Mike
Well-Known Member
OK, people, big business and the Net-ignorant idiots on Capitol Hill are at it again. And the target remains the same as all the nonsense bills they have been trying to ramrod over the last few years - the Internet and how you access it.
In a nutshell, people are cutting the cords, right and left. Who needs a phone line, when they have a mobile phone, or VoIP? Who needs a cable company, when they have NetFlix or Hulu? So the cable companies are seeing their largest competitor is not the other cable companies, rather it is the Internet. And they have every intention of slowing things down, to a point where sites that cannot afford to pay premium prices for premium bandwidth will end up going down the plughole. Even if it means they need to crawl in bed with each other (ala the Comcast / Time Warner merger), they intend to take away your choice, as well as the freedom for all companies to access the Internet, equally.
This is very real. Scary real. I want each one of you to take the time to watch this video. Yes, it is done by a comedian, yes, his language is a bit colorful, but his message about what is happening and what is going to happen, if we stand by and do naught, is crystal-clear.
The joke he makes about Apple hiding a copy of Mein Kampf inside the iTunes agreement should be one that really strikes home for each and every one of us who fails to read every word of the fine print.
I'm going to make it easy for you to make your voice heard. Don't worry about trying to copy down that address John Oliver showed you, just click THIS LINK and add your name to the list of people who want Net Neutrality.
If you do not understand the concept of Net Neutrality, it is time for you to learn -
Net Neutrality is the Internet’s guiding principle: It preserves our right to communicate freely online.
Net Neutrality means that the cable/telecom companies must provide us with open networks — and should not block or discriminate against any applications or content that ride over those networks. Just as your phone company cannot decide who you could call and what you say on that call, your ISP should not be concerned with what content you view or post online.
Net Neutrality is what enables the Internet to be such a hotbed for innovation. If you bring a new service online, the cable/telecom companies should deliver it just like they’d deliver content from a corporate behemoth like Google or NBC.
Net Neutrality is what gives every startup the same chance to reach customers and users as any existing company. Simply, without Net Neutrality, startups and small business will be subject to discrimination based on a pay-to-play Internet, and the open Internet and the economic growth it has represented will be at risk.
Just let me say if you think companies like Comcast, Time Warner, Verizon, and AT&T are not positioning themselves to strip away Net Neutrality, then you are drinking far too much of the Kool-Aid. Let's be honest enough to see and admit that for Internet Service Providers to discriminate between different kinds of content will first mean they will be getting a lot more invasive with their monitoring of what you are doing online. And make no mistake about it - the complete, absolute, and utter disappointment sitting in our Oval Office is doing everything he can to make sure you lose more of your freedoms.
Just one, quick reminder, before I cut you loose - if you do not care enough about this to make your voice heard, who do you suppose will be speaking for you?
In a nutshell, people are cutting the cords, right and left. Who needs a phone line, when they have a mobile phone, or VoIP? Who needs a cable company, when they have NetFlix or Hulu? So the cable companies are seeing their largest competitor is not the other cable companies, rather it is the Internet. And they have every intention of slowing things down, to a point where sites that cannot afford to pay premium prices for premium bandwidth will end up going down the plughole. Even if it means they need to crawl in bed with each other (ala the Comcast / Time Warner merger), they intend to take away your choice, as well as the freedom for all companies to access the Internet, equally.
This is very real. Scary real. I want each one of you to take the time to watch this video. Yes, it is done by a comedian, yes, his language is a bit colorful, but his message about what is happening and what is going to happen, if we stand by and do naught, is crystal-clear.
The joke he makes about Apple hiding a copy of Mein Kampf inside the iTunes agreement should be one that really strikes home for each and every one of us who fails to read every word of the fine print.
I'm going to make it easy for you to make your voice heard. Don't worry about trying to copy down that address John Oliver showed you, just click THIS LINK and add your name to the list of people who want Net Neutrality.
If you do not understand the concept of Net Neutrality, it is time for you to learn -
Net Neutrality is the Internet’s guiding principle: It preserves our right to communicate freely online.
Net Neutrality means that the cable/telecom companies must provide us with open networks — and should not block or discriminate against any applications or content that ride over those networks. Just as your phone company cannot decide who you could call and what you say on that call, your ISP should not be concerned with what content you view or post online.
Net Neutrality is what enables the Internet to be such a hotbed for innovation. If you bring a new service online, the cable/telecom companies should deliver it just like they’d deliver content from a corporate behemoth like Google or NBC.
Net Neutrality is what gives every startup the same chance to reach customers and users as any existing company. Simply, without Net Neutrality, startups and small business will be subject to discrimination based on a pay-to-play Internet, and the open Internet and the economic growth it has represented will be at risk.
Just let me say if you think companies like Comcast, Time Warner, Verizon, and AT&T are not positioning themselves to strip away Net Neutrality, then you are drinking far too much of the Kool-Aid. Let's be honest enough to see and admit that for Internet Service Providers to discriminate between different kinds of content will first mean they will be getting a lot more invasive with their monitoring of what you are doing online. And make no mistake about it - the complete, absolute, and utter disappointment sitting in our Oval Office is doing everything he can to make sure you lose more of your freedoms.
Just one, quick reminder, before I cut you loose - if you do not care enough about this to make your voice heard, who do you suppose will be speaking for you?
I've found people do not like it when documented evidence can prove them wrong, and apparently my representative is a person. Much to my astonishment, mind. 
