Net Neutrality

[Reese Leysen]

Over the past few years, there has been an increase of debate, legal disputes and political activity surrounding net neutrality: the principle of a completely 'open' Internet where providers like Comcast and Verizon simply give you access to the entire global network without in any way blocking or reducing the quality of access to certain services. The problem is that, especially with the drastic decrease in popularity of traditional media, it is becoming far more profitable for Internet providers to limit and prioritize your Internet access. From their point of view, the ideal business model would be a television-like system that requires you to pay extra subscription fees to access sites that aren't included in your standard package of 'channels'.

At one point the future seemed very grim for net neutrality, Virgin Media announced they had no plans to respect these Internet freedoms and details on Non-Disclosure Agreements between high-profile ISP's leaked out that revealed their plans to globally move to very restricted Internet access business models. But two things have happened that made the future for an open Internet much brighter:

• 1. The FCC recently proved that it would uphold net neutrality by law as it made its first very concrete rulings against Comcast when they infringed upon net neutrality by blocking BitTorrent access.
• 2. As any possible form of international demise of net neutrality would have to begin in the United States where the current telecom monopoly allows ISP's to reshape the Internet as they see fit, it now seems that this has become very unlikely since Barack Obama has been elected as President and has vowed to protect net neutrality.

However, the reason why I Power will always remain very vigilant on the net neutrality front is because with some of the wealthiest industries in the world (telecom, television, marketing,...) lobbying for less net neutrality, it's safe to say the fight is not over yet.

I Power has always been a community that keeps a very close eye on the net neutrality front and is quick to react when for example Virgin Media's CEO blatantly stated that they think 'net neutrality is bollocks'. The community has often been the driving force to get net neutrality issues into the spotlight of the mainstream media and will continue to be active in these areas. It's because of net neutrality that an international grassroots culture like I Power can change the world and we see it as our responsibility to fight for these freedoms.

[Ole Martin]

I've heard that they are going to stage an internet breakdown, then blame it on the chinese and say they did it. Then build it back up as internet2.

[Mybrainrunslinux]

john, your lack of logic is impeccable, and you have quite a way with bs yourself.

1) The Internet currently IS a load of crap, and we all do go wading through feces to find a few gems
2) The Internet is NOT people with a voice - how much of the content we see daily consists of ads, parking pages, malware, useless downloads, and other robot-generated stuff?
3) I'm not sure I would call DARPAnet (the precursor to the Internet) a "paramilitary" network - just because it was created (more like overseen) by the military doesn't mean there isn't information out there as to what it actually was - primarily a way for scientists and other academics to share USEFUL data. Do YOUR research. Google is 100 times more tied up with the military and federal government than DARPAnet ever could have been.
3) Kind of ironic that you harp on the issue of "We pay already for access, why would we ever pay for use?"... Ummmmmm... CELL PHONE, CAR (registration, title, license fees, emissions, parking tickets), HOUSE(utilities), COMPUTER SOFTWARE(ongoing license costs), and oh look I can even PAY MONTHLY for my websites (even porn!). EVERYTHING we use in society requires that we pay to get it and pay some more to use it (income tax PLUS sales tax, anyone?). It's because society means business+politics = RACKET. If we had real free speech maybe we would have a shot at free trade, but humans have become so ignorant that free speech always produces a bunch of useless crap.
4) please go to forrealtotallymakeyourmembermuchbiggerandwinthelotterytoo.info for more detailed academic treatises on the concept of free speech.
5) On the subject of "democracy" - which has NEVER existed in the USA, and many seem to be extremely confused to the point of not knowing that our government system is actually called a "Representative Republic" - which has little in common with real democracy.

[Liam Collister]

Virgin suck every sexual appendage..... you buy their premium internet package e.g. "unlimited" 50Mbps broadband (notice the "") and you usually get it, until you start actually using it for example, downloading a song or playing a game , then they will think "OMFG THEY ARE USING INTERNETS!!" and actually slow your internet download speeds down and will keep on doing this until you are disconnected.... its their "fair usage rights" policy loada crap but it isn't fair, if they advertise this broadband, you should get it........

[john]

~ALEX-(Do your research please. Internet was created as a research paramilitary network. And you analogy with paint is not exactly correct. But even using your own analogy, nothing entitles you to the free paint and brushes. Companies that produce pain can charge whatever prices they want as long as their product sells. You are free to use any other means to create art if you don't want to use overpriced paint. Same with internet. You may claim the right as much as you want, but those fiberoptic cables DO belong to someone,)

Maybe so, but the only reason the lines and hardware were built is because WE PAID the cable company for access. Not to mention that money didn't just go for the access alone, it also went into BUILDING those FIBER OPTIC cables which BELONG to the cable company, and in this fact is the reason they are obligated to maintain them. So in a sense we are responsible for the internet, after all if we didn't use it, it wouldn't have become this big in the first place. Believe me we have paid for the internet, I'm willing to bet you have too. Now that the system is in place, their trying to charge for it. So not only are we gonna pay for access, but also for use? This seems pretty damn greedy if you ask me. I for one will not support any such corporation that would attempt to abuse something that WE ALREADY PAID FOR.

