NET NEUTRALITY--OH YEAH, IT EFFECTS YOU

So, what's "Net Neutrality"? In short, it's the principle that guarantees us all equal access to the World Wide Web. It makes sure that ISPs, phone and cable companies charge a fair and consistent amount for access to the 'net.

Without NN said companies could charge different people/companies different amounts and provide different levels of access. Isn't that fun?

So, Coca-Cola could pay big bucks to stay accessible to the masses. However, the average joe couldn't. ThePete.Com would end up on the dirt road will WarnerBrothers.Com would be on the highway. What this means is that, since I can't afford big bucks, my site would be slow to load for people while the WB's site would pop up instantly.

This could, I believe, effect access in the other direction, too. As in, you might have to pay your ISP more to get access to the back roads of the 'net.

So, why bring all of this up?

Well, while most of America is freaking out about illegal immigration NN just might get obliterated by lawmakers in Washington. Check out this clip from [http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.internet09may09,0,4559120.story|an oped piece from May 9, 2006] at BaltimoreSun.com:

Congress wants to change the Internet.

This is news to most people because the major news media have not actively pursued the story. Yet both the House and Senate commerce committees are promoting new rules governing the manner by which most Americans receive the Web. Congressional passage of new rules is widely anticipated, as is President Bush's signature. Once this happens, the Internet will change before your eyes.

The proposed House legislation, the Communications Opportunity, Promotion and Enhancement Act (COPE), offers no protections for "network neutrality."

So, the great equalizer that the Internet is, will soon be anything but equal. The sad thing is, I'm not entirely sure what to do about it. I even checked EFF.org to see if they had any info on what to do (or even what is going on right now) but they seem obsessed with AT&T helping the USG spy on us.

Not that I blame them.

Oh well, just trying to help give people a heads-up on this story. More on this when I come across new info.

Oh and you can read what the inventor of the World Wide Web thinks about these proposed new laws in [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/5009250.stm|a May 23, 2006 article] at http://News.BBC.co.uk (he doesn't like them).