Media, Culture & Society

This article pretty much just restates facts about Net Neutrality, and says that if the proposed regulations are passed, the internet could cost American consumers more than $69 Billion over the next 10 years. Because of this, many lower income families could potentially lose broadband connections because frankly, they can’t afford it anymore. That would suck because having access is something that I know I take for granted, so if I was unable to afford it, I’d be pissed.

Check out the article, it’s not long and it’s pretty easy reading…

This site provides a good look into the problem of net neutrality.  There is a YouTube video on the front page of the website that is kind of corny but makes the issue easy to understand.  The site is savetheinternet.com, and there are ways to get involved to keep net neutrality, it also answers someone of the most prevalent questions people have about net neutrality.

We talk often about the ubiquity of Internet in modern society, and the day has finally come… Internet access built into your car. By the end of Spring 2007, Ford plans to “have a hands-free cell phone gizmo” built into at least a dozen models of cars that will enable the driver to control their MP3 player with voice commands. The “gizmo” (called Ford Sync and operated by Microsoft’s Auto operating system) has big plans in the future (a future as early as 2008)–the ability to add Wi-Fi to your vehicle through a router plugged into the cigarette lighter, possibility of supplying real-time weather and traffic reports from information relayed by your windshield wipers or headlights, and so on. The convergence of these two industry giants is a big step–especially since Ford reported significant decreases in sales in some of their most popular models since this time last year.

What might this technology do to the net neutrality debate? Can you imagine having a credit card reader installed in your car so you could pay to have your email read to you while you’re driving? What happens to privacy? Is information about your driving shared with local police forces? And if we can make the car a moving internet hotspot, why can’t we do something about fuel efficiency or alternative fuels?

Read the article here

Here is an article that seems to be getting at the fact that the FCC is searching for a solution that has no problem…there is a search being conducted to see if some telecom companies are blocking competition the way the internet is now. The FCC is simply trying to get more information through this investigation.

FCC Probe: Net Neutrality Goose Chase

This is a video that once again explains the idea of net neutrality. It has a pretty impressive metaphor. Net neutrality, apparently, is similar to watching the girl at “Hot Dog on a Stick” make lemonade…somewhat humorous…and strange. Along with the video and metaphor, there are some ways to help protect network neutrality, including email addresses and additional websites such as savetheinternet.com

This is the most interesting portrayal I have seen of the “other side” of the Net Neutrality issue. It sheds a negative light on Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft–all of which we have thought of as “good guys” in the battle for NN. If you click on the link on the lower left side after the video plays, it will take you to a website that is the counterpart to “savetheinternet.” “Hands Off the Internet” is a blog for people to write their thoughts and explain different perspectives of the heavily weighted argument.

This video explains Net Neutrality as well and has diagrams to help better understand the roles that each provider plays in the consumer’s view of the internet. (I can’t get the video posted directly).

This article gives a brief overview of the concept of network neutrality. Not only does it discuss the issue of internet quality from the past, present, and in the future, it also discusses some of the current legislative ideas both for and against net neutrality.

if for no other reason than to get a good laugh…go to this website…it is pretty funny but also gives you a chance to send messages to your congressmen directly from the site

http://www.wearetheweb.org/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CHzuSTowRg&mode=related&search=