You've heard the term Net Neutrality, but do you know what it is? Everyone with a website should be informed and concerned about this issue. Watch this video and see more videos after the jump.
Net neutrality is the concept that every bit of data should be charged the same price to be transmitted through the internet without interference by the person or company who owns the cable. Sounds fair, right? Well, some big telecommunications companies think it's TOO fair. They're leaning on Congress to change the rules to allow them to decide who gets to send their data over the internet and how quickly they get to send it by charging high fees for fast-lane service. This will prevent everyone from being able to transmit their data over the web at the same rate for the same price. In particular, it could affect scientists for whom the internet was originally created and who have relied on a neutral networking landscape to collaborate and share large datasets over the web. The effort to kill net neutrality is mainstream media's way of declaring war on every independent blogger, video podcaster, and website owner who gets more traffic than they do because they were late to the internet game. Visit savetheinternet.com to find out more.
Update: Lawrence Lessig makes a good point on his blog: "One clue to this Net Neutrality debate is to watch what kind of souls are on each side of the debate. The pro-NN contingent is filled with the people who actually built the Net — from Vint Cerf to Google to eBay — and those who profit from the competition enabled by the Net — e.g., Microsoft. The anti-NN contingent is filled with the entities that either never got the Net, or fought like hell to control it — telecom, and cable companies."
See these videos as well.
Public Knowledge on how you will lose access to websites as long as net neutrality rules are not enforced.
!!!Neutrality!!! - This video is actually a bit old, June 2006, but excellent for hearing from independent web producers who will be affected if network neutrality is not preserved.
More links:
- Moyers on America: The Net @ Risk [PBS]
- The End of the Internet? [The Nation]
- Industry White Papers Reveal Corporate Plans for the Broadband Internet [Center for Digital Democracy]