Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Net Neutrality

Net neutrality is an important issue. The Internet is the last vestige free speech that exists in America, and around the world. And the media companies wish to quash it, in their endless quest to control what we see, and read. The eventual result being the ability to control what we think.

The Internet, and the blogs, and various websites that exist on the Internet are some of the last ways a person can express their personal opinion without being edited by media companies, and their co-conspirators the Politicians. The person who controls the forum can edit it, but for the most part will not, because they are often willing to provide a place for people to air their opinions, and grievances.

For someone who is handicapped, like myself, the Internet is a lifeline to the world at large. Having it controlled is not something I want. I want to be able to find everything from the ridiculous to the sublime, and everything in between. I don't want to be limited to reading only the content that was able to pay the media companies the most money.

The media companies already control the airwaves. We do not need to allow them even more control of what we see, hear, and read.

The newspapers don't care about supporting free speech, nor do the television stations, or the radio stations. They only will publish, or air what will bring in the most profits, and won't paint themselves in a bad light.

A prime example is the entry before this one. I sent it to my local paper's letters to the editor page. It has, yet, to see the light of day. They don't want to make themselves look bad, even though I was aiming my blows at the big so-called news channels. Propaganda channels, more like, but they wrap themselves in so-called credibility, and use that as a way to sway the people.

Net neutrality is the last vestige of free speech. The last way for the people of the world to make themselves heard, somehow. The last way for dissenting opinions to find their way to sympathetic ears, and not-so-sympathetic ears. Without Net Neutrality, there is no way for the ordinary people, with nothing more than a computer, and something to say to make themselves heard.

I may not like what some people have to say, but they deserve the opportunity to be heard. Net Neutrality is a way to allow people that slowly vanishing right.