Net Neutrality fight turning nasty
Although net neutrality it’s a topic that doesn’t stir much interest in your average consumer, those who have opinions hold them very strongly and is it turning nasty?
Verizon vice president in charge of what is called “public policy” (i.e., lobbying), Craig Sillman says a lot of these public policy” advocates, like Free Press and Fight for the Future groups are just out to raise money from their supporters and will say whatever it takes to make their point.
“You gotta understand, there are a lot of advocacy groups out there that fundraise on this issue,” said Sillman. “So how do you fundraise? You stir people up with outrageous claims. Unfortunately, we live in a time where people have discovered that it doesn’t matter what’s true, you just say things to rile up the base.”
“Open and equal access”
“The internet must remain open and accessible to everyone,” said Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan in a recent statement. “Open and equal access to the internet is crucial to information sharing and competition. The FCC’s proposal would allow internet service providers to pick winners and losers among content providers and their customers. I urge the FCC Commissioners to vote against this proposal.”
What could actually happen if net neutrality rules are scrapped? Madigan lists these possibilities:
- Consumers being unable or forced to pay to access certain websites;
- Decreased competition as start-ups fight for access with larger, established companies; and
- Telecommunications companies that also own media companies giving preferential treatment to media content they own, putting smaller content providers and their customers at a disadvantage.
Read more at Consumeraffairs
