Net Neutrality

I didn’t realize that "Net neutrality" was import to anyone, including me until I read the article in PC magazine (Net Neutrality and Why You Should Care). I suddenly realized just how the big telecom companies are putting the “squeeze” on consumers. They are reacting to the fact that all of their content is now not so exclusive to their service. In fact, they are providing the very service (internet) that allows customers to avoid the use of their cable box and service. Example: my brother does not own a television. In fact, he views all of his “TV” entertainment on his computer and only needs an internet connection. Once you make the connection (no pun intended!) as to why the telecom companies are raising their fees, you can begin to understand just how important the internet is to all of us. The fact that providers have spent so much money on lobbying is certain proof that they take the idea of "Net neutrality" seriously, and so should you. First of all, these providers are rigging the game. They have colluded together to inflate the price of internet access and will be viewed in the future as we now view "Big Oil" companies. When you drive past the service station and cringe at the price of gasoline it is not surprising to think that you will have the same reaction when you look at your wireless or internet bill, now or in the very near future. I have just canceled my Time Warner service as it had topped out at sixty-one dollars a month! That's outrageous (you think that’s bad: my wireless bill is more than a small Toyota!)! Only 3 years ago I was paying $19.99 per month. I don't think it's fair that they can charge that much just because they can. This is part of the issue as we view the “Internet” as free, and if you cannot afford the access, then how can you believe it be considered as “Free?” The fee problem is of course, just one of the ways the telecom companies are “restricting” the internet, but it is the most important one. So, if Net neutrality is not on your mind now, then it will be in the future!

Wordle

Origins of the Inernet

The origin of the internet can be traced to the late 1960s when the United States Defense Department developed the Advanced Research Projects Agency network which was an experiment related to defense. It was trying to create a network that would withstand an attack and continue to function while some of the systems were down.

In the mid 1980s, The National Science Foundation created super computing centers which in turn became the basis for the world-wide web and in 1991 the web was live with the founding of The National Research and Education Network.

Can you imagine life without the internet? How do we use the internet? What is the most important aspect of internet activity in your life? Can you adapt to life without this most vital of connections? What are the connections that you can absolutely not do without?

Well, I can tell you first hand, that the internet is a necessity in life today and we simply cannot function at normal speed without it! My assessment comes out of my recent move across country to California from Albany, New York.

We packed-up and moved on September 9^th, the day my classes began at Empire State College. As you know, ESC is mostly an “online” college and therein lies the issue and the frustration. As anyone who wants to do well and succeed in a web-based study (web systems programming) or any other college program, you can only imagine the frustration of no access to the very vehicle that you need to learn about in order to succeed! This is indeed my quandary! Traveling any great distance is at best a difficult circumstance, but when trying to keep up with your studies at the same time is impossible, and this relates directly to the internet and its origins. In the past, before we had such a device, one would simply have to travel (sometimes great distances) to obtain necessary information. Can you think back to as late as 1993, when if you wanted to find a job listing in another city?

 In order to do this, one would have to get in the car and drive over to the library and request access to the out of town newspapers or find a newsstand that specializes in such to obtain that kind of information, and then you would have to spend some time reading through them, not to mention that it would cost some money. There was no “Google” or “Craigslist” that you could search or look through. It was all done by manual methods. It would maybe take you until lunch time to find a listing and then maybe a week to apply for the job and hour to print and mail your resume and who knows if you would even have a chance at the job if it was more than a days drive from home. Truth be told, we are spoiled! There is absolutely no going back! I grew up with the old way and I like the new way better! I can’t go back, I won’t!

 

So, now that I’m connected once again, I understand the value of the internet more than ever. There was a brief period when most people had no connection at home and when there were these places called “Internet cafes” where folks would gather to connect and chat.  

 

Even this seems archaic to me now as it takes time to drive anywhere and then to find peace and quite to do work is just another challenge. It’s likely that some people are too young to know what it was like in the early days, but it was a process to get where we are today with communication and living through that process does not make it any easier to live without the modern internet and it’s vast amount of instant information. There is just no equivalent to what we have today!