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A Price for Internet Freedom

Posted on February 28, 2007 by C Johnson
Culture, Tech

Nothing is free these days. And sadly, that includes speech. Especially when it comes to TV, print and radio— these supposed forums for free speech have, for the most part, become monopolized jungles held captive by corporate America. But the internet, well, now there’s a place where equality is a reality, not just an ideology. It’s a place where the Dali Lama shares equal floor space with Britney Spears. It’s the world’s most influential form of communication—a playground for the ideas and expressions of every individual on the planet, and a public marketplace for everyone from Donald Trump to the local auto body shop.

Thanks to net neutrality, of course.

If you haven’t heard of it then listen up, as you’ll be hearing much about it in the year ahead. Telephone and cable companies connect you and me to the web through the pipes that they provide, in which every website gets the exact same level of quality. Internet providers are therefore prohibited from interfering in anyway with what goes on inside the pipes they provide.

But that won’t be the case if a few money grubbing monopolizing communications monsters have their way. It’s their idea to do away with ‘net neutrality’ by making websites pay them money for privileged service, a “fast lane” if you will, while everyone else therefore gets stuck in a “slow lane”.

Internet providers are just that: providers. And as such, they ought to keep their business to providing service, equally, across the board. Network neutrality ensures this. The internet activist group known as the savetheinternet.com coalition is out to make sure it stays that way and the interest in the topic they’ve generated has now reached fever pitch: more than 850 groups have joined the savetheinternet.com coalition, from the far left to the far right and everyone in between. Their website is both eye-opening and informative and features an excellent video designed to educate you on the basics of the net neutrality issue.

The coalition’s mission is to push congress to pass legislation to protect our unrestricted access to the internet. Last summer, the House of Representatives passed what they called a “death sentence” for net neutrality. Not even three months later, an anti-net neutrality bill stalled in the senate due to enormous public outcry thanks to the tireless efforts of the savetheinternet.com coalition. Three months after that, another bill attempted to pass through congress died. In January, AT&T agreed to merger conditions for net neutrality and the issue is now a hot topic on the agenda of pretty much every candidate seeking elected office this year.

But the would-be gatekeepers of the internet, however, aren’t going quietly into that dark night as they have now set their sights on state legislatures. And so in the face of this threat, savetheinternet.com has issued their 2007 Declaration of Internet Freedom, calling upon congress to support the internet rights of: universal affordable internet access, an open and neutral network and world class quality through competition.

Check out at savetheinternet.com where you can join said bandwagon in the fight to keep the largest and most influential forum for freedom of speech that the world has ever known… well… free.