When The Internet Goes Bad
Posted on August 17.2007 by Adam Lynn
Many of the industry hacks, whose viewpoint depends solely on the highest bidder, work their hardest to misinform any member of the general public (and Congress) they can. One of their favored talking points is to say that Net Neutrality is a solution in search of problem. Beyond the obvious fact that Net Neutrality has been a solution everyday the Internet existed until the FCC decided to do away with the rule for first cable companies and then phone companies, look no further than that electronic device in your pocket or purse to find the elusive problem. Good luck trying use your cellphone to access the Internet content of your choice. If you pull out your magnifying glass and take a look at the terms of service that came with your phone, you will discover your provider can pretty much doing anything they like and they do. Hoping to check out some streaming video or audio with an "unlimited" data plan from AT&T. Too Bad. If you were interested in viewing an uncensored version of Pearl Jam's Lollapalooza performance on your phone. It's not happenin. The closest thing offered costs another 10 bucks, the service simply allows you to send a video taken with your phone to another phone. So you can't view videos from around the world nor have others find yours (maybe AT&T should rethink that "Your World. Delivered" motto). Oh and if that friend of yours doesn't also add on the 10 bucks, they should be prepared to pay a hefty fee. It is much the same if you wanted to jump on Musicovery or Pandora and uncover some new music. Of course, AT&T is happy to let you download 5 songs from a limited selection for 7.50 but no way are you allowed to go anywhere else for music. These restrictions are just the tip of the iceberg. One more before I go, text messages probably cost you 15 cents per unless you have an additional 10 bucks tacked on your bill. But wait, what takes up more space that email you just crafted to your friends (hopefully a Net Neutrality call to action) or a song on your computer. Indeed. So why are you paying for such a thing? For the same reason they do all the rest of this crap, to milk you for all your worth. So if you encounter a telco shill or someone they have misinformed, set the record straight we know exactly what the Internet will turn into if we leave it up to the money hungry companies that control the pipes. Let's make Net Neutrality law (again) and preserve the open Internet we all know.
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