An Open Internet.... if you can keep it

Published: Monday, June 22nd, 2015 @ 1:48 pm
By: Christopher Maye ( More Entries )

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Yes that title was a Benjamin Franklin reference for my personal amusement.

After a decade of political debate, Open Internet Rules have finally been established by the FCC. Net neutrality, also known as Open Internet, is the concept that internet users should not have restrictions or limitations on what online content they access set by the Internet Service Provider (ISP.) You can read more about this here.

This year has been the year of highest conflict in the debate because people finally started talking, and as politicians do, they act like a group of high school students and go against anything the person they oppose approves of without actually looking at the facts... This ruling is not an internet tax or a step towards an internet tax as many incompetent "news"-casters will mislead you to believe, it is nothing more than ensuring equal access to online resources. Yes this is a problem.

    Some (I mean almost all) ISPs were slowing down access to certain sites that have competing services. For example, most ISPs are also cable companies so they would block Netflix, because they are competitors. You're paying for that broadband internet package, but your ISP is lowering your speed to keep you from canceling your cable plan. This was happening, but now it is illegal.

    I'm sure that despite this rule now being put into law (as of June 12, 2015), some ISPs will continue to engage in these practices, but now we will have a rule in place specifically outlawing it.

    Please don't be ignorant, instead form your own opinion based on facts, thanks.

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Gene Scarborough said:

( June 17th, 2015 @ 6:23 am )

The Internet and its freedom are at the core of "Freedom and Justice for ALL."

Our Forefathers came from the oppression of the Old World. It had reached the point only the rich and powerful had a say in most anything. If you were Royalty and had a Title, you had a say---otherwise you slaved to get enough to eat and wear.

People lived in hovels while the Rich Ones enjoyed their fine castles and food galore. The New World offered, at its core, OPPORTUNITY / FREE SPEECH / RELIGIOUS FREEDOM. An Open Internet is the New World of today's electronically connected world.

I applaude the FCC now having a basic rule of "Anyone with a connection can say and do whatever they please. Just remember that in America, since 9/11---we are being watched as never before! I sometimes do transaction via Western Union or Moneygram. About 3 years ago a white government-tagged car cam in my yard. Out of it came 2 investigators who presented me with their Homeland Security business cards. They were both nice, but full of questions over some recent transactions I had made. They had a file folder with the original copies of my transactions. They asked if they might take my computer in as part of their investigation. I knew if I did not comply they could come back later with a court order to seize it.

I had nothing to hide so I consented. It was back within 5 days. I know little about how spies can operate and assume they found nothing of interest. Did they imbed any software that put me on their IPS? Who knows.

The most frightening thing in this was a letter sent to me within that same week. In essence it said, I "might" be called to Federal Court in New Bern and would be well-advised to employ Counsel, should that occur!

Do I feel threatened --- HELL YES
Did I get any letter or call to court --- NO, thank God
Do I feel my privacy as an American is invaded --- HELL TRIPLE-YES!!!