Net Neutrality: it's time to start paying attention

I've been keeping my eye on this story, but haven't written much about it. If anything. But it's moving onto the national stage, and it's important.

"Net neutrality" is a concept that is still unfamiliar to most Americans, but it keeps the Internet democratic. Cable and telephone companies that provide Internet service are talking about creating a two-tiered Internet, in which Web sites that pay them large fees would get priority over everything else. Opponents of these plans are supporting Net-neutrality legislation, which would require all Web sites to be treated equally. Net neutrality recently suffered a setback in the House, but there is growing hope that the Senate will take up the cause.

One of the Internet's great strengths is that a single blogger or a small political group can inexpensively create a Web page that is just as accessible to the world as Microsoft's home page. But this democratic Internet would be in danger if the companies that deliver Internet service changed the rules so that Web sites that pay them money would be easily accessible, while little-guy sites would be harder to access, and slower to navigate. Providers could also block access to sites they do not like.

As the op-ed points out, it pretty much boils down to one thing: massive profits for telecom giants, and the public flow of information further concentrated in the hands of a few mega-corporations.

My Representative, Ed Markey, is making a heroic effort to stop the GOP on this latest corporate giveaway. Let's hope that it comes to the public's attention before it's too late. This is exactly the sort of issue that liberals, conservatives and libertarians can and will get behind. At this point, however, the GOP is fully capable of pleasing their corporate donors while most people surf on, ignorant of the issue until it's too late.

UPDATE: MyDD has a list of 'action alerts' on the Net Neutrality issue:

SIGN a Net Neutrality petition to Congress

MYSPACE: Add "Save the Internet" as a friend

BLOG RESOURCES about this issue, including "Save the Internet" logo

VISIT our coalition Web site for more information, SavetheInternet.com