Net Neutrality

Thanks to Joel for bringing this information about Net Neutrality to light because despite all the news I read online and even the emails I get about what's happening in Congress, I had never seen this mentioned before reading his blog last night.

Seems that the nation's largest telecommunication companies, including AT&T, Verizon, Comcast and others, want to pick and chose the Internet content they offer their customers. They would like to discriminate against their competitors by slowing down how fast those sites load, or blocking them out altogether. Instead of having free access to the Internet, these companies want to reserve the fast lane for their own content and those of other companies willing to climb in bed with them and fork over high fees to do so. Blogs, non-profit and small business sites would essentially be left in the dirt because we don't have the money to play with the big boys.

I've done some research online about Net Neutrality since reading Joel's post and it seems quite a few people think that the bill being proposed in Congress regarding neutrality equates to censorship. That is the exact opposite of what it means. Neutrality means that the Internet will remain free and open, with equal access to all sites. Censorship is what the telecommunication companies want to achieve. They are the ones fighting against neutrality.

I think this is an important issue to get involved in and I have already sent my email in support of neutrality. To join in and send your own email, click here or here. More information about this situation can be accessed at FAQ's About Neutrality.

I keep most of my political activism to myself, but this was something I felt was extremely important to share. I know for myself and for many others with mental illness or other disabilities, or even stay-at-home moms, the Internet is a lifeline to a world of support that we don't have access to in the neighborhoods outside our front doors. I'm not willing to risk allowing someone else to pick and chose which sites I can visit because I know I would be left even more isolated than I already am.