Net Neutrality Links
I’ve added these links to the Net Neutrality Page today.
Coming Soon: The Web Toll from Popular Science;
ââ¬ÅWelcome to the brave new Web, brought to you by Verizon, Bell South, AT&T and the other telecommunications giants (including PopSciââ¬â¢s parent company, Time Warner) that are now lobbying Congress to block laws that would prevent a two-tiered Internet, with a fast lane for Web sites able to afford it and a slow lane for everyone else.ââ¬Â¿
In a thought process straight from ââ¬Åthe tunnelââ¬Â¿ Christopher Yoo, a professor at Vanderbilt University Law School, argues that ââ¬Åconsumers should be willing to pay for faster delivery of content on the Internet, just as many FedEx customers willingly shell out extra for overnight delivery. ââ¬ËA regulatory approach that allows companies to pursue a strategy like FedExââ¬â¢s makes sense,ââ¬â¢ he says.ââ¬Â¿ Of course he, along with so many others, have yet to answer the ââ¬Åchargesââ¬Â¿ that the consumer HAS ALREADY PAID!!!
Adam Cohen drinks the Kool Aid
The New York Times isnââ¬â¢t what it used to be. Rocked by scandal over the made-up reporting of Jayson Blair, torn apart by the dramatic ouster of Howell Raines, and shaken-up by Judith Millerââ¬â¢s megaphoning the Bush Administrationââ¬â¢s fantasies about Iraqââ¬â¢s nuclear program, it increasingly relies on sensationalized, drama-queen reporting and opinion to hold on to a piece of market share. The most recent example of the Timesââ¬â¢ descent into rank hysteria is a column today by Adam Cohen on the pending destruction of the World Wide Web:
Save Free Speech on the Web from Corporate Greed
And here in America, the greed of the big corporations is just as likely to stifle true democracy and freedom as it is to encourage it. As has been pointed out, for example, a free press is only free to those who can afford to own the press. We’ve all witnessed the growing lack of diversity of opinion in the broadcast media, where one or two large corporations, like Channel One, have bought up most of the smaller, once independent radio stations across the nation. Local programming has fallen and so has the rich mix of different voices and divergent opinions that was once the hallmark of local radio.
Now, the Internet also is being threatened, as this article in today’s New York Times shows. The telecommunications conglomerates want to start charging fees for use of the Web. By charging fees, they would be creating a tiered system that would favor large commercial sites that could afford steep fees while marginalizing smaller, independent sites. Those who couldn’t afford the pricey fees would have access only to lower speeds or perhaps no access at all.
–ME “Liz” Strauss
Related
NET NEUTRALITY PAGE
Thanks again, my friend… 🙂
You are hot! Hi friend. Got it right this time. I’m learning, I’m learning. . ..
was surfing ur blog and suddenly I got a new idea ! will tell you in couple of days! byee
Jack,
I can’t wait!
I dont believe the government should have any role in regulating the internet. Google is making a big fuss over a problem that may/may not even occur.
Hey Net Chick,
I understand how you feel. I’m not sure that I agree with you. Even Tim Berners-Lee thinks a small bit of regulation is in order.
Any small bit of regulation means a small bit less freedom for us all, and should be the last resort to problems that already exist, not the first option to a problem that has not yet occured. Free market self correction will almost always benefit the consumer in the long run.
As I said earlier. I think I’m with Sir Tim on this one. He’s got the best perspective of anyone I know.
I can’t subscribe to a unilaterally libertarian view on this. After all, government does has an important role in say, prohibitng illegal material on the web. That said, I would err on the side of caution with regard to this issue. It seems as though some would have Congress take action before even seeing compelling evidence that a problem exists. My fear is that we are handing the keys to our legislators, and that they will drive our INternet into dangerous regulatory corners.
As a consumer, the last thing I want is the government regulating my internet! Why all the fuss when this is not even a problem yet?
“Even Tim Berners-Lee thinks a small bit of regulation is in order.”
Doesn’t the FCC already have authority to regulate?
It seems to me that Congress is getting ready to ruin another good thing just to make an extra dollar and get another vote. The Internet has been very successful, because the government has stayed out of it. Now that Congress can see images of dollar signs, they are going to be regulating it all over the place.
Seems like all involved are seeing $$$ to me.
“Doesnââ¬â¢t the FCC already have authority to regulate? ” Yes. The FCC has directives in place to ensure Net Neutrality as it has been traditionally defined. The recent disruption in the force has, however, brought a host of new definitions to the term.