The End of the Internet

0 commentsOn October 28th 2009 at 3:28 pm, Greg said:

When we log onto the Internet, we take a lot for granted. We assume we'll be able to access any website we want, whenever we want, at the fastest speed, whether it's a corporate website or a personal blogger's website. We assume that we can use any aspect of the Internet we like -- watching video, listening to music, sharing your opinions, blogging, opening an online business, social networking -- anytime we choose. What makes all these assumptions possible is Net Neutrality.

Net Neutrality is the guiding principle that preserves the free and open Internet. Net Neutrality simply means no discrimination. Net Neutrality prevents Internet Service Providers from blocking, speeding up or slowing down web content based on its source, ownership or destination, to maximize their profits.

All of the major the Internet Service Providers are in the process of removing Net Neutrality. This means that they will all control which content we get to see and which websites we will be allowed to visit. Here's an image that may illustrate what this would look like.

Net Neutrality is not a new regulation that needs to be imposed. Net Neutrality has been a part of the Internet since its inception. However, lobbyists for the biggest ISPs like AT&T, Verizon, Comcast, Time Warner, etc., spend hundreds of millions of dollars on lobbyists to lobby Congress and the FCC to get rid of Net Neutrality. The most recent example of this is a bill introduced on October 22nd, 2009 by Senator John McCain, called the Internet Freedom Act of 2009. Don't let the name confuse you, because that's exactly what it's supposed to do.

The consequences of a world without Net Neutrality would be devastating. Innovation would be stifled, competition limited, and access to information would be restricted. Consumer choice and the free market would be sacrificed to the interests of a few corporations. On the Internet, consumers are in ultimate control -- deciding which website, content, video, application or service they would like to view -- anywhere, no matter who owns the network. But without Net Neutrality, the ISPs will become the middleman, and the Internet will look more like cable TV. Internet Service Providers will decide which channels, content and applications are available; consumers will have to choose from their menu.

The free and open Internet brings with it the revolutionary idea that every website and every person on the Internet is within reach. The loss of Net Neutrality would end this unparalleled opportunity for freedom of expression.

The Internet has always been driven by innovation. Web sites and services succeed or fail on their own merits. Without Net Neutrality, decisions now made collectively by millions of users will be made in corporate boardrooms.

This is not fiction, or a faint possibility -- this is a reality.

Go to http://savetheinternet.com and learn more about Net Neutrality.

Thanks for your time,

Greg Sabia
Sabia Creative Design
http://sabiadesign.com
415.935.4309

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