A Series of Tubes

There seem to be a lot of misconceptions as to what the internet really is. Some people treat it as a commodity to be traded, sold or brokered. Others see it as a "cloud" of data. I see it as the information superhighway. The internet, from its inception, has been part of our nation's infrastructure. It now extending beyond us, and is a part of the global infrastructure.

Recently, there has been a large debate on "net neutrality." The term is not very well understood, and to make matters worse, it has been intentionally obfuscated and adopted by the opponents of the original concept. Although lately the opposition to net neutrality has settled on the term "net competition." Advocates of net neutrality are in favor of government regulation, via the FCC, to ensure that consumers and content providers would not be subject to corporate interests and control. These same corporations see the internet as a commodity to be sold, exclusively for their profit.

Now, I understand how important corporate freedoms are in this country. Yet history has shown us that when regulations are removed, these types of companies will gobble up everything that they can. I am referring to the deregulation of radio in the Telecommunications Act of 1996. When limits on the number of stations that a corporation could own were lifted, companies like Clear Channel and Infinity snatched up stations all over the country. This has resulted in a lack of diversity in programming and on air material. If history has taught us anything, it should be not to make the same mistakes twice.

Other aspects of our country's infrastructure, such as our highway system, our flight routes and electrical grid, are all subject to government regulation. This regulation means that we don't have to pay subscription fees to drive on the highway (you do pay taxes and tolls for upkeep though). Regulation also keeps our airplanes from flying into each other or into buildings. Regulation provides us with minimum wage, to make sure that those who are legally employed can't be exploited. It provides us with safe working conditions and standards of manufacture. Regulation sounds like a big scary word to a lot of people, but it is a constant force that effects our lives, most often for the better.

I don't wish to imply that capitalism is bad for our country, far from it. What I am saying is that without some watchful oversight, greed and human nature will take capitalism and twist it into theft, time and time again. It is in our best interest as a society, especially one that is becoming ever more digital, to keep the internet in a neutral position, where neither corporations have total control over it, nor where the government keeps them completely out of the equation. A balanced measure seems to be the most logical approach, and will protect the interests of as many people as possible. Freedom is never free, freedom comes with the price of vigilance.