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Internet Freedom Threatened by Federal Court

By: Derek // News Briefs

The federal court in Washington DC, the second most influential court in the land, after the US Supreme Court, gets set to release a verdict that could have a massive impact on the freedom to access information currently enjoyed by Internet users. The bottom line is that a 2010 FCC Rule protecting “net neutrality” is in danger of being struck down.

Should the rule be disallowed, in essence, service providers like Verizon or AT&T will be able to discriminate against any website they choose by controlling how quickly it loads. With the quick trigger finger employed by so many of today’s users, a three second delay could be the kiss of death for a website. In short, the information superhighway is about to gain toll booths and fast lanes.

The Internet was founded on the belief that the free flow of information should be prized above all. No individual government or company should be able to impose its view on what is acceptable for mass consumption and what is not. Censorship goes against what the Internet is all about.

Marvin Ammori, writing here for Wired magazine, has this to say on the topic. “Web and mobile companies will live or die not on the merits of their technology and design, but on the deals they can strike with AT&T, Verizon, Comcast, and others.” (Derek Dowell – VNN) (Image: Flickr | opensourceway)