Tag: Net Neutrality

Who will stand up for the public interest, not just the major telecommunications companies? (via Ritajasper’s Blog)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

I ask that question every day. Who stands for the public? Who stands for the middle class? Does anybody care?

This is a post directed at Canadian issues in terms of the details but once past the details the problems are world wide. Are we going to allow the new powers of technology to be cash cows for a rapacious corporate mind set? Are we going to be a bunch of proles, peons and sheep, managed like cattle being fed while these huge organizations decide whether or not our material is seen?

I read all the time that these companies have a right to make these charges, to regulate bandwidth – – corporate freedom? That’s a comedy concept. People are what’s important. The right of an organization to make a profit is overborne by the possibilities of human happiness, human welfare and political rights. Whatever our wacky supreme court decides, corporations should have no more rights than any other political concept, that is, none. Corporations are already well protected because the people who run and own them have human and political rights which they are in no way shy about exerting.

It’s time to organize and fight. It time to stop this nonsense of corporate sentience.

Humans are important, not giant collections of cash.

James Pilant

Jack said “I have heard from thousands of Canadians who tell me that internet access and cell phone affordability are critical issues for them. Please know that New Democrats recognize the importance of these issues in today’s rapidly changing society. The following are highlights from our 2011 election plan: – We will prohibit all forms of usage-based billing (UBB) by Internet Service Providers (ISPs); – We will unlock cells phones, allowing con … Read More

via Ritajasper’s Blog

Constitutional Amendment on Internet Freedom (via someanonymousadvice)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

Absolutely!

“It’s time we added the first 21st Century amendment to the Constitution — an amendment that parallels the First Amendment but explicitly prohibits the government from ever shutting down the Internet. Freedom of the Internet in today’s world is just as important as freedom of the press, religion or speech.” Read it, here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mark-penn/internet-freedom-amendment_b_830524.html … Read More

via someanonymousadvice

Net Neutrality: Who Should We Be Most Afraid Of? (via Rebecca Reynolds)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

Excellent article on net neutrality. Thoughtful and intelligent. We need more like it.

She asks the important questions. What values are at stake here? What are our choices? But she ties all this in with some history of the developing media of the last fifty years.

Good writing. Please go and have a look.

James Pilant

Net Neutrality: Who Should We Be Most Afraid Of? The idea of open, accessible, unmoderated forums for discourse and exchange inspires me. Afterall, that is what I do for a living: I design processes that enable many people to engage in collaborative decision-making. That technology could push this process open even further, to many more people, to a borderless conversation, a churning think tank for innovation is a possibility I dream of. For this reason, I have been an increasing proponent of … Read More

via Rebecca Reynolds

A Scary Thought (via kevinwutd)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

This guy has it exactly right.

This is what is at stake in the struggle for net neutrality – Corporate profit or General access.

James Pilant

I recently watched a video on net neutrality and it scared me. The idea that major corporations may be able to control what we do with the internet is devastating to even think about. I love money, and I love power, but I think that if the cost for those things was to ruin the internet I would have to be content with having little. The internet has been the platform for so many different ideas that have shaped how we live today. It is also a ve … Read More

via kevinwutd

Jesus Hates Net Neutrality (via Strategic Mac)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

Frankly, the New Testament has not given me many distinct policy points that Christ might want to take a position on. I think the author feels about the same way that I do.

I am a devoted to the idea of net neutrality. At the very least, I am devoted to it because I want to keep blogging and if my site is downgraded, everyone down to my relatives will stop looking at it.

The author has strong political views and I am fine with that. Bring on the political views! We need some serious discussions about what we should be doing in this country and what I usually hear was canned for public consumption about 80 years ago.

Read the article. Enjoy. There’s good stuff being said here.

James Pilant

Jesus Hates Net Neutrality Republicans are bound and determined to prove that with regard to Net Neutrality they are complete bone heads. Consider that the new Speaker of the House, speaking in front of the “Send your Money To Jesus” association, said that he will basically go to his grave attempting to make sure that big ISPs own the Internet. He said that if he can’t override t … Read More

via Strategic Mac

This Thursday, February 17, is designated “Internet Strikes Back” day to “counter Congressional opposition to a fair and open Internet (via vRRitti.com, providing sentiency)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

This is the day Congress votes on the issue of net neutrality. Heed the call and make your voice heard.

