"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for dinner. Liberty is a well-armed lamb, contesting the vote."

Introduction

This page consists of my discussion and concerns an extremely important Internet related issue currently being tossed around in Congress, which could adversely affect our cyber-freedom. Mega-media companies such as AT&T, Comcast, Cox Cable, Verizon and others are spending millions of dollars lobbying congress in an attempt to eliminate Net Neutrality, our First Amendment of the Internet.

Net Neutrality provides great benefits to both Internet users. The potential negative impacts that can arise from its elimination will directly affect anyone who uses the Internet. This is a controversial subject that not many know about, but the word needs to be spread. This issue must be known which is why I am writing this page. If the mega-media companies get their way, your Internet services will be directly affected. If you own a business that relies on Internet users for income, this could have a major impact on your ability to generate income. If this at all interests you or if you are concerned about losing your Internet freedom, read on.

What is "Net Neutrality?

In a nutshell, Net Neutrality, Network Neutrality, or NN, prevents the companies that control the wires from discriminating against content based on its source or ownership. It's the reason why the Internet has driven economic innovation, become an unrivaled environment for open communications, democratic participation, and free speech online. It is one of the biggest political battles of today.

It refers to a principle applied to residential broadband networks, and potentially to all broadband networks. A degradation free broadband network without restrictions on the kinds of equipment attached and without restrictions on the modes of communication allowed could be considered neutral.

Net Neutrality is the guiding principle that preserves the free and open Internet. It ensures that all users can access content or run applications and devices of their choice. Net Neutrality prevents larger communication companies from charging more for their faster internet services, which could potentially choke out all the other communication companies that can’t afford to pay for the same services.

Think of it this way; Lets say Congress passed the bill to eliminate Network Neutrality and because of this a large communications company begins offering network connections which are 10 times faster than any other ISP can provide, to the highest bidder(s) only.

Now let’s say that Yahoo won the bid, but Google didn’t have the financial capability to jump on the same bandwagon. The result would be unfortunate for Google in that Internet users would default to the search engine that gives them the fastest results. Since Google couldn’t afford to embrace this new network most users default to using Yahoo instead because now it delivers search results 10 times as fast as Google does, thus smothering Google to near or total extinction. That’s what it would be if Network Neutrality was eliminated. The Internet was about the people but because Network Neutrality was tossed out the internet is now about the buck. Welcome to Internet Monopoly.

It is Net Neutrality that prevents this Net Monopoly from happening. It is because of Net Neutrality that you can now go to Google, Yahoo or just about any other search engine of your choice and get search results at close to the same speeds.

With Net Neutrality, networks are responsible only for moving data. Without NN, the networks will also be able to choose what companies to privilege higher quality and faster services to.

The following links serve as additional description and definition sources for Network Neutrality:

• Network Neutrality definition at Google
• PBS.org : Bill Moyers on Net Neutrality
• freepress.net : What Is Net Neutrality?

Wolves Vs. Lambs

As the quote by Benjamin Franklin at the top of this page states:

"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for dinner. Liberty is a well-armed lamb, contesting the vote."

Well, I’ve got news for you boys and girls, the wolves in this case are the companies trying to shut down Network Neutrality in favor of their wallets, and WE are the lambs contesting the vote.

Those in favor of shutting down NN are looking at us with knives and forks in hand, salivating as they stare intently at our meaty wallets, ready to pounce. They know as soon as NN is eliminated, they will be able to monopolize the internet and make even more money by taking away our cyber-freedom.

We need to rise to the occasion and defend our Internet rights. Net Neutrality is the barbed wire fence that keeps the wolves at bay. How smart would it be to do away with that fence?

To help inform the public of this very real threat to our Internet freedom I have provided several links below which define, explain and discuss Network Neutrality and the current issues surrounding it.

• SaveTheInternet.com - a very informative website maintained by Free Press Action Fund. Here you will find different opinions and greater detail about Net Neutrality as well as the battle that rages as communication companies spend millions of dollars lobbying Congress to strike down and dispose of Net Neutrality, our First Amendment of the Internet.
• HandsOff.org - a nationwide coalition of Internet users united together in the belief that the Net's phenomenal growth over the past decade stems from the ability of entrepreneurs to expand consumer choices and opportunities without worrying about government regulation. Hands Off The Internet believes that the best way to avoid burdensome and unnecessary regulation and mandates is by ensuring that market forces deliver the benefits that only fair competition can bring to the American consumer - maximum choice in supplier, content, and technology.
• The Washington Post on Net Neutrality - This is a very thorough report from a reliable media source covering the issue of Net Neutrality. Their principal operations include newspaper and magazine publishing, television broadcasting, cable television systems, electronic information services, and educational and career services. They are dedicated to bringing the people top-quality journalism and believe that the free flow of information is essential to a successful democracy.

Side topic: Americas 19th CenturyInternet

I cant finish this page without discussing another Internet related issue, America's 19th Century Internet. Did you know that the internet you are using rite now is quite possibly using not 21st Century technology but 19th Century technology? Let me explain, while other parts of the world are using fiber optic networks that reach speeds of up to 100Mbps, your internet service provider is most likely using COPPER WIRE to transmit and receive information. Copper was first discovered around 9000 B.C. in the Middle East. Don’t you think it's time to upgrade?

Starting in the early 1990's, with a push from the Clinton-Gore Administration’s "Information Superhighway", every Bell company (SBC, Verizon, BellSouth and Qwest) made commitments to rewire America, state by state, replacing this 19th Century technology with 21st Century fiber optic cable. By 2006, 86 million households should have had access to services capable of at least 45 Mbps to and from the customer. This service was supposed to have been deployed in rural, urban and suburban areas equally and should have been open to ALL competition.

