Network Neutrality
Food bloggers around the Internet are staging a protest today against the Communications Opportunity, Promotion and Enhancement Act of 2006, a US bill backed by telecom and cable companies that could eliminate so-called Net Neutrality. Under the new law, if you wanted to guarantee high data throughput to your customers, you would pay your ISP more money. Big sites would pay to come up quickly, little sites like me couldn't afford the price, and we'd appear slowly in your browser. Click the graphic to go to Save the Internet and write a short note to your senator or representative.
This isn't about us. It's about you. Right now, you decide how you get your information. Whether you rely on Fox News, the New York Times, or blogs, it's up to you to shape your view of the world.
If COPE passes, websites would steer you not by providing compelling information but by ponying up cash to their ISP. With Net Neutrality, a website has to compete with content. You'd find that sites within your network would come up fast, while sites in competing networks would come up more slowly, giving you a narrow view of the Internet.
Of course, this isn't a black-or-white issue. Google and Yahoo profit when a telco pays for a faster network, and online video threatens to exacerbate the problem. Who can blame the telcos that want to recoup their investment? But COPE isn't the solution: It's just a bigger problem.
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