bookmark this page right now.
you know what's great about the internet? it's totally out of control. OK, mostly out of control. anything and everything is anywhere and everywhere. i can write this stupid blog and you can read it. you can also download porn.
and no one stops us. we have various search engines to help us find where we want to go, or wikipedia and dictionary.com to find out what happened on our birthdays and whether or not i spelled "inclement" right.
grassroots homepages have virtually no disadvantage over corporate websites. sure, they may not look as nice or be as easy to navigate, but if they've got the information you're after, it doesn't matter.
Congress is pushing a law that would abandon the Internet's First Amendment -- a principle called "Network neutrality" that prevents companies like AT&T, Verizon and Comcast from deciding which Web sites work best for you -- based on what site pays them the most. Your local library shouldn’t have to outbid Barnes & Noble for the right to have its Web site open quickly on your computer.
Net Neutrality allows everyone to compete on a level playing field and is the reason that the Internet is a force for economic innovation, civic participation and free speech. If the public doesn't speak up now, Congress will cave to a multi-million dollar lobbying campaign by telephone and cable companies that want to decide what you do, where you go, and what you watch online.
This isn’t just speculation -- we've already seen what happens elsewhere when the Internet's gatekeepers get too much control. Last year, Canada's version of AT&T -- Telus -- blocked their Internet customers from visiting a Web site sympathetic to workers with whom Telus was negotiating. And Shaw, a major Canadian cable company, charges an extra $10 a month to subscribers who dare to use a competing Internet telephone service.
(via boingboing)
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