( and most likely not you. Internet is NOT radiowaves, it's NOT movements of air. It's a complex network of very expensive hardware that has to be built and maintained before you can send packets over it and excercize your free speach. I actually also disagree with you on the whole "springboard" thing. Since internet allows basically everyone to speak freely, it's no surprise that the overwhelming majority of the stuff on the internet is some retarded bs.)

i.e. Your pathetic diatribe, and assumptions.

(Yes, there MIGHT BE jewels there, but most people wouldn't go digging through tonns of feces to find them. It does allow everyone to speak, but by that very fact it cheapens the value of free speach incredibly.)

Value? You put a value on free speech? That defeats the meaning of the term FREE SPEECH. Every human being has the RIGHT to express his/her opinion on ANY platform under ANY circumstance. AND NO ONE SHOULD BE CHARGED TO SPEAK.

(Oh and also, if you didn't notice yet, internet is a cesspoll for hate mongering and irresponsibility, anonymity bringing out the worst in people.)

I noticed that the internet is full of people with a voice, and they have something to say. Now I don't know what makes you think that your so important, but just because something strikes YOU as offensive, does not mean it is for someone else.

( It is misused and abused much more often than used for the good. It's not the wonderful thing that you people portray it to be.)

One mans heaven is another mans hell. That's the way it is. Get mad if you want, it's your right, but make sure you understand and digest the bilge you spray into the net as FREE SPEECH. That's exactly what their trying to charge you for. Drop a quarter into a jar every time you post something on the net, at the end of the month I'll bet you'll have enough for a car payment, or water bill. Like most others that are against the packaging and selling of the net, I discourage the idea of having yet ONE MORE BILL to pay, especially since we already paid for the items we're using.

[Kalai Selvan]

Barack Will do the needful.. I have enough Faith on Him...

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Latest Published Articles - Part I
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[signedupespeciallytoleavethiscomment]

Graphic featured in the Cnet.com Congressman to Comcast: Stop interfering with BitTorrent article. (Credit: Rikomatic / Flickr)

[signedupespeciallytoleavethiscomment]

A .pdf document from csis.org:
"Securing Cyberspace for the 44th Presidency," a report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies

NY Times Article:
Panel Presses to Bolster Security in Cyberspace

This was linked to by a user on IPower, (Jason) in the Net Neutrality Watchdog group:
License Plates for the Internet - The Blueprints for Obama's Assault on the Internet

Everyone chip in with their links! Help to substantiate this story in any way you can with links to credible reports and information that you may have uncovered.

Here's a link to the torrent for 2012 The Year The Internet Ends (which doesn't feature the credibility affecting boobshot that comes out of nowhere in the YouTube version like a naughty slide 'accidentaly' getting left in during a gruesome slideshow at a warcrimes hearing). Show the video to everyone you know, especially journalist or blogger friends. Or if you have the skills and resources, perhaps people would like to attempt their own video based feedback on the matter in a more professional 'after effects wizardry' sort of effort, such as WHAT BARRY SAYS (about United States imperialism) and masterplanthemovie.com (a short and informative animation about Google) If I had a powerful enough computer I'd be working on my own film right now and hopefully there are other folks out there that are already working on their own films relating to this story.

Do what you can to shed light on this story and try your best to get the message out, download the 2012 The Year The Internet Ends and seed to 100! (Its only 58mb) Keep this story from getting tucked away at the back of yours and everyone elses minds until it's too late.

Spread the word///

[signedupespeciallytoleavethiscomment]

To the best of my current knowledge this story is completely true.

I have recently spoken to an industry insider regarding this issue, when the issue of the webs future came up in a conversation with this person (I was talking to the person about an art project utilising the web) I was stunned to hear confirmation of this rumour first hand in casual conversation! This is no conspiracy, find out for yourself, ask any friend with links to the media industry and if they can't confirm it themselves then tell them to ask around and get back to you.

This is no joke, even the time scales appear to be accurate from what I was told. If someone unrelated to the implementation of this somewhat dystopian scenario is talking casually to me, essentially a client, not a colleague, then the NDA (non disclosure agreement) has been broken so there should really be piles of information about this out there already, I admit I've been preoccupied over the last month and haven't yet gone fishing for additional information but I'm going to have to find a reason to contact the person I spoke to again to obtain more information that I can bring to the story because folks let's face it, the hardline skeptics need to see as much evidence as can be provided in order to satisfy their doubts so there arent people repeatedly shooting down or flaming out this important discussion.

Whether youre playing video games (although you guys out of everyone will still probably be the best catered to if this happens), a person running their small independant business online, a gaian connectivist, a conspiracy researcher, an activist, a blogger......(insert your reason for using the web here) this will affect us all.

Whatever your mental associations with 2012 happen to be, put this story in the pipelines of your future expectations if you don't start making some noise about this right now.

2012 The Year of the Freedom Apocalypse///

[Skubasteve834]

I hope Obama will not be like Jimmy Carter because when he was running he would legalize weed. We all know how that story ended. So we have to hold him to his word.

[Mike Richard]

Obama scares me, but if he actaully supports Net Neutrality I hope he follows through with it.