Now that net neutrality has been smacked down, I'm beginning to worry. I really didn't think it would lose. The same telecom corporations that said that Internet companies (Google, Amazon, et al.) were getting a free ride
by not paying some extra tariff for Internet bandwidth, above and beyond what they're paying their ISPs, have bought Congress. Such restrictions, designed to promote only what benefits telecom companies, could starve innovation and freeze the Internet into a state that always and only benefits those companies. Change would only appear in the context of which telecom company had the greatest power.
In this era of media congomerates, can anyone really expect an invisible hand to protect companies competing with those conglomerates from being throttled and firewalled out of existence?
I find it hilarious that the industry that received an immense amount of subsidies from the government from the early part of this century forward are attempting anti-competitive tactics to kill broader...err...broadband access in communities that want to offer access in the form of a utility.
And now AOL is filtering out emails within it's network and blocking anyone who attempts to send an email with www(dot)DearAOL(dot)com which is a site established to educate people on AOL's attempt to start charging for their "certified email" services.
There is a recent interview by Bob McChesney (<-- hero) with Lawrence Lessig (got to WILL's website to download the podcast) where net neutratlity is discussed at length. I did my part by talking about it with my wife this morning. Most of the time, people simply do not know what's going on.
People SHOULD be angry.
Posted by: Mason at April 29, 2006 1:00 PM