Save the Internet

[BlaRo]

A friend sent me this, sounds interesting.

This is about Internet freedom. "Network Neutrality" -- the First Amendment of the Internet -- ensures that the public can view the smallest blog just as easily as the largest corporate Web site by preventing Internet companies like AT&T from rigging the playing field for only the highest-paying sites.

But Internet providers like AT&T, Verizon and Comcast are spending millions of dollars lobbying Congress to gut Net Neutrality. If Congress doesn't take action now to implement meaningful network neutrality provisions, the future of the Internet is at risk.

http://savetheinternet.com/


What do you think?

[swek]

I don't get it. How would that work ?

Let's say I put www.finalgear.com in my adress bar and hit enter. Will my ISP then decide that I might find clarkson material quicker on Amazon.com and redirect me to it ? I don't think that's how it will work so what's the fuss all about ?

[BerserkerCatSplat]

This isn’t just speculation -- we've already seen what happens elsewhere when the Internet's gatekeepers get too much control. Last year, Telus -- Canada's version of AT&T -- blocked their Internet customers from visiting a Web site sympathetic to workers with whom the company was having a labor dispute.

Hahaha, that was right here in Calgary!

The reason they blocked it was because they were illegally posting pictures of people who crossed the picket lines and placing disparaging comments on the images. It had nothing to do with "Net Neutrality," it was the union being idiots. They were throwing objects aat passing cars, screaming obscenities at random people visiting the building, that sort of thing.

The pages that were blocked were hosted on Telus servers, and thus the illegal images violated the terms-of-use agreement, so Telus shut it down. The union eventually removed the images and switched to Shaw servers.

In the end, Telus basically broke the stupid union and they got less than what they were going to get before they went on strike. It was hilarious!

[hokiethang]

Originally Posted by swek

I don't get it. How would that work ?

Let's say I put www.finalgear.com in my adress bar and hit enter. Will my ISP then decide that I might find clarkson material quicker on Amazon.com and redirect me to it ? I don't think that's how it will work so what's the fuss all about ?

No, it's more like, if amazon.com pays your ISP $50000 a month, it will be faster for customers of your ISP to access amazon, than access some other website. The ISP would dedicate more of your bandwidth to companies that pay the extortion.

Unfortunately internet petitions NEVER work. The best thing that can be done by the Americans on this forum is to call or write to your representatives and voice concerns over the extortion of the internet by ISPs. That's really the only way anyone can make a difference.