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What they're not saying: The upcoming end of the internet as we now know it
The internet has its own type of First Amendment known as Net Neutrality. Simply put, each website is displayed and delivered with equal priority and methods, regardless of content. Pizza Hut gets delivered to your screen the same as CNN.
With newer, content-heavy websites popping up all over the place, big telecom such as AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast have started silently lobbying Congress to allow them to ignore Net Neutrality and offer those sites with more content - say a streaming music and video site - their own copper channels for a premium fee. Whereas both the Youtube and Ebaum's World sites travel over the same fiber optic wiring to get to your screen, because Youtube has more money, they will be able to opt to travel over the speedier copper wires and load faster on your screen.
Now I can certainly understand ISPs wanting to lift the load off of their broadband servers. Doing so can save them money, so the logical solution would be to charge content providers more money. However, one has to wonder at what cost will this come to everyone else? The fear is that the increased cost to content providers will be passed on to the consumers, the promised Quality of Service (QoS) will not be properly regulated (so smaller websites like Konnectivity may come through way slower than it does now and look terrible), and price tiering will come into play. The example given is that of current cable providers: you have your basic plan full of channels that you personally didn't pick, but you can chose premium channels such as HBO, Showtime and Starz at an additional fee. Right now you can come to "basic cable" site Konnectivity for the same cost you can visit premimum channel Youtube; with Net Neutrality torn asunder, that ability may be abolished.
The issue of the abolishment of Net Neutrality is not new; I've come across articles discussing the dangers as far back as 2006. It is curious that the issue is getting so little attention in the mainstream media, however. There are articles and information out there, and you can contact members of congress to get information and to let your feelings be known. Do a Google search of the term Net Neutrality, and go to SaveTheInternet.com as a start. The internet is supposed to be forever changed come 2012, so we have time, but not if we stand silent about it. Please do your best to spread the word to everyone you know.
With newer, content-heavy websites popping up all over the place, big telecom such as AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast have started silently lobbying Congress to allow them to ignore Net Neutrality and offer those sites with more content - say a streaming music and video site - their own copper channels for a premium fee. Whereas both the Youtube and Ebaum's World sites travel over the same fiber optic wiring to get to your screen, because Youtube has more money, they will be able to opt to travel over the speedier copper wires and load faster on your screen.
Now I can certainly understand ISPs wanting to lift the load off of their broadband servers. Doing so can save them money, so the logical solution would be to charge content providers more money. However, one has to wonder at what cost will this come to everyone else? The fear is that the increased cost to content providers will be passed on to the consumers, the promised Quality of Service (QoS) will not be properly regulated (so smaller websites like Konnectivity may come through way slower than it does now and look terrible), and price tiering will come into play. The example given is that of current cable providers: you have your basic plan full of channels that you personally didn't pick, but you can chose premium channels such as HBO, Showtime and Starz at an additional fee. Right now you can come to "basic cable" site Konnectivity for the same cost you can visit premimum channel Youtube; with Net Neutrality torn asunder, that ability may be abolished.
The issue of the abolishment of Net Neutrality is not new; I've come across articles discussing the dangers as far back as 2006. It is curious that the issue is getting so little attention in the mainstream media, however. There are articles and information out there, and you can contact members of congress to get information and to let your feelings be known. Do a Google search of the term Net Neutrality, and go to SaveTheInternet.com as a start. The internet is supposed to be forever changed come 2012, so we have time, but not if we stand silent about it. Please do your best to spread the word to everyone you know.
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© 2009 Created by Kenyatta Wilson on Ning. Create a Ning Network!
