Net Neutrality – Why Should We Care?
Net Neutrality is an issue that could affect each one of us and is an important issue that will shape the future of the Internet. At the National Conference for Media Reform, FCC Commissioner Michael Copps was clear with his message: “We must have enforceable principles of Internet non-discriminationâ€.
From Wikipedia:
“A neutral broadband network is one that is free of restrictions…which does not restrict content, sites or platforms, and where communication is not unreasonably degraded by other communication streamsâ€.
Net Neutrality is not a new issue, the term “Net Neutrality†was coined in 2000 and the debate is becoming increasingly fierce…with the telephone and cable companies on one side and almost everyone else on the other.
Traffic Cops
The phone and cable companies believe that they should be able to be the gatekeepers to the Internet. They want to create a tiered system where you could pay more to have your content delivered as a priority or faster or at all.
The cable and telephone companies control 98% of the broadband access market. And when the network owners start asserting their control of the pipes, they can restrict what you read, what you watch, and what you listen to, and they can restrict what you can upload and who can access your information. With their dominance of the markets, there will be nowhere else for consumers to turn.
Proponents of Net Neutrality want to keep the Internet equal for everyone. Equal, where all of the information available on the Internet is free flowing and the information is equally accessible to all. With Net Neutrality, the network’s only job is to move data. It is not to determine which data gets a higher quality service or higher priority. Access is access…it is simply a pipe to send and retrieve information.
Who is at Risk?
Sixty percent of the content on the Internet is created by people and not by the big corporations. It is markedly different than the one-way communications of traditional media, including television, radio, newspapers and magazines, where 99% of the content is created by corporations.
Media corporations built their empires and managed their agendas by controlling the ebb and flow of information in America. The Internet has turned the traditional media “content delivery†paradigm on its head.
At risk is the “little guyâ€, the “voice of the peopleâ€, the “people’s†access to information, and the ability to express one’s views. The small innovators pushing the edge, telecommuters, bloggers, political groups, and activists will be hurt without free and open access to receive and disseminate information. The battle is Open Media vs Closed Media.
Sir Tim Berners-Lee (inventor of the World Wide Web) is concerned:
“Freedom of connection with any application to any party is the fundamental social basis of the Internet and now is the basis on which we built a society on the Internetâ€.
Without Net Neutrality, startups and entrepreneurs will be muscled out of the marketplace by big corporations that pay for a top spot on the Web.
A Level Playing Field
Now entrepreneurs and small business owners can compete directly with the larger corporations and when that is the case, the competition becomes about innovation, ideas, ingenuity, and integrity, and not about deep pockets and limited choice. Bloggers now can compete with major news outlets and independent contractors can offer their services without the barrier of proximity.
The telephone and cable companies say they won’t give preferential treatment to different content, so, if that is the case, why then would there be an objection to legislation that prohibits what they aren’t going to engage in anyway?
Some say the move is all about money (which ultimately it is). But, I believe the real threat is the content. The content on the Internet is for, by and about the people and there is no control over the message. It is the information and easy access to that information that has power and we all know that – knowledge equals power – and the powerful know that. There has never been so much open and easy access to information and it is an informed populace that is frightening to the powers that be.
Whether it is the exposure of the farce of politics and government corruption, or the music industry giants waning power and the new power of independent music producers, or the news organizations and other information/entertainment companies, the normal conglomerates no longer control the whole message.
Independent voices and political groups can now be heard, they can create a movement and a following, but, are especially vulnerable. The tiered system could increase the costs for posts and sharing video and audio clips, it will silence or censor bloggers and resemble the one directional messaging of the big media companies.
It is the consumers who are ultimately in control on the Internet – the consumer decides between content, applications and services available anywhere, no matter who owns the network. There is no middleman.
Reps. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Chip Pickering (R-Miss.) Introduced the “Internet Freedom Preservation Act†(HR 5353) on Feb. 12, 2008 this bill would protect Net Neutrality and spark a much-needed public conversation about the future of the Internet.
Some resources to learn more about this issue:
- Network Neutrality: Fact vs. Fiction.
- Save the Internet FAQ
- Good Video (you can skip the last few mins)
Look through the resources and see how this issue will affect you and the way you do business. Get involved with this issue, share your voice and pass the information along and even call your Congresspersons.
This one is very important as all Webgrrls and Internet users as a whole will be affected and we shouldn’t let others control our opportunities.
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