govtmorgue
GameAmp Staff
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| Preserve Internet Neutrality |
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I would like to thank Xielos for his bringing up this topic of discussion. No, I am not a traitor to Gameamp.com, as all my siggy's have that I am a member. I am a member of many sites so that I can help keep eveyone up to date on pertinant news. As he says there (and I will quote the article below) this is a great thing to let you know about. It is picking up more press, but we need to get our word in as soon as possible. Without further ado:
| QUOTE (Xielos) | I went to go read PvP today, and Scott Kurtz had posted this troubling message:
| QUOTE | I want to encourage everyone who reads PvP to learn as much as possible about the concept of Network Neutrality and about the new Communications Opportunity, Promotion and Enhancement Act (COPE) which is widely anticipated as being passed by congress. And I want to encourage you to act (see the bottom of this article for links on how you can act).
The basic shorthand of the situation is this: the internet currently benefits from network neutrality. The telecom companies, Internet service providers and cable companies can not discriminate against any data, traffic or programs running on their network. Everyone gets a fair shake and no preferential treatment. End users can reach all websites without interference from their provider. It allows the playing field to be level and encourages innovation. It's what allows the little guy to make his dreams reality.
But the telecom companies, and some in congress, want to change this. the new COPE act cuts out net neutrality. If the act passes, then the people who connect you to the internet get to decide which websites you see or don't see. They control which programs you can use over the net. They can determine how fast you get to certain websites. They control what the end user does and doesn't get to do on the internet.
If Google does not pay your service provider a fee, it could take you longer to reach their website than a competitor who did pay the fee. Worse than that, you could end up just not reaching Google at all or be redirected to the competitor's site instead.
It's scary, especially for those of us running an online business.
Looking beyond entertainment or my own ability to earn my income...what truly frightens me is how this new COPE act could affect our using utilities, reaching my bank, finding a doctor or a hospital, really important things. Recently a house guest of mine got food poisoning and the wife and I rushed to the internet to find the nearest emergency room to our house. If not for net neutrality, who knows what we would have found. Maybe I would never know there was an emergency room closer to home than the one at the hospital my ISP favors.
I've been reading as much as I can about this all week and I don't know. I mean, I just don't see how this could pass. If you were Google, would you pay the telecoms? These telecoms are trying desperately to stay alive. Google and Microsoft have more money than the telecoms do. If push came to shove, wouldn't they just buy up the telecoms? That's what a friend of mine suggests.
And aren't you more pissed at Congress than the telecoms about this whole thing? I thought that government was supposed to be there to serve the people. How could this possibly serve the people? It's so sad how these lobby groups can just push our elected leaders around. Where is the pragmatic leadership we need?
But, my father wisely suggests we act to prevent rather than wait and act to change things back. And he's probably right about that. So here are some important links so you can get informed and make your voice heard.
My congressman is Michael C. Burgess. I've left a phone message with his office and I'm going to attempt to find out whether my representative supports or is fighting against this COPE act. I'll keep you guys up to date on what response I get. In the meantime, I want YOU guys to call up your congressman or woman and post YOUR results at the PvP forums. |
If you could all take a few seconds to sign a petition and send a message to your state Senators and district Rep, it'd be great.
www.SaveTheInternet.com
More links can be found at the end of that message on the PvP site. |
I personally signed the petition thing and sent it off to my local congress person representive. I got an e-mail back confiming it had been recieved within a few hours of sending it.
***THIS POST HAS BEEN EDITED***
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| 05/24/06 15:42 |
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thejeni
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| RE: Preserve Internet Neutrality |
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To read more about the evil people that are doing this go here.
Siggy created by DeathFetish.
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| 05/24/06 16:50 |
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govtmorgue
GameAmp Staff
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| RE: Preserve Internet Neutrality |
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Giving this a bump to make sure people saw it.
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| 05/25/06 04:01 |
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xtreme_hippy
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| RE: Preserve Internet Neutrality |
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Possibly a stupid question, but is this going to touch those of us over in Europe? Or is there something I missed saying it does/doesn't?
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| 05/25/06 05:38 |
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govtmorgue
GameAmp Staff
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| RE: Preserve Internet Neutrality |
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It is quite possible that it *could* effect Europeans, since if you use Google, etc in Europe, it can have the whole thing messed withg due to the laws that effect the mother company in America
Signature by DeathFetish
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| 05/25/06 17:57 |
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Sunshine
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| RE: Preserve Internet Neutrality |
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someone plz explain what the people who put this idea forward intended to do with it? just profit? at our expense? im alittle afraid, this means that everything on the internet is in danger.
i also reminded of an old comic book, ya know? "the interent's in danger! wheres superman?"
Thanks to Death Fetish for kicka$$ siggy!!!
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| 05/25/06 19:14 |
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DarkRiku5
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| RE: Preserve Internet Neutrality |
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Woah... that's some real scary stuff. Like 1984 by George Orwell. Over here in Mass., we got one for Net Neutrality and one undecided.
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| 08/10/06 19:38 |
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