Net Neutrality

Imagine having your access to web site content determined and filtered by big brother. Well, that's exactly what's about to happen. Big business is lobbying congress to pass legislation that would control your access to web site content based on network access. The telcos would essentially control the internet superhighway by setting up a toll booth for access to the fast lane and for which web sites would pay a premium to provide faster access to their content.

The concept of network or net neutrality is an important one that cannot be ignored if there is any hope of preserving the internet as we have all come to know and love it...as a free, open, and democratic virtual sand box. The impact on web site usability would be detrimental as the user experience will be affected by so-called fast and slow lane access to internet content. The control would be taken out of the hands of users. Would startups, non-profits, and personal sites have to revert to text only web sites and abandon e-commerce and other online transactional activities in the hopes of users being able to access their content? Clearly, sites travelling in the slow lane would have to re-think their site design and usability accordingly. Even so, there is no guarantee they would even show up on the radar.

Here are related articles on this important topic: http://www.freepress.net/news/15809 and http://www.savetheinternet.com/ and petition available at http://action.freepress.net/campaign/savethenet.