James Pilant

This Thursday, February 17, is designated “Internet Strikes Back” day to “counter Congressional opposition to a fair and open Internet Make no mistake: this will be a decisive vote. This is the only time that Congress will vote “yes or no” on Net Neutrality, so it’s crucial that they vote the right way. Help us send a clear message to Congress: a vote for the repeal act is a vote against internet users. In the coming days, we’ll be working to coordinate a national day of action on the 17th, when we’ll flood Congress with calls from Net Neutrality supporters.Here are three ways y … Read More

via vRRitti.com, providing sentiency

Net Neutrality and the First Amendment: Observations on the FCC’s order in Preserving the Open Internet (H. Travis) (via Marvin Ammori &)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

This is a detailed legal analysis of the FCC order regarding net neutrality. If you have an interest in net neutrality and the legal issues surrounding the order and its aftermath, you have a very fine references source here.

James Pilant

I would like to thank Marvin for inviting me to blog here for a while as part of his merry band of cyber experts.  I teach cyberlaw and other subjects at Florida International University College of Law in Miami, FL.  I typically write about copyright, Internet freedom, and human rights law.   Although my first post will be about net neutrality, I hope in the future to blog on my other interests, including copyright, fair use, the First Amendment, … Read More

via Marvin Ammori &

Net Neutrality alert: Verizon to throttle data speeds for heaviest users (via Between The Lines)

On By southwerkIn business ethics2 Comments

Is net neutrality important to you personally? How much data speed do you use? If you are like me and my family, you can only suspect that you might be a heavy user. That’s not good predictive power. If this policy is applied to you, it is probably going to be a surprise when your data speed is too slow for Netflix.

They are looking for their Internet Service.

Read the opening of the post –

The Net Neutrality whistles are blowing and flags are flying this morning over buzz that Verizon Wireless will be throttling data speeds for its heaviest data users. The change, effective immediately, is believed to be part of Verizon’s efforts to ensure that its network is ready for the flood of iPhone users who will start powering up those devices next week.

In a nutshell, if you’re a heavy user – and you really have no way of knowing if that’s you or not – then Verizon Wireless “may reduce your data throughput speeds periodically for the remainder of your then current and immediately following billing cycle to ensure high quality network performance for other users at locations and times of peak demand.”

I don’t think we should let private industry decide these policies. The FCC regulated television and radio for decades bringing order out of chaos. Why shouldn’t we have standard policies across the nation? We are at the mercy of a handful of suppliers due to consolidation allowed by the very same government that people believe shouldn’t be regulating this at all. If we received our Internet services whether wired or wireless from hundreds of sources, all this would have been solved by competition. But a limited number of suppliers have no reason to cut prices to compete when they simply own the lines alone.

More from the web site –

That’s like watching ESPN 24 hours a day and then having the programming cut in half for the last week of the month because other customers don’t watch it as much as I do. How is that right?

I think so too. Why should I be charged for something I can’t measure? And what can I do to fix it if I need that bandwidth? I teach online. This is not an academic exercise. This is my work, and I’m not the only one that uses their home computer for something besides World of Warcraft.

In a monopolistic system of suppliers, I have no say at all. At least with the FCC, I’ve got a chip on the table.

James Pilant

P.S. The web site, Between the Lines, was my source and I would like you to visit if this subject interesting.

The Skuggi Report: Net Neutrality Made Simple (via Skuggi_Net)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

This author has done a great job of breaking down a difficult subject into a straightforward narrative.

He wrote this little masterpiece of summary and I provide it to you.

Please visit his web site and thank him for his effort.

James Pilant

Net Neutrality is seen in two views of recent the first being a savior of the internet and the other it’s doom and to be honest depending on its implication it can be both.   The theory behind Net Neutrality is that it will keep the internet unrestricted, you pay for X level of service and you get that service with no services being blocked.   If one person on one ISP (Comcast, Adelphia, Verizon etc.) can get access to a type of content at the sp … Read More

via Skuggi_Net

Inside the Beltway… (via Scenarios and Strategy)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

Click on the link below to see the cartoon. It’s a good one. The battle over net neutrality illustrated. This is delicious. And it is accurate.

Fighting the net neutrality battle for a small blog seems almost hopeless but there a lot of us. We’re disorganized and highly independent. It doesn’t make for good group cohesion. But we have our anger and each of us has our own niche on the web. Maybe we can make some difference in this battle.

James Pilant

Inside the Beltway... From Christopher Wright, a comic illustrating a theme that we’ve visited before (e.g., here and here)  While he focuses on Net Neutrality, one should feel free to substitute the Corporatist concern of one’s choice– energy policy, agricultural policy, financial industry policy, pharmaceuticals, intellectual property, etc., etc.– the mechanism works in just the same way… Corporations are people, the Supreme Court averred as it proscribed any im … Read More

via Scenarios and Strategy