Net Neutrality is a phrase that is being tossed around quite a bit these days. The FCC is supposedly going to rule on this soon.President Obama recently came out with a forceful statement that the Internet should be considered a public utility – equal playing field for all. However, the man he appointed to head the FCC – Tom Wheeler – is a former lobbyist for cable companies. Scratching your head over that one?
In a nutshell, should Internet providers be able to create a two-tier system for Internet traffic? Those who pay – big corporations like Netflix, for instance – would be in a hyper-fast download lane. Smaller companies – and websites and blogs that are run by ordinary people like us – would be in the, well, VERY SLOW download lane.
Here are two incredibly different takes on the issue – the first by the head of a Tea Party organization that says all websites should NOT be handled equally, and the second by HBO’s very funny John Oliver, who actually explains the issue well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeCj4y36UKM#t=33
And now, the other side of the issue, with John Oliver of HBO:
OMG, Oliver is so great! Hooray, a chance to release some of my own unbridled rage!
Yup, a lot of our babysitters seem to be Dingos……….
I didn’t know that Verizon was using the “sue the goverment” clause – time to find another phone company. This is disturbing indeed – remember when FM meant alternative radio? And cable TV meant alternative television, and you paid the cable companies so you didn’t have to listen to commercials? So will there be an “alternative internet”?
He IS great! If this goes through, the alternative internet for us will be SLOW. Really SLOW.
I don’t know the politics over there, but for me the Internet should be the same for everyone. It’s now virtually a necessity to be on the Internet and will become more and more so – so equality for all.
I don’t even know why this is an issue, to be honest. The internet works just fine like it is!
I don’t like any of this, too much control.
Exactly!