Sunday, December 17, 2006

Net Neutrality

I know many of you are quite up-to-speed on this issue, but for those of you who aren't, there is a media and lobbying campaign being waged by the large telecom conglomerates trying to convince people that "Net Neutrality" is bad for the internet. The arguements that they offer seem logical and convincing, and admittedly, the changes and legislation they are asking for probably would stimulate advances in access and bandwidth that have heretofore not been seen. But at what cost??

If the net is to continue to be the platform for the free exchange of ideas that it has been and should continue to be, big business and big government must be kept out of it. It should instead be allowed to grow and flourish through grassroots initiatives like the one instituted in the town of Layfayette, Louisiana. Instead of depending on the telecoms, Layfayette formed a coalition of local representatives to float a bond that would fund their local utility co-op in developing a fiber optic system that would serve every household in the area. It worked, but not before BellSouth and Cox Cable ground the operation to a halt with litigation, delaying the installation by a year at an additional cost of $125,000. Furthermore, as a result of telecom lobbying (40 million plus), 14 states now have legislation making it impossible for their municipalities to do what Layfayette is doing.

If companies like Cox Cable and BellSouth get the federal legislation they are now seeking, they will have the power they need to put an end to competition that would prevent them from getting a stranglehold on the net. We recently had a near miss in the form of HR5252, a House bill that was defeated despite heavy lobbying by the telecoms. But you can bet more is on the way. It's time for us all to get informed on this issue and help get the word out before they slip one by us.

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