Net Neutrality. Tell your friends.
Transcript:
Hello, and welcome to Net Neutrality & You: A podcast about Net Neutrality and how it affects your access to an affordable and high speed Internet. My name is Brett Jones. The date is December 4th, 2008. This podcast is for the class English 3090, History, Theory, & Practice of Expository Writing with Dr. Mary Hocks at Georgia State University. Before we get started, let’s have a listen to, Ask a Ninja.
Present Audio from http://www.askaninja.com/node/585
To first explain what Net Neutrality is, we go to savetheinternet.com. They explain Net Neutrality as the biggest cable and telephone companies wanting to charge money for smooth access to websites. They believe they should be able to charge website operators, application providers, and device manufacturers for the right to use the network. Those who don’t make a deal and pay up will experience discrimination. Their sites won’t load as quickly, their applications and devices won’t work as well, and without legal protection consumers could find the network operator has blocked the website of a competitor, or slowed it down so much that it’s unusable.
Network owners say that they want a tiered Internet, and if you pay to get in the top tier, your site will be more serviceable and more fast, if you don’t, you will be in the slow lane. So the problem is discrimination, double-dipping, and the stifling of innovation.
What needs to happen in order to keep Net Neutrality from being taken over by corporate conglomerations is the intervention of legislation. Fortunately, the upcoming administration plans to protect Net Neutrality. President-elect Obama’s website, change.gov ensures the full and free exchange of ideas for an open Internet and diverse media outlets. They will protect the equalness of the Internet by importing the principles of Network Neutrality to preserve the benefits of open competition on the Internet.
Thanks to the contributions of both coalitions and groups like the ElectronicFreedomFoundation.org, and savetheinternet.com, as well as the individual contribution of people like Phillip DeFranco of Philly D TV, and the folks at AskaNinja.com, the word was spread very quickly about the importance of Net Neutrality, and why keeping a free and open Internet is vital to enjoying the Internet as we know it today.
At one time AT&T was working to disband Net Neutrality. In her article entitled, “AT&T Changing Tune on Net Neutrality?” Celia Kang states that during a panel she moderated, “AT&T’s cheif lobbyist Jim Cicconi and the public interest group Free Press were in surprising agreement on Net Neutrality as it applies to the wireless industry.
Four public interest priorities are cited on FreePress.net’s website: first, protect an open internet, second, promote universal and affordable broadband, third, increase diversity in media solutions, and fourth, renew public media.
With a new administration in place, it is likely that the upcoming sessions in congress next year will push for Net Neutrality. According to PCworld.com, the FFC has addressed what it saw as Net Neutrality violations on a case-by-case basis in recent years. However a law passed by congress would customers, investors, web based companies, and broadband providers with certainty about the rules of the road, according to Frannie Wellings, Telecom Counsel for Senator Byron Dorgan.
With the likelihood of Net Neutrality being protected by the federal government, we can all rest easy knowing that user created content we have come to know and love so much in these recent years will continue to be a part of our daily lives. So happy Googling and YouTubing to you all.
The music for this podcast is provided by Jamendo.com, a community free legal and unlimited published under Creative Commons licenses. The artist is Revolution Void, from the album, “Increase the Dosage,” track one, “Invisible Walls.”
Sources:
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