Change Things - Telecoms want to own the Internet

This post is largely directed at people from the U.S.A., but the rest of you may want to know about this.

The telecoms (AT&T, Verizon, etc.) in the U.S.A. are trying to pass a bill through congress that will allow them to control what you see, do, read, etc. on the web. They want to make both us and site providers pay. Double the cash, half the fun. Read about it here, and take some action here. This is serious shit, folks, and it will effect all of us. So, for once, get off your ass and change things. I personally already sent them a little note, read on if you’re interested in what I said.

Here’s the letter that I sent them:

Dear Recipients,

I am outraged by the suggestion that a few companies should have autonomous control of one of the greatest communication and expression mediums of our time. The attraction of the Internet comes from it’s freedoms, the ability to make decisions on what we see and read, and the ability to express ourselves and communicate with a world outside of our physical scope.

By trying to control this medium you will only hurt it. In your attempts to help your bottom line, you will do nothing but destroy the very purpose, the very thing that draws people to use this medium. In doing so you will effectively put the first in a long line of nails into the coffin, and eventually someone will find a new, better medium outside of your control so that societies will be able to continue growth in an unhindered environment. And you will be left in the dust. We’ve seen it before, and only those not smart enough to look past their own bottom line, their own financial gain, will be able to move us forward, as a society, and as a world.

Look beyond your bottom line; understand that the internet is not yours to own.

That’s my letter. I suggest you write your own, though, please. The more repetitive the emails are the more likely they are to ignore them, so be sure you make a respectful but poignant statement.