Korea and Japan have 100 Mbps services as standard, and America could have been Number One had the phone companies actually delivered as they promised. Instead, we are 16th in broadband and falling in technology dominance. We are certainly capabile of constructing and delivering super high-speed fiber optic networks in the Unitied States. "Where's the fiber?!" is a question many people all over the United States are asking.

Could it be that the costs are just too high and because of that it is unfeasible to construct such a network? Well, yes and no. Yes it would cost an incredible amount of money to trench and deliver a fiber optic network to everyone in the U.S., over 200 billion dollars to be exact, but no because we already paid for it.

I bet right this very second your saying "Excuse me? What? Wait a second, could you repeat that?". Sure, let me repeat that for you:

We already paid for it.

Surprised? You should be, as I was when I first heard of it. It's one of the largest scandals in American history. We've already paid $200,000,000,000 for upgrades to our existing broadband infrastructure, but received nothing in return. We were flat ripped off. Preposterous isn’t it?

How did we pay for this? In state after state, the public service commissions and state legislatures acquiesced to the Bells’ promises by removing the constraints on the Bells’ profits as well as gave other financial perks. Billions of dollars per state were collected in the form of higher phone rates and tax benefits.

Broken down into its most simple form, the Bell companies cannot be trusted with our digital future. This so-called internet "provider" stole money from the American public. The only thing they provided were broken promises, misinformation and lies in order to get favorable treatment, special dispensation, and competition-free access to residents across the United States.

Congress is deciding the future of the internet. If this happens, it will be setting our society and the internet on a course that wont be able to be changed for many generations. Big corporations such as Cox Cable, Verizon, BellSouth, Comcast, and AT&T are battling to control the information superhighway. These mega-media companies are spending millions to get there way in Washington and across the country. As soon as we started talking about fiber, these mega media companies started lobbying, spending millions in Washington and across the country to get their way.

The internet isn’t about free speech, free expression, and cultural communication anymore. It’s about the buck, and who can make the most of them. An unfortunate truth, but truth nonetheless.

We need to step up to the plate and start dealing with these serious network deficiencies.

For more information on these issues, please visit the following links:

• The 200 billion dollar broadband scandal
• NewNetworks.com - Broadband Scandal

In all fairness

To bring you a fair and unbiased argument to the fiber optic vs. copper network issue I found a very interesting article on the Ars Technica website that explains a new technology being developed that could allow DSL users much higher speeds than even fiber optic networks could hope to provide.

This new technology is called Dynamic Spectrum Management or DSM and will act to boost DSL speeds. On this page it is suggested that "copper actually has more available bandwidth than fiber; it just needs to be better used." Additionally it is pointed out that "a bundle of 50 Cat 3 twisted-pair wires (the kind that might be used in the last segment of the phone network) has 10Gbps of available bandwidth to distribute to the fifty homes at the end of those wires. By contrast, fiber to the home has only 2.5Gbps to distribute to its homes".

I highly suggest reading this article, as it is very interesting:

• Ars Technica: Copper as fast as fiber?

Big Media eliminating local media?

Bill Moyers has produced several T.V. shows and given numerous interviews in which he speaks of this controversial subject in great detail. The T.V. program that inspired this page was produced by PBS and is entitled "Bill Moyers: The Net @ Risk". In this documentary he provides convincing evidence of what I have discussed as well as a variety of other issues including Big Media and their continuous fight to eliminate small time and community radio and television programming to make way for their corporate powered media by pushing the local media completely out of the picture.

Lets think about this for a second; If Net Neutrality was eliminated, it would allow the big media companies to push the smaller local media businesses out of the picture completely. This would result in the elimination of local news and events from radio and television. How is that fair to the general public who rely on these modes of communication and media for their safety and well being?

When events such as crimes happen, our local media bring this breaking news to us via radio and television to inform their cities and neighborhoods of potentially dangerous situations. Hopefully the result would be the listener avoiding these areas to protect themselves, family and/or friends from potential danger. Local radio and television also help us avoid grid-lock with our daily commuting. We depend on local media as a society; it serves as a much needed informational source throughout our daily lives. Think of how chaotic it would be if we didn’t have access to local radio and television to bring important issues to public attention.

Personally, local media has saved me from numerous traffic nightmares and served to protect me and help keep both myself and my family safe by avoiding dangerous situations or events. Our world as we know it relies on local media to a certain extent.

To put this into perspective, imagine with me for a second that you are getting ready to leave for work and you turn on the television or radio for a quick few minutes to get caught up on the latest news and information. Because of a recent bill passed by congress, the cable television and radio providers in your area do not broadcast local media any longer. Now let’s say that before leaving for work you check the T.V. or radio for current news and information and they are currently covering the latest casualty rates from the war in the Gulf. Now let’s say that there is a situation in your neighborhood about 5 blocks away where an armed lunatic is on the loose and shooting and killing anyone who walks out side. In this situation, which form of media would you say would be of most importance and most beneficial to you?

I don’t think it takes a genius to figure that one out. Extreme yes, but I am trying to drive the point home that we do need local media and we should do everything in our power to stop Big Media from taking over in this way.

If you’re interested in this subject, please visit the following link to Bill Moyers "The Net @ Risk" documentary. These topics along with most of the others on this page are covered in his video:

• Bill Moyers: Net @ Risk