Your Freedom on the Internet is at Risk
Ever been cruising around on the net fast as ever on one site and find that as soon as you try to go to a different one, you encounter tremendous lag? Would you believe that Corporate lobbyists may have something to do with that? Probably not. But Believe it.
Network Neutrality is kind of like the Internet’s First Amendment and the key to freedom while you surf on the web. It prevents your internet provider from banning or slowing down sites based on who gives up the most cash to the provider for quicker acces to their site. Without it, corporate influence would totally dominate your internet life. Congress is trying to “gut” Network Neutrality and give big business the upperhand on what we can access on the internet. If this new law passes, everything we do on the internet will be hurt; Especially if you make purchases, download to an iPod, or even simply use a search engine. Many of your favorite sites will have to pay protection money to the dominant internet providers in order to secure safe and speedy access to their features.
“If companies like AT&T have their way, Web sites ranging from Google to eBay to iTunes either pay protection money to get into the ‘fast lane’ or risk opening slowly on your computer,” said one free speech on the internet advocate. “We can’t let the Internet – this incredible medium which has been such a revolutionary force for democratic participation, economic innovation, and free speech – become captive to large corporations.”
Who will this new law affect if legislation passes? Everyone from Non-Profit Organizations to bloggers. If charity websites don’t have the money to pay off big providers, then their organization will be hurt and people who want to make donations will have much trouble accessing their site. The cost of sharing video and audio clips will also skyrocket, silencing free-lance citizen journalists and inadverdently giving more control to biased corporate-owned media outlets. Political organizing could be slowed by a handful of dominant internet proviiders who favor certain political groups and refuse to give users fair access to certain sites. Tele-commuters who link their home computer to their office will be hurt and so will their internet phone calls and teleconferencing by being denied cheaper software. A whole array of small businesses, organizations, journalists and every-day internet users will suffer.
This new law would open up infinte holes for big business to take advantage of you and distort your choices as a consumer. If one site can guarantee quicker online purchases because they have the cash to dish out for the virtual pre-paid internet carpool lane, then smaller competiting companies will be disregarded just because they won’t suck up to AT&T. Consumers won’t be able to choose more affordable services and products when internet providers favor certain companies.
If this mafia-style business approach becomes legitimate, every normal internet user will suffer the consequences against their will (unless you’re one of the few money-hungry businesses who stands to reap the benefits).
So what can we do about it? There is a petitition circulating that is trying to hault the ban on Network Nuetrality. 250,000 have signed it so far and the number is growing. To sign this petition and let your local congressman know that you support internet freedom, please visit: http://www.civic.moveon.org/save_the_internet?track_referer=706%7C1425109-TxZYmjUe8QEg8_C75F6_wQ
Please remember: BarnesandNoble.com doesn’t have to outbid Amazon for the right to work properly on your computer.
