Losing the Internet as We Know It →

mariannita:

blissed:

azspot:

But did you know that we’re at risk of losing the Internet as we know it? Millions of Americans don’t know that a battle over the future of the Internet is being played out right now in Washington. How it ends will have deep repercussions for decades to come.

On one side are public interest and consumer groups, small businesses, Internet entrepreneurs, librarians, civil libertarians and civil rights groups who want to preserve the Internet as it is - the last remaining open communications platform where anyone with access and a computer can create and consume online content.

Right now a film student in Idaho can upload a video the same way a Hollywood movie studio can. A small upstart company can launch a brilliant idea that challenges the Fortune 500. An independent journalist can break a story without waiting for a newspaper to run or print it.

The principle of “Network Neutrality” is what makes this open communications possible. Net Neutrality is what allows us to go wherever we want online. Our relationship with the phone and cable companies stops when we pay for our Internet service. These companies can not block, control or interfere with what we search for or create online; nor can they prioritize some content over others -making the Hollywood video load faster than the kid’s video in Idaho.

On the other side are the Internet service providers, who want to dismantle Net Neutrality. Not only do they want to provide Internet service, but they want to be able to charge users to prioritize their content, effectively giving themselves the ability to choose which content on the Web loads fast, slow or not at all. The film student, the small entrepreneur, and the independent journalist will be lost in the ether, unable to compete with other, more established companies who can pay for a spot in the fast lane.

Gone is the level playing field. Gone is the multitude of voices on the Web. Gone is the Internet as we know it - unless we act now.

The Federal Communications Commission is crafting new Net Neutrality rules right now. The public has until Thursday at midnight to tell the FCC what we value about the Internet, and why we want the agency to create a strong Net Neutrality rule to protect it.

You guys, you need to understand how important this is. I know you don’t like to read things that are more than a sentence or so, but you need to read this. It does a great job of explaining what’s at stake regarding Net Neutrality. This issue is super serious to us all, since I’m assuming we all love our internet. It was one of the things that made me support Obama, although he hasn’t done much about it, contrary to what he promised. :(

Woooooah! So shockingly I haven’t heard too much about net neutrality (inb4 that’s cause obama hasn’t done anything about it!) at all, even during election time, i didn’t follow too well considering i was still upset I missed eligability to vote by 10 days. I lurk on the nets so much too.. i should be ashamed!  But thanks for posting this! It has captured all of my interests for the past 2 hrs :) (and probably wouldn’t have been able to search that much if comcast was restricting my use! hahhh! how interesting!)

i just wish they would break up this monopoly comcast has in my area. Needs more cable providors that have decent service AND customer service!

2 years ago  /  293 notes  /  Source: azspot