jIf you’re reading this and not afraid, you should be. Be very afraid.
The internet is the greatest tool for democracy ever. Why? Because you can get access to legally accessible content without having to pay extra to get it properly.
Imagine the internet became like your cable TV deals.
You pay for packages or by the channel. Sounds like a great way to save money, right? Well, these make sense, as your cable company is often paying for access to the content. These payments and ad revenue helps to fund your favorite shows.
Imagine if you have to pay extra to have quick access to YouTube. Your cable company isn’t paying YouTube to carry their service, they are just profiting off of your usage. YouTube makes money by selling ad space and by offering digital movie rental.
Already we pay differentiated rates for service based on the general bandwidth we want. If Net Neutrality succeeds, we’ll be paying even more for the same services we now enjoy with consistent access.
New or smaller content providers will be inhibited because they won’t have immediate global access to these paid “express lanes”, and thus cost you proper access to new, innovative content and ideas.
What Net Neutrality does turns the internet into just another place where money improves access. Already people are restricted in their ability to access services by relative levels of wealth. The success of this measure will only increase the divide, pricing more people out of the market, ensuing that the “Haves” can get more access to information and content tan the “Have Nots”, while putting even more money in the pockets of corporate fat cats.
Don’t you dare say you’re too young to vote/have a voice. You have every right to be heard even if you’re not yet of legal voting age. You will be a voter, and if they’re smart, they’ll listen to you now. They’re planning to pick your pocket, too, in the fullness of time.
Don’t you dare say you have no right to get involved because you’re not in the US. Like or not, American policies often set precedent and/or heavily influence similar policy decisions in other democratic economies of the world. Don’t want this where you live? Speak up, signal boost the Hell out of this for your American friends and followers, lest you be the next country on the hit list of corporate profiteers.
Don’t you dare say it’ll bring prices down. Base prices may drop, but overall your average consumer will be increasing their monthly spending on internet services if this passes.
And don’t you dare say it doesn’t matter because you don’t pay the bills/are wealthy. Do you like having access to informational resources, or do you want corporate interests controlling what you can access? I know I for one don’t want the Donald Trumps and Rupert Murdochs of the world having ANY control over my access to information. I’m willing to bet the same is true of those suspicious of left-leaning media.
This will set the standard for DECADES to come. Repeal of this is going to be harder than passage.
This is the first chance in decades for people to rise up and say No to corporate interests.
It’s on all of us to fight it.
Call your congressman, call the FCC, call your senate representative. Call them all to tell them this won’t stand.
gummygunk
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snowghoul
