However supporters of Net Neutrality have had a tough time as of late, especially with the large TV/internet providers such as Comcast and Verizon getting a crucial victory when the US court of appeals ruled in favor of Verizon, meaning sweeping change could come to the internet that we have come to know.
Many people are angry about this stating that it will impede our ability to pass information along freely and in turn limit some of our rights. Others argue that it will also harm innovative thinkers and entrepreneurs because they will not be able to pay the premium to keep their sites loading at optimum efficiency.
However the FCC is looking to fight against this. The FCC has announced a plan to overhaul the rules of Net Neutrality and "...Act to preserve a free and open internet...".
In addition Obama himself has come out in support of Net Neutrality and said, "The one good piece of news coming out of this court opinion was the court did confirm that the FCC can regulate this space"
For now it still seems like it will be a long and winding road until we know the true fate of Net Neutrality but if the FCC is as committed as they say they are we should rest easy and stay optimistic.
The Link to the article and the FCC Chairman's statement are posted below.
I'm glad you found and posted something about net neutrality. It's a very important topic that doesn't get enough attention. There also was a big story in USA Today this morning, which I was very happy to see because this issue has a big potential consumer impact on all of us.
ReplyDeleteRecently I've been hearing the words "net neutrality" tossed around quite a bit with nothing behind it. Interesting to read about the real facts on the subject between your post and the linked article. "Allow[ing] access to all content... free of bias" was confusing until reading the actual article. Originally I thought it meant that if the net neutrality was passed that all content would be free of charge to download legally (i.e. music content etc.) .After reading the article and clearing that up it made much more sense and I could take a stance on it. Media and advocates should be covering more of this; getting the people informed and involved may help the FCC keep the net neutral.
ReplyDeleteThe corporate giants who want to rid us of Net Neutrality control the media which stories like this would usually be covered through. It is for this reason that most of us do not hear about it on a daily basis. When word of this law suit first came up in the fall, it was scarcely covered. Without Net Neutrality, I'm afraid the internet will be overrun by tyrannical media giants like Verizon and Comcast. I hope the FCC can do the job for the sake of the livelihood of perhaps the most amazing creative and informative platform we will ever know -- the Internet
ReplyDeleteIt's true, I remember when we presented on the Verizon lawsuit in our Intro to Mass Comm class, and it was very difficult to find any coverage of the case online. When big business has the media in their pocket, they effectively control what we know and hear about. This topic desperately needs to get more attention; I've been promoting it like crazy on Facebook and Twitter. Hopefully the FCC can turn this ruling around before it's too late.
ReplyDeleteThis is very good article on net neutrality. Once the discussion of getting rid of it made its way into the news, I got nervous. The Internet was invented with the intention of being free and it should be like that and separated from big businesses who just want to line their pockets with more money. Without net neutrality, I feel like the surfing the web will feel too much like Big Brother is watching us to me.
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