DON'T SAY YOU WEREN'T WARNED!

The full article is here... and here... Here's my synopsis... Telephone and cable companies are urging congress for the right to charge various access rates to internet businesses. It's a complicated issue but what this means is that major companies (Goggle, Yahoo, etc) who can afford to pay the higher speed rates will get priority service to your computer. This means a couple of things... 1- Smaller companies, websites, and bandwidth users that can't afford the 'priority service' access speed will in the end be muscled out by the bigger companies who can afford the extra access costs. 2- Your internet provider services will have the ability to in effect deny any internet user companies of their choosing access to your computer, period. 3- Your favorite websites, if they are not paying the faster access speeds, will take significantly longer to download their pages to your monitor. There are many more potentially negative outcomes if this legislation passes congress. What would essentially happen is that the internet would no longer be 'neutral' like a sidewalk or highway where everyone gets to travel at the same speed and at whatever time they want. It would be the access companies (AT&T, Comporium, etc) who would decide what the costs are for how fast internet companies are allowed to get their info to your computer (IF AT ALL!!!) and at what times! Of course the telecommunication networks who want power over these variable fees aren't painting such a drastic picture but advocacy groups for net neutrality are warning loudly that the internet as we know it and as it has always existed will change drastically and forever if this legislation passes. What we will be left with is essentially another cable system where accessibility and choices are determined by the internet access providers. If you value the neutral net the way it has always been where every website has equal access to your monitor as every other website then I urge you to contact your congress person and let them know where you stand on this issue as a registered voter.