On "net neutrality"...

In the past few days I've been seeing all of these articles about ISPs and governments trying to get more control over the information on the internet. Verizon is going to court with the FCC to try and make a two tiered internet where certain sites will have traffic priority over others which will mean big money for the people who have and control it and take options away from the people who don't.

In England the proposed legislation is that there will be national filters on the internet; one of which for "esoteric" content, which really could be anything... It seems like they are getting more and more afraid of new ideas... The internet already has ads, shopping and useless, trash entertainment- I'm hoping that there will still be information and tools of actual worth on here as well... These are the things that make this whole computer business worth all of the money, time and social anxiety... The kindof fable about the internet being the next step toward human/cultural evolution.

We've all bought into the idea that the internet is the safest, easiest tool to get all of our business done- we've moved our banking, bill paying, our shopping and communication to the computer because it's been the easiest option and everyone else is doing it; and what bothers me about that aside from the obvious tracking / data mining is that now that everyone's become dependent on this thing which at least to my generation has become a resource or utility that's almost inescapable; and now the people in power want to make sure that it's only used for what they want you to use it for... Strictly a platform for selling you garbage- propaganda and otherwise...

Having a free internet where people are able to share new ideas and strategies was the sugar to help the medicine go down... This is why we pay upwards of $60 a month to these conglomerates instead of going out to the bar, the club, the local movie theater... Tangible goods and experiences are not in our budgets anymore; this alternative works because we have more of a choice in what's available to see/read/listen to. This relative freedom to seek out different ideas, art and to connect with like-minded people is what the whole tradeoff was for...

All of this "austerity" in the western world; in America they're talking about cutting the post office, 1 in 5 people on public assistance and all of these people getting up in arms about it... Libraries are closing, schools are underfunded and people are finally starting to see just how broken the system is... Is it any wonder why they would want to restrict the choices of information the general populace may be privy to?

Everything is on the internet or through it now... It's all just data- "We've closed the library and moved it over to the internet for your convenience..." OK... "but you can't have access without a special pass..."
To hell with that...

I'm sure people will find a way to subvert it or figure out some new or forgotten way of communication to get around it, but it still sucks and it gives even more light to how desperate these people are to remain in control. They are out of ideas and terrified by them.

Here are a few articles on the Verizon / FCC case...

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-09-09/net-neutrality-goes-on-trial-a-guide-to-verizon-v-dot-fcc

http://www.forbes.com/sites/waynecrews/2013/09/08/net-neutrality-fcc-and-verizon-finally-head-to-court/

 Original graphic published at www.reachinglight.com.