Save the Internet!
Why isn’t anyone talking about savetheinternet.com?
Freedom of speech and open e-market are being directly threatened by the senate and the house right now. The Network Neutrality Act ensures that there is no corporate regulation to internet access in the manner that they mean to install. There is a bill being voted on that will dissolve the act, allowing the communication corporations to buy up the control of access and install a Tier System. This Tier System will affect which websites a user is able to access with reasonable speed. For example, you could go to MySpace.com with ease. But to access anything else that doesn’t fork over the money to get into the top tiers, they will delay your ability to view them.
By that same process, you would have to considerably wait to look at your own webpage. Or practically any other webcomic or website you enjoy that can’t afford to sign up for the tier system. Makers will have to spend money to make their strip, publish their strip, and allow people to view their strip with any convenience.
Folks, this shit is fucked up. And they’re trying to slip it right past us. I urge you to visit savetheinternet.com and do everything you can to help. Get the word out. Tell everyone you know. Call and/or write your congressmen. This threatens not only for our little corner of the web, but for free speech as well.
There is nothing more important in webcomics than this. No book being compiled, no landmark being reached, no collaboration, no interview, no podcast, no webcomic more important than this right now. If they pass the bill and Network Neutrality is destroyed, what we have here right now will change forever for the worse.
May 11th, 2006 at 8:05 am
I think so much of the problem comes from the very concept of what is happening being so anathema to those most concerned. The internet is free and impartial - that is an inherent facet of it. It wouldn’t *be* the internet without that.
But because of that outlook, it seems so unreal to even acknowledge that it is within the power of others to change that - and hence why it is all too easy to ignore the problem, rather than facing it.
May 19th, 2006 at 12:34 pm
A chara,
I’m starting to get worried about this, but how exactly does it work?
Where is the control (as it were)?
When you say “you can’t view non-tier websites with any great speed”, what do you actualy mean? I’ll get redirected? They won’t be search-able {i.e. Google-able}?
I simply won’t be able to load them in my browser?
Do chara,
Adder {still pretty new on this subject}
May 19th, 2006 at 12:52 pm
I’m happy to help answer your concerns to the best of my ability.
1) The control, as it stands, doesn’t exist. That’s what we want. An uncontrolled internet. Should the bill pass, the control will be able to be had by the people who give you access to the internet. So, Comcast could deny you convinient access to Google, because they don’t pay as much money to them as Yahoo!. That’s just an example.
2) “With any great speed” means that they could practically do anything they wanted to to prevent you from viewing the sites that don’t pay them as much as the ones that do. Or by that same token, prevent you from seeing ones that don’t pay them at all. This means, potentially, they could block any site from viewing alltogether if they don’t pay them, or even if the company fundamentally disagrees or disproves of the contents of that site. Realistically, they’ll put a delay in access or a slew of advertisements in the way of viewing those “lesser” sites. Nothing would prevent them from being searchable, provided you use search engines that are not owned by the telcomm company giving you access.
However, there’s more perspectives being added to the mix, perspectives that have been given much more rational thought. For example, Eric Burns gave us a pretty realistic analysis and prediction of what may happen if Net Neutrality is dissolved. After reading that, I’m less worried about the future of the internet, but still concerned about what could happen in the meantime.
May 20th, 2006 at 4:41 am
So your saying my IP will make people bid so that I can access their site easily? And if it comes down to an IP, I’m sure some will try to start up to allow people “neutral net access”. Since I didn’t understand exactly who would control the ‘tiers’ of sites I can access {essential, who sites would have to pay} I had to ask. If it’s just my IP… well, I hate them already (but there aren’t many serving this Suburb of Dublin).
Thank you for the link. As soon as I got to “If you’re not an American… you ought to be contacting your own legislators, representatives…
I would think the European Union would be sending quiet messages across saying “screw with the Internet, and we’re going to start talking about trade sanctions.” Or some such.” …and suddenly realised “Hey, I can finaly use that LabourYouth club I joined {before I realised how un-me they are} to do something!”.
…And I got to the point where he states that smart companies will just use Net Neutral as a sale-point.
May 27th, 2006 at 2:33 pm
Have you actually read the legislation in question? Where exactly does it say this stuff about Tiers and all?
Just how reliable are your sources on this?
(Sorry if I sound aggressive: I’m just a little sceptical about all the scaremongering going on, and I’d like some solid information.)