, thanks, Big Dog! I hope it doesn’t come to that. Since it seems to be partly sinus-related, I think I might go make a hot cup of tea and hold that against my forehead for a while. That sometimes works.
I’m sure they’ll try to prevent renegades from providing the “black market” web space of which you speak. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that, either.
on April 21, 2006 at 2:58 pm
Big Dog said:
In all seriousness though, if you are not taking a decongestant, you might try a hot cup of tea with ceyanne pepper in it. That seems to open some people up rather nicely.
If you do take a decongestant be sure to drink a lot of water. That will help.
Disclaimer: This advice in no way indicates that you should not seek medical advice from your doctor especially for something persistant or severe.
Sorry, had to do that.
on April 21, 2006 at 3:04 pm
n. mallory said:
Tamara - Jamoca milkshake.
Big Dog - The Internet was begun by smart people like us starting their own free web but I don’t think you can make lots of money by providing free server space.
Actually it was started as an information swapping mechanism, mostly for use between universities, students and scientists and well geeks.
One of the reasons why I left AOL really early on was because it was far too restrictive which is what this sort of bill would allow the phone companies to make the WWW.
on April 21, 2006 at 3:04 pm
Big Dog said:
I guess since I am a conservative you folks expect me to club baby internets rather than save them (like save the seals). LOL
on April 21, 2006 at 3:08 pm
n. mallory said:
“club baby internets”
HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA
on April 21, 2006 at 3:10 pm
Tamara said:
HAHAHAHA! That is hilarious!
I do take a decongestant and drink about 3/4 gallon of water a day! But I appreciate any and all suggestions.
I tried a Jamocha shake on Wednesday and discovered I don’t much care for that flavor, N. But this Pomegranate Green Tea is treating me well, and I may have to try a chocolate shake sometime this weekend.
on April 21, 2006 at 3:35 pm
n. mallory said:
Oooo
Have you tried the IC Honeydew Green Tea at Panera Bread? They’ve also come out with a Mango one, though I thought that one was a bit sweet for me.
(BTW, I’m gearing up to go back on Core, though you wouldn’t know it from the milkshake-a-thon above.
)
I’m going to be picturing dead little baby internets all night now.
on April 21, 2006 at 3:37 pm
Tamara said:
I haven’t tried it — I’m not a big fan of sweetened teas, but Honest Tea is a great brand with several bottled varieties, with just a tad of sugar.
I should go back on Core (ish) as well, but I’m just out of sorts lately and am not eating as I should nor exercising enough. I’m fixing to fix that, though. Both, actually.
Awww, save the dead baby internets, peoples
on April 21, 2006 at 3:38 pm
Tamara said:
Annnnd, I’m off for home. Have a great weekend — I might be online here and there but who knows, with those new kittens in the house and our other cat making herself crazy trying to get at them!
on April 21, 2006 at 4:00 pm
Big Dog said:
I thought Al Gore invented the internet…
Tea? blech. Coffee is the drink, black (shaken not stirred)
on April 21, 2006 at 5:08 pm
n. mallory said:
Well, now that I can get at my coffee pot and my grinder again, I’ve been doing that too. These New Englanders like their coffee too weak. Bleh.