Allan Cole’s Blog.

For the record, if Verizon, AT&T, and Comcast manage to erase Net Neutrality from my internet, I will seriously consider leaving this country. I know this sounds drastic and dramatic, but I make a living off of providing well designed & well coded websites for the “lil’ guy” in most situations. Hell, I’m a lil’ guy myself and the fact that ‘big corporations’ are trying to essentially turn the internet into the trash that broadcast television has become, makes me sick to my stomach. I would lose a major part of my client base — which generally happens to be people in my community. A good 70% of the folks that I work with are independent publishers, writers, artists, who simply want their piece of the pie — just like me.

Imagine if the internet was like TV: yeah, you could connect to the basic networks, like Google, Yahoo, etc. (Broadcast TV) with a shitty connection for free/low cost. But to get the good stuff (Cable TV, HBO, etc), you’d have to sign a contract and pay who knows what to get up-to-par service that is already available to you now. Sounds like trash to me. By killing Net Neutrality, we’d be losing the fundamental principal of fair game in (web) business. We’ve already lost similar liberties with TV and Radio. Can we please keep the internet open? GEEZ. Wow, this has turned into a rant — I didn’t start writing this with that in mind. Let me turn this over to some folks that are much better at explaining the situation:

Now, Comcast, AT&T, and Verizon — the most powerful broadband providers — are trying to fundamentally change the way the Internet works. They’re seeking to make even bigger profits by acting as gatekeepers over what we see and do online. If they succeed, the Internet would be more like radio and television: a few major corporations would control which voices are heard most easily, and it would be much harder for grassroots groups, individuals, and small businesses to compete with large corporations and well-funded special interests.

The FCC wants to do the right thing and keep the Internet open, but the big providers have been attacking their efforts, with help from Black leaders who have financial ties to the industry. And a recent court ruling just made the FCC’s job even tougher. If the FCC is to preserve an open Internet, they will have to boldly assert their authority and press even harder. It’s why they need to hear directly from everyday people about the importance of an open Internet, now.

— Color of Change.

I’ve already shown some support for this & you should too. Read more & show some support.

Also, check out this video about basic net neutrality:

(isp = Internet Service Provider)