J. Ho's Fact of the Week #022 - The biggest problem of (y)our generation. Net Neutrality is the concept that all information available on the internet should be treated equal and made equally available to all users. Sounds simple, right? Sounds obvious, right? Unfortunately for us all, it's not so simple. Net Neutrality has come under constant assault from a number of sources taking a number of different angles; most primarily from the ISP/Communications industry.
AT&T has been at the forefront of this assault, beginning with the mobile App FaceTime (
http://www.freepress.net/action/stop-atts-attack-net-neutrality) and continuing in pushing legislation that gives increased ownership of the CONTENT distributed via its network. This is the digital equivalent of a developer/construction company building your condo, leasing it to you and then claiming that it owns the furnishing you bring into it.
There is an extremely dangerous precedent and has implications that reach far into our future. Worse still, the legislation surrounding Net Neutrality and internet security always seems to hit congress while the world is either on holiday or distracted with the latest mass shooting. The tier structures that the Telecom industry is pursuing are necessarily classist and will be a death blow to what Peter Diamundis calls "The Rising Billion"; those in 3rd world countries who are seeing renewed social possibilities/mobility thanks to the availability of information via wireless internet on their cell phones.
A new FCC Chairman nominee, Tom Wheeler, is currently being vetted and you'll never guess what his former profession was. Yup, lobbyist for the big Telecoms of the US. The deck is being stacked against us and it's all happening in a very quiet fashion, a benefit of controlling the dialogue of the country afforded by a corporatized media.
Why is this the biggest problem of (y)our generation? Because it establishes a framework for what information is available for all the other issues facing the world today. Global warming. XL pipeline. Gun control. Government oppression. Monsanto. The collapse of the dollar. Imperialism. None of these issues can be effectively fought without the ability to research the back story and organize mass opposition.
If we lose this battle, we lose all future battles and I truly do not believe this to be hyperbole. If defending the freedom of the internet isn't directly at the top of your priority list, I suggest you re-prioritize immediately. Media matters. The ability to organize globally is a necessity of the revolution. Get on board. Get in the streets. Get online and share this information.
Safe passage, my friends and solidarity to Istanbul, Tokyo and the rest of the worldwide uprising!