Net Neutrality = Orwellian Speech
December 21, 2010
Today the US government (the FCC branch) once again demonstrated that the will of corporations is more important than the needs of the people.
What is Net Neutrality?
It is a set of rules that in a nutshell, takes away the freedoms of the Web and places those freedoms into the hands of corporations like Comcast.
… Now Comcast is free decide which websites are worthy and which ones are not. For a fee though, you will probably be able to buy a more ‘free’ Web for your site – you better have a lot of cash though!
From Wired:
After five years of contentious debate that polarized the tech-policy world, FCC chief Julius Genachowski made good on President Barack Obama’s campaign pledge to strengthen rules governing the nation’s ISPs. The measure, which passed 3-2 along party lines, did not go as far as supporters would have liked, but the FCC faced steep resistance from Republicans and the powerful telecom lobbying machine.
… Isn’t it cool that corporate lobbying machines have such a strong hold on the agencies of government that are supposed to regulate these same businesses. I wish my mother ‘consulted’ with me when I was forced to eat my vegetables when I was a kid.
link: http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2010/12/fcc-order/
It Takes a Comedian!
The best summary of these regulations and their impact can be found in this brilliant speech by senator Al Franken:
Check out his web site while you can!!
😉
A final note: as far as I can tell, the mobile Web is the one being hit … ground lines are safe for now. But as we all know, the mobile Web is the future.
Good luck to the Web.
Stefan Mischook
