- You might not know it, but there's a crucial debate happening
now in Washington about the future of the Internet. Decisions made by Congress
and the Federal Communications Commission in the next few years - if not
sooner - will determine whether we protect free speech online, close the
digital divide, and bring a greater diversity of voices to this transformative
medium.
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- The world of technology is rapidly changing. Pretty soon,
you'll get all your media - TV, phone, radio and the Web - from the same
high-speed Internet connection. The potential democratic, economic, public
safety and educational benefits of the Internet are almost limitless. Wiring
our nation with a high-speed Internet connection is now a public necessity,
just like water, gas or electricity.
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- Unfortunately, the powerful cable and telecom industry
doesn't value the Internet for its public interest benefits. Instead, these
companies too often believe that to safeguard their profits, they must
control what content you see and how you get it. Their plans could have
dire consequences for those whose voices are often marginalized by our
nation's media system.
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- For communities of color, the Internet offers a critical
opportunity to build a more equitable media system. It provides all Americans
with the potential to speak for themselves without having to convince large
media conglomerates that their voices are worthy of being heard.
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- Our Internet freedom is protected by a fundamental principle
called "Network Neutrality," which allows the public to access
any Web site or any Web application of their choice without discrimination.
Net Neutrality has been the guiding principle of the Internet since its
inception - but now it's in danger.
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- Big phone and cable companies want to decide for you
which Web sites and services go fast or slow. While the big corporate sites,
especially the ones owned by these companies, get a spot in the fast lane
on the information superhighway, everyone else - small businesses, independent
publications, community groups - will be stuck on the slow road to irrelevance.
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- These companies spend a lot of money spreading misinformation
about their plans. They've said there's no evidence that they're going
to interfere with the Internet and that they can trusted to do the right
thing. But actions speak louder than words.
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- In the most glaring example, last October the Associated
Press found that cable giant Comcast was crippling a popular way of sharing
large files called BitTorrent - which allows people to quickly download
large files such as videos, movies, and music without using a lot of bandwidth.
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- BitTorrent is perfectly legal. Hollywood studios and
music companies use BitTorrent to distribute high quality films, TV shows
and music. Even NASA has started using it to send high-resolution photos
from outer space. Bit Torrent also provides Internet users with an online
version of video-on-demand, allowing them to easily download content of
their choosing. It is an ideal application for independent artists and
individuals seeking an inexpensive distribution system.
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- Comcast claims BitTorrent users are hogging the network.
But they don't just cut off high-volume users trying to download 20 movies
at a time. They block everybody. AP reporters weren't even able to download
a copy of the Bible.
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- Here's what Comcast really doesn't like about BitTorrent:
It's competition for their own video business. If we can pick and choose
what we want to see for ourselves, we might be less inclined to keep paying
Comcast an arm and a leg for all the channels we don't watch.
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- Comcast is abusing its power. And their actions clearly
violate FCC rules that say the Internet can be accessed by users without
restrictions. After public interest groups led by Free Press filed a complaint
- and thousands of angry Internet users flooded their in-boxes - the FCC
launched an official investigation.
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- This investigation may well determine whether the Internet
will remain open and free. After claiming they would never discriminate,
Comcast is now trying to undermine the guiding principles of Network Neutrality
by blocking whatever they want. The other big Internet providers - like
AT&T, Verizon and Time Warner - filed in support of Comcast's right
to discriminate because they want to do the same thing.
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- Communities of color and other under-represented groups
have long fought for a more diverse and inclusive media system. Discrimination
and segregation prevented people of color from obtaining radio or TV licenses
when these mediums were first created. During the 1970s, cable promised
to be a real alternative to TV for communities of color seeking diverse
programming; it didn't happen. Yet, many of these very same companies now
want to prevent Internet users, including people of color, from accessing
diverse online content of their choice.
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- While our nation must overcome the digital divide so
everyone will have high-speed broadband access, the principles of Network
Neutrality are important to ensure the Internet provides a real opportunity
for all Americans to speak with their own voices.
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- The FCC's investigation of Comcast - and passage of the
"Internet Freedom Preservation Act" (HR 5353), bipartisan legislation
now pending in Congress to protect Net Neutrality - will go a long way
toward determining whether the Internet will protect the First Amendment
rights of all Internet users and whether people of color will finally have
unfettered access to a equitable media system.
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- Make your voices heard. The stakes couldn't be any higher.
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- Mark Lloyd is author of Prologue to a Farce: Communication
and Democracy in America.
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- Joseph Torres is government relations manager of Free
Press and former deputy director of the National Association of Hispanic
Journalists.
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- http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_10522.cfm
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- "Nothing can stop an idea whose time has come."
- Voltaire
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- "If there is one principle more deeply rooted in
the mind of every American, it is that we should have nothing to do with
conquest." - Thomas Jefferson
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- "Rebellion against tyrants is obedience to God."
- Thomas Jefferson
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- " The high office of the President has been used
to foment a plot to destroy the Americans freedom, and before I leave office,
I must inform the citizen of this plight." _ John F. Kennedy- Columbia
University, Nov. 12, 1963
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- "The strongest reason for the people to retain the
right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves
against tyranny in governent." - Thomas Jefferson
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