OK, so I’m not keeping my word. Although I promised to cut back from posting a blog daily, the events of the day – particularly, in Our Cyberplace – require a response from your community’s Volunteer Cybernaut more frequently than planned. Let’s check out a few headlines in today’s print newspapers (not online), for instance –
The Press Democrat (Forum, G-1) and the SF Chronicle (A-1, 12 & 13), dated 6/20/06, printed articles highlighting the ongoing debate in our Congress over “Net Neutrality.” One headline – “An uneven superhighway? What could happen if Congress doesn’t require ‘net neutrality?” and “Speed Bumps on the Information Highway.” This issue isn’t new to the regular readers of Our Cyberplace. We have commented on the FCC and Net Neutrality in prior “Our Cyberplace” blogs (See #8,28,30).
The Chronicle’s article continued on for two more full pages with these headings: “Who will pay the price on the Internet Tollway?” and “How the Internet works.” Obviously, this blog space isn’t sufficient to capture the full story, but a few thoughts might help illustrate the significance of this issue. AT&T Chairman, Edward Whitacre believes that, “Businesses that use AT&T’s infrastructure should pay the piper,” and Google’s CEO, Eric Schmidt, thinks “tiered pricing will undermine smaller Web-based companies.”
Large Internet content companies believe that the telephone and cable companies would have too much power over the World Wide Web if they are allowed to create a tired pricing structure. On the other hand, the companies that provide the pipe believe that if they can create a toll lane pay system, then they will be able to upgrade their lines and won’t have to pass the cost on to consumers.
The Press Democrat’s article, written by John Judis, senior editor for the New Republic closing with this statement, “Allowing companies to levy a toll on information providers is not just a blow to consumer choice- it’s a blow to democracy.” Interested and concerned viewers should conduct a WWW search using “net neutrality.” There are thousands of comments and viewpoints online. But, what do you think? What’s your reaction to the current debate? Please post your thoughts under Comments. Stay tuned.
On Our Radar Screen
Emergency preparedness is still making headlines, too. Headlines continue to state that our big cities are not – yet – ready to handle major disasters. Stay tuned for the latest about Petaluma’s NERT Project. It’s expanding and gaining momentum. (NERT = Neighborhood Emergency Response Team.)