Is the Internet doomed?
While some are obsessing about the “bloggers’ A-List” (Personally, I agree with Susan Getgood, “Bored now.”) - the freedom of the Internet is under attack; and, unlike the supposed attack on Christmas, this threat is very real.
Broadband vendors want to start charging hefty fees for access. Their reasoning is that they provide the pipes so they should get paid more. However, that also means “them that has, gets,” at the expense of the smaller companies who can’t pay premimum fees. So, the Long Tail would be abruptly bobbed, drastically reducing business opportunities and innovation.
As Steven Levy notes at Newsweek, “…when we hear one of the Internet’s inventors, the top mind in cyberlaw and a U.S. senator all talking about the end of the Internet, it’s time to start listening.”
If you do business on the Internet (or just enjoy using it to quickly find that NYT crossword clue) - let your Senators know you want (demand) neutrality on the Internet. Senator Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, says he intends to introduce an Internet neutrality bill, which would prohibit I.S.P.’s (Internet Service Providers) from favoring content providers that paid them fees, or from giving priority to their own content.
Read More: Toll booths on the Internet highway; When the Internet Goes from Free to Fee.
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February 21st, 2006 at 12:49 pm
CEO’s of broadband providers won’t listen to me, but I would strongly advise them not to wake a sleeping giant: aka: the U.S. legislators. Once regulation starts it will most likely continue; it’s like breaking a seal. If Congress puts in time, they’ll probably want their cut: watch for federal internet tax and cable phone regulation.
February 21st, 2006 at 2:02 pm
Good point Bruce. I think the only reason we’ve been spared thus far is that most legislators are - to put it nicely - far from tech-savvy. Such thing as keyboards and email are for their staffers, not them.
February 21st, 2006 at 9:58 pm
Marketing is Dead, Long Live Marketing!…
Is advertising really circling the drain or is the whole “advertising is dead” thing just a lot of noise? Whether the question is even relevant is itself up for discussion, but one thing we can all agree on is that……