That’s the headline in today’s Press Democrat, along with a sub-heading, “Backers, opponents debate impact on, access to services, cost to customers.”Regular readers of my blog might say, “Haven’t you talked this topic to death? Move on to something new!” You’re right, we have discussed “NN” more than once; but usually based upon information from other print or online sources, nationally. Today’s article (by Kim Hart and Sara Kehaulani Goo of the Washington Post), appears on pageE5 of a newspaper in our own backyard (so to speak.)

I originally thought this issue would have been settled by now at the federal level, but the debate is “the most controversial and confusing topic to hit the tech industry this year.” This article (well written, IMHO) addresses the question: What’s net neutrality? And then proceeds to answer additional questions, such as: Why should I care about net neutrality? Could the number of Web sites I can access be limited? Would net neutrality affect my ability to download music, watch videos or make phone calls over the Internet? Would net neutrality affect my choices for an Internet provider or how much I pay?

Since my other name is the Volunteer Cybernaut and I have been blogging about Our Cyberspace and Our Cyberplace since 2003, I feel the need to keep this issue On Our Radar Screen as well as keeping readers aware of the importance of this debate. (Evidently, many Americans are not aware of what it is all about or the impact that it might have upon our daily lives.) I found it interesting that these reporters chose to use the old Information Superhighway analogy in their explanation. I applaud their effort to present both sides of the debate. However, for the record, as an advocate for promoting greater use of computer technology and telecommunication, since 1995,in all sectors of a community, I personally am in favor of a net neutrality provision in the revision of the 1996 Telecommunication Act that insures a “level playing field” for all. In light of recent Information and Communication Technology (ICT)changes and advancements, that act needs to be updated.

Instead of encouraging you to share your thoughts about this issue in the “comment” section of this blog, please send your comments directly to your Congressional representative and senator. They will be the ones who make the final decision. This saga isn’t over by a long shot; it may not even be decided this year. (According to the article, $9.1 million in political contributions from those against NN have been made, while those in favor have donated $2.7 million.)Being from Petaluma, those amounts aren’t “chicken feed.”

NOTE: The Press Democrat devoted over 40 column inches of space to this topic. That’s a lot of “bandwidth.” (Sorry, wrong terminology.) Stay tuned.