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Tuesday 12 January 2010
Losing the Internet as We Know It

But did you know that we’re at risk of losing the Internet as we know it? Millions of Americans don’t know that a battle over the future of the Internet is being played out right now in Washington. How it ends will have deep repercussions for decades to come.

On one side are public interest and consumer groups, small businesses, Internet entrepreneurs, librarians, civil libertarians and civil rights groups who want to preserve the Internet as it is - the last remaining open communications platform where anyone with access and a computer can create and consume online content.

Right now a film student in Idaho can upload a video the same way a Hollywood movie studio can. A small upstart company can launch a brilliant idea that challenges the Fortune 500. An independent journalist can break a story without waiting for a newspaper to run or print it.

The principle of “Network Neutrality” is what makes this open communications possible. Net Neutrality is what allows us to go wherever we want online. Our relationship with the phone and cable companies stops when we pay for our Internet service. These companies can not block, control or interfere with what we search for or create online; nor can they prioritize some content over others -making the Hollywood video load faster than the kid’s video in Idaho.

On the other side are the Internet service providers, who want to dismantle Net Neutrality. Not only do they want to provide Internet service, but they want to be able to charge users to prioritize their content, effectively giving themselves the ability to choose which content on the Web loads fast, slow or not at all. The film student, the small entrepreneur, and the independent journalist will be lost in the ether, unable to compete with other, more established companies who can pay for a spot in the fast lane.

Gone is the level playing field. Gone is the multitude of voices on the Web. Gone is the Internet as we know it - unless we act now.

The Federal Communications Commission is crafting new Net Neutrality rules right now. The public has until Thursday at midnight to tell the FCC what we value about the Internet, and why we want the agency to create a strong Net Neutrality rule to protect it.

296 notes

  1. computereze reblogged this from nerd-gasms
  2. immitter reblogged this from neonsigh and added:
    Immitter says - save the internet. Help keep it neutral.
  3. d-d-d reblogged this from gkojaz
  4. gkojaz reblogged this from azspot
  5. gardendesigning reblogged this from azspot
  6. chinkles reblogged this from thatwhatshesaid and added:
    this is really messed up
  7. beccap reblogged this from blackfootsinkalip
  8. paperclippe reblogged this from triangularisthepie and added:
    Since it was only hinted at, here’s where you wanna go to sign the petition to save Net Neutrality.
  9. sum1 reblogged this from azspot and added:
    But did you know that we’re at risk of losing the Internet as we know it? Millions of Americans don’t know that a battle...
  10. hardknocklife reblogged this from killingbambi
  11. triangularisthepie reblogged this from telegantmess and added:
    I’m not in the US, so it’s not the FCC I would contact. But a bunch of you *are*, I know.
  12. telegantmess reblogged this from think4yourself
  13. nocturnalrequiem reblogged this from axeled
  14. fyuactually reblogged this from mikeyruh
  15. eisforemazing reblogged this from fyeareska and added:
    Woooooah! So shockingly I haven’t heard too much about net neutrality (inb4 that’s cause obama hasn’t done anything...
  16. lilicouture reblogged this from azspot and added:
    I’m not sure if I should cry yet
  17. raaahh reblogged this from jcullo
  18. littlebitmore reblogged this from azspot and added:
    Net Neutrality Deadline: January 14th, 2010
  19. bahdumcrash reblogged this from blissed and added:
    You’re right. Thank you for raising this issue, to our attention.
  20. thatwhatshesaid reblogged this from mikeyruh and added:
    WHAT? NO INTERNET?! W T F!?
  21. xcsmxshadow34 reblogged this from azspot
  22. 7sh7h28-5nx82-al4 reblogged this from amandadarling
  23. amandadarling reblogged this from azspot

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