Net Neutrality

Kingfrail

Baseband Member
Messages
37
Hopefully, you guys know what it is, but for those of you who don't, you can learn alot about it through Google/wikipedia. I just thought I'd try and spread the word about what all of the major ISP's are planning to/have started to ruin the concept of net neutrality. I don't want to sound like one of those "Rally everyone together and we can prevent it" kind of people, but I do think that just being aware is probably going to make a difference. For those who want to take a step up and really work to stop the ISP's, contacting your representative is not very difficult, and might actually make a difference.


http://savetheinternet.com/ Has an easy to use search function to look up your representative's office number, as well as a short outline of what to say to them. Well, thats all I really have to say. Try to spread the word if you can, thanks for listening!
 
Yeah I heard my ISP (Virgin) are trying their best to do that. Bastards.

EDIT: and actually, Virgin have already taken a related step by limiting some customers' bandwidth during peak times (4pm - 9pm). Those that download "unusually high content" have their bandwidth cut in half.
 
if they get rid of net neutrailty, then they would kill the internet.

and us nerds would just recreate it with the official name of the interwebzorz.
 
YAY GO NET NEUTRALITY!

This important concept is what will help save the internet, my current ISP (Bell / Sympatico) doesn't follow the principals of.
 
wait...so obama is against this takeover?

another reason why i like him.


and i actually called my rep., and we had some words...lol

he knows my voice :D
 
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2316835,00.asp

The economy, the war in Iraq, healthcare, and … Net neutrality?

When the dust settles in November, the next president will have his or her hands full with the usual issues. But the tech industry will also be watching with great interest to see if a McCain, Obama, or even a Clinton presidency will tackle key issues like Net neutrality, patent protection and piracy, broadband availability, privacy, and the availability of H1B visas.

Many argue that our 44th president cannot afford to ignore these issues, as access to broadband, cutting down on copyright infringement, and opening our doors to talented minds from abroad can only help the economy. Meanwhile, keeping these technological advances available to everyone will ensure that innovation is not stifled, and that one company does not dominate an essential industry.

(Editor's Note: At press time, Sen. Barack Obama had won enough delegates to be the Democratic nominee. Senator Hillary Clinton's positions have been included as additional detail, or in case Obama names her as his vice-presidential candidate.)

NET NEUTRALITY

Clinton: Co-sponsored the Internet Freedom Preservation Act, has pushed for "an open Internet coupled with more broadband access."
Sen. John McCain: Net neutrality legislation could be counterproductive and actually harm the openness of the Internet.
Obama: Co-sponsored the Internet Freedom Preservation Act, will "take a backseat to no one in my commitment to Net neutrality."

Should a major company be able to give Comcast or AT&T a few extra (million) dollars so their Web site loads faster than a competitor's? Should Best Buy have a better Internet experience than a local electronics store simply because they can pay for it?

That's the question facing members of Congress, leading ISPs, and the interest groups that love them. The term, coined by Columbia law professor Tim Wu, is the idea that everyone, regardless of prowess or financial standing, should have equal access to the Internet.

With the exception of Internet companies that stand to gain from a tiered system, most are in agreement that a free and open Internet is the best way to go. Republicans and Democrats, however, are divided about how best to preserve that openness— government regulation or marketplace competition?

Not surprisingly, Obama and Clinton have thrown their support behind federal legislation that would preserve Net neutrality, while McCain has advocated for a more market-based approach.

Clinton and Obama were original co-sponsors of the Internet Freedom Preservation Act, which would mandate Net neutrality. The bill, which was introduced in January 2007 by Sen. Byron Dorgan, has yet to see any major action, though the House has been quite active on Net neutrality issues lately.

In a June 2006 podcast, Obama called for an Internet that is free from "corporate media middleman." He reiterated his stance at an October, MTV-sponsored town hall meeting, where he railed against getting "much better quality from the Fox News site [while] getting rotten service from some Mom and Pop site."

During a November appearance at Google's Mountain View headquarters, meanwhile, Obama pledged that "I will take a backseat to no one in my commitment to Net neutrality, because once providers start to privilege some applications or Web sites over others, then the smaller voices get squeezed out and we all lose."

Clinton has not been as vocal in her support for Net neutrality, prompting the Obama campaign last year to accuse her of remaining silent due to campaign contributions from major telecom companies like Verizon, Comcast, and AT&T. Her spokesman, however, denied that her initial silence on the issue meant that it was not a priority.

"I believe that maintaining an open Internet coupled with more broadband access is necessary if we are to meet the promise and the potential of the Internet to disseminate ideas and information, enhance learning, education and business opportunities for all Americans and improve and uplift our citizenry," she said in a statement after issuing support for the Dorgan bill. "We must embrace an open and non-discriminatory framework for the Internet of the 21st century."

McCain has pushed for a more hands-off approach.

"I think that Net neutrality is something that we have to look at from time to time, but I don't want to see the wealthiest and most powerful [companies] crowd out the independents, which has really given [the Internet] its strength and vitality," McCain said in an interview with WNYC last year. "It's a very tough issue."

"When you control the pipe you should be able to get profit from your investment," McCain said at the Wall Street Journal's All Things Digital D5 conference.

"The road to overregulated markets is paved with [good] intentions but terribly misguided legislation," McCain special counsel Chuck Fish said recently at the annual Computers, Freedom and Privacy conference in New Haven, Conn.

The issue shows no signs of slowing down.

In addition to the bills introduced in the House and Senate, interest groups like Free Press, MoveOn.org, Public Knowledge, the ACLU, the Center for Digital Democracy, as well as individuals like Wu, Stanford law professor Lawrence Lessig, and Craigslist founder Craig Newmark have joined forces with the Save the Internet Coalition, which is working "to ensure that Congress passes no telecommunications legislation without meaningful and enforceable Network neutrality protections."

More conservative groups like the Heritage Foundation and the Progress and Freedom Foundation (PFF) are less enthused.

"Not only is this [Net neutrality legislation] unnecessary, but it also would be counterproductive by harming consumers, discouraging investment, and even reducing competition," according to the Heritage Foundation.

"Net neutrality regulation is more than just the camel's nose on the Internet tent; it is an open invitation for unelected FCC bureaucrats to comprehensively regulate the entire super-structure of the Internet and the modern digital economy," PFF senior fellow Adam Thierer wrote in an April blog post. "Shame on those who hold the door open and invite the government in to do so.
 
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