Common Sense

I hope you’ve been reading the Agonist since I haven’t been on Net Neutrality at all. It’s not that I don’t think it is important, it’s that I have no time to cover it. But Sean-Paul, bless him, has been all over it, including all the Democrats on the Commerce Committee who voted against the Mackey Amendment.

This really is about having a free Internet, not one that has been sliced and diced by large Telecom companies. Companies like Verizon want to offer you “choice,” but it is their choice as to what you can get based on your income or where you live. I and my fellow bloggers believe that the Internet is super-duper just like it is, free and open to all who have access to a phone line and a modem.

Speaking of Verizon, according to an internal company email, they most definitely support the bill coming out of the House “unencumbered” by net neutrality amendments. Here’s a good rule of thumb: If someone emails you that Rep. Joe “Smokey Joe” Barton is the go-to guy, then the person who emailed you a rich bastard who wants to get richer.

For some reason, the people’s House always seems to fail the people, but on this issue, everything can still be turned around in the Senate. People don’t need to pay to look at individual Web sites. People don’t need to pay to send an email. Paying your ISP should be enough. Get that message to the Senate and you’ll see this legislation fail.