Free Internet for All...A Good Idea?? I found this post to be interesting and worth a re-blog.
Net Neutrality is going to be voted on tomorrow at the FCC. The vote is going to be to begin drafting the network rules.
The internet is the last free speech and free enterprise place. The internet is the place where you can take $100 and become very wealthy if you find the need and then fill that need with a product or service. Many people who have lost their jobs have gone to the internet and worked for hours and hours to build a business. For anyone that does not think that regulating the internet is not going to affect them, it may not, but it more certainly will affect someone in your family or someone you know.
The proponants of net neutrality say that everyone in America would have access to broadband/internet.
- In the 1930's when radio was the mode of communication- did everyone get a free radio?
- In the 1950's when Television became the method for getting information- did everyone get a free television?
The sense of entitlement has really gone too far. The people this will hurt the most is the small business people because all of the band-with will be used to create a sluggish system. You think the days of slow, like in 56K modem is behind us? Think again.
The next part of the program that is extremely dangerous is that the government is already setting aside 7.2 Billion dollars to make sure net neutrality gets put in place. First of all, it is going to cost a lot more than that so where are they going to get the money? Secondly, it is going to lead to more government regulation and interference with a free market that is working just fine the way it is right now. If you don't have internet access and can not afford it, you can go to the library and get free internet at the library. The government wants access to broadband everywhere however that would not drive the price down, it would in fact, drive the price of broadband up.
Think about slow. We were in the Apple store the other day working on a one on one class and needed to download Crossover. The Apple store has DSL. There were a lot of customers in the store playing around with all the computers which resulted of course with them going on line to check things out. The time for Crossover to load at our home was about 4 minutes total. At the Apple store it took 18 minutes to download because of all the people using the same line. Think about it! Do you think the government really cares about how slow or fast your connection is? You would be forced into adding expensive T-lines into your offices just to get a faster load time.
There are many proponants for net neutrality especially special interest groups and companies like Google, Facebook, Skype. Yet Google wants it both ways. You see, they backed net neutrality but then don't want it applied to Google Voice. You see, it goes again to if it is good for the goose, it is good for the gander, NOT! Google Voice is free except for in some areas where it is just too expensive for them to offer it, like in very rural areas.There they use blocked numbers. Well, net neutrality rules, in other words, the government, would force Google to either offer Google Voice for free for all users or they would have to charge all users to use Google Voice. It would no longer be free and that hurts you and me. Mostly, it is not the job of the government to dictate the terms of service of Google.
There are many internet providers around, there is plenty of competition. The more the demand grows, the more competition will ensue. This will drive the prices lower through free markets. If you don't like your internet provider, it is starting to be a norm that you can switch to another provider. The competition will keep things fair. The free market has a way of working things out.
What I don't like about net neutrality is the over extension of the arm of government intruding into the free markets and they will, mark my words, start regulating the last frontier of free speech, free enterprise and low cost ways of making a living on the internet. He who pays gets to make the rules. The government starts paying, they will start more regulating.
The most interesting thing that I found or should I say, did not find- is any discussion relating this from either the proponants or the opponants. Because it seems, at the end of the day, the folks just don't really matter.
Feel free to distribute and reblog.
Ann Hayden Realtor St. Louis Missouri
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