"Net Neutrality"
Net Neutrality: This is serious...Submitted by timbl on Wed. 2006-06-21 ~ 16:35 ~ Public Policy and the Web
When I invented the web, I didn't have to ask anyone's permission. Now, hundred's of millions of people are using it freely. I am worried that that is going to end the USA. I blogged on net neutrality before, and so did a lot of other people. (see e.g. Danny Weitzner, SaveTheInternet.com, etc.)
Since then, some telecommunications companies spent a lot of money on public relations and TV ads, and the US House seems to have wavered from the path of preserving net neutrality.
There has been some misinformation spread about. So here are some clarifications.
Net Neutrality is this: If I pay to connect to the Net with a certain quality of service, and you pay to connect with that or greater quality of service, then we can communicate at that level. That's all. It's up to the ISPs to make sure they interoperate so that that happens.
Net Neutrality is NOT asking for the internet for free. Net Neutrality is NOT saying that one shouldn't pay more money for high quality of service. We always have. We always will.
There have been suggestions that we don't need legislation because we haven't had it. These are nonsense, because in fact we have had net neutrality in the past -- it is only recently that real explicit threats have occurred. Control of information is hugelypowerful. In the US, the threat is that companies control what I can access for commercial reasons.
(In China, control is by the government for political reasons.) There is a very strong short-term incentive for a company to grab control of TV distribution over the internet even though it is against the long-term interests of the industry. Yes, regulation to keep the Internet open is regulation. And mostly, the Internet thrives on lack of regulation. But some basic values have to be preserved. For example, the market system depends on the rule that you can't photocopy money.
Democracy depends on freedom of speech. Freedom of connection, with any application, to any party, is the fundamental social basis of the Internet, and, now, the society based on it.
Let's see whether the United States is capable as acting according to it's important values, or whether it is, as so many people are saying, run by the misguided short-term interested of large corporations.
I hope that congress can protect net neutrality, so I can continue to innovate in the internet space. I want to see the explosion of innovations happening out there on the Web, so diverse and so exciting, continued unabated.
When I invented the web, I didn't have to ask anyone's permission. Now, hundred's of millions of people are using it freely. I am worried that that is going to end the USA. I blogged on net neutrality before, and so did a lot of other people. (see e.g. Danny Weitzner, SaveTheInternet.com, etc.)
Since then, some telecommunications companies spent a lot of money on public relations and TV ads, and the US House seems to have wavered from the path of preserving net neutrality.
There has been some misinformation spread about. So here are some clarifications.
Net Neutrality is this: If I pay to connect to the Net with a certain quality of service, and you pay to connect with that or greater quality of service, then we can communicate at that level. That's all. It's up to the ISPs to make sure they interoperate so that that happens.
Net Neutrality is NOT asking for the internet for free. Net Neutrality is NOT saying that one shouldn't pay more money for high quality of service. We always have. We always will.
There have been suggestions that we don't need legislation because we haven't had it. These are nonsense, because in fact we have had net neutrality in the past -- it is only recently that real explicit threats have occurred. Control of information is hugelypowerful. In the US, the threat is that companies control what I can access for commercial reasons.
(In China, control is by the government for political reasons.) There is a very strong short-term incentive for a company to grab control of TV distribution over the internet even though it is against the long-term interests of the industry. Yes, regulation to keep the Internet open is regulation. And mostly, the Internet thrives on lack of regulation. But some basic values have to be preserved. For example, the market system depends on the rule that you can't photocopy money.
Democracy depends on freedom of speech. Freedom of connection, with any application, to any party, is the fundamental social basis of the Internet, and, now, the society based on it.
Let's see whether the United States is capable as acting according to it's important values, or whether it is, as so many people are saying, run by the misguided short-term interested of large corporations.
I hope that congress can protect net neutrality, so I can continue to innovate in the internet space. I want to see the explosion of innovations happening out there on the Web, so diverse and so exciting, continued unabated.
Sir Timothy John "Tim" Berners-Lee
Note: Many have asked me questions concerning the difference between the WWW (World Wide Web) and the Internet. The Internet was around long before we could surf the Web. Back in the 60's Tim Berners-Lee invented HTML.
His parents, also mathematicians and scientists invented one of the earliest computers known as the Manchester Mark I.
Tim Berners-Lee also wrote/created the first browser.
A note of credit to Al Gore who worked tirelessly to fight Congress to allow control of the Internet available to the 'people.'
Note: Many have asked me questions concerning the difference between the WWW (World Wide Web) and the Internet. The Internet was around long before we could surf the Web. Back in the 60's Tim Berners-Lee invented HTML.
His parents, also mathematicians and scientists invented one of the earliest computers known as the Manchester Mark I.
Tim Berners-Lee also wrote/created the first browser.
A note of credit to Al Gore who worked tirelessly to fight Congress to allow control of the Internet available to the 'people.'
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Comment by VivaLiberty— 2006/10/08 @ 11:23 AM — (Reply)
I would have thought that everyone would be (maybe a lot already have, I don't know) jumping on this one, as we the people will soon be "We, their slaves" and I don't know about you, but this has me concerned as an American who has always loved my country and what it stood for.
It just doesn't 'stand' for what made it a great country since Bush and his cohorts have been playing double jeapordy with our freedoms.
Pick a card, take a number and we'll let you know the rest when we're ready!!!
God help Us All!
Thanks for your comment Viva and Welcome!
Peace...Darby
Comment by Darby— 2006/10/08 @ 01:39 PM — (Reply)
Comment by Coon— 2006/10/09 @ 10:07 PM — (Reply)
Thanks Coon, for also doing a post on this.
Peace...Darby
Comment by Darby— 2006/10/09 @ 10:25 PM — (Reply)
Anyway, good luck to your endeavors…All the best and Keep it up!!!=)
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Comment by angelcentaur— 2007/10/17 @ 08:59 PM — (Reply)