As I am sure you all know, Net Neutrality is a HOT issue right now. After last week, we need to take some fast action to help protect the internet. Since we, the end users (consumers) are going to be the ones screwed by this legislation, we need to speak out TODAY. If you haven’t already done so, sign the petition and PASS it on to your friends, family, EVERYONE! We all know this is an important issue, and it only takes 2 minutes to fill out the form. JUST DOOOO IT.
Not sure what Net Neutrality is all about? Think about it this way, when you visit Google or use the iTunes Music Store, your internet traffic is treated the same. The network’s only job is to move your data from Point A to Point B and all data is treated equally. This is known as Network Neutrality.
America’s largest telecom and cable operations (AT&T, Verizon, Comcast etc.) want to get rid of the Internet’s first Amendment. They want to become the Internet Gatekeepers deciding which website go fast, slow or don’t even load at all. These providers want to ensure that the content that is most financially valuable to them is the content that performs the best. Let’s take a look at a few hypothetical examples:
1.Imagine the following. You use Google as your primary search engine and you love it. One day, your ISP (ie. AT&T, Comcast, etc.) partners with MSN Search. Suddenly, Google takes 30 seconds to load, and even longer to perform a simple search, but MSN Search runs at peak performance. Imagine if the ISP started blocking Google all together! Is that what you want the future of the internet to be?
2. Let’s say you have an iPod and you use iTunes with the iTunes Music Store to LEAGALLY purchase digital music for your enjoyment. One day, your ISP announces their own online digital music store and suddenly the iTunes Music Store takes 60 seconds to load or even longer. When you purchase a song it goes almost slower than DIALUP! The ISP is almost forcing you to use their own service by severely limiting and controlling your access to competing services.
3. Suppose you are part of a local band and use MySpace to help get your name out in the world, Flickr to share pictures on the net, and YouTube to broadcast your band. What if one day, your fans couldn’t get to your Flickr page or watch a video on YouTube because their ISP is blocking adequate bandwidth to use those services.
Still think this is a joke? Let’s take a look at some REAL LIFE examples of how ISPs are already abusing their power with the internet:
• In 2004, North Carolina ISP Madison River blocked their DSL customers from using any rival Web-based phone service.
• In 2005, Canada’s telephone giant Telus blocked customers from visiting a Web site sympathetic to the Telecommunications Workers Union during a labor dispute.
• Shaw, a big Canadian cable TV company, is charging an extra $10 a month to subscribers in order to “enhance” competing Internet telephone services.
• In April, Time Warner’s AOL blocked all emails that mentioned www.dearaol.com — an advocacy campaign opposing the company’s pay-to-send e-mail scheme.
This isn’t a joke. Net Neutrality is so important, groups, organizations, and companies are all voicing their support for Net Neutrality. Giant tech players, such as Apple, Microsoft & Google, have voiced their support for Net Neutrality and warned against the drastic and irrevocable harm the Internet would face without it.
Broad Right-Left Coalition, Consumer Groups Rally Public Behind Internet Freedom
Gun Owners, Librarians Unite Against Bells
Average Joe and Saving The Internet
Here is a short video explaining what Net Neutrality is and what is at stake today.
MoveOn
SaveTheInternet.com
ONLY YOU CAN HELP SAVE THE INTERNET.
SIGN THE PETITION and CALL CONGRESS TODAY!
Your voice needs to be heard.
