That article lost me at Net neutrality
Made some interesting points but....
I have it, I'm sure not going to boycott it
Net Neutrality is simply the idea that a data packet is a data packet, and the content of that packet should be irrelevant to the Internet Provider. It shouldn't matter if the 500mb you are downloading is a zipped program file, a lot of EO Web pages you're reading, Pat Boone or Metallica, a YouTube video or Bombay Badonkadonks, none of those packets should be delivered on a preferential basis based on content, or worse, the payment of content providers to Internet Providers to prioritize their content and to in effect cripple the content of those who cannot afford to pay.
If you get certain video content for free, as in no data charges, because the content had been paid for by a sponsor, then of course you are more likely to view the free content versus having your data eaten up other video providers. That's a no brainer.
But that puts every content provider who can't afford to pay for prioritized content at a distinct and sometimes significant disadvantage. If you want to start a new video service to compete with Netflix, YouTube and Hulu, or even want to post the occasional video to your Web site, you're SOL unless you're drowning in money.
Without Net Neutrality, cable and phone companies could carve the Internet into fast and slow lanes. An ISP could slow down its competitors' content or block political opinions it disagreed with (which is exactly what Comcast did). ISPs could charge extra fees to the few content companies that could afford to pay for preferential treatment, relegating everyone else to a slower tier of service. This would destroy the open Internet.
Net Neutrality is crucial for small business owners, startups and entrepreneurs, who rely on the open Internet to launch their businesses, create a market, advertise their products and services, and distribute products to customers. We need the open Internet to foster job growth, competition and innovation. We also need it for free speech.
No company should be able to interfere with this open marketplace. ISPs are by definition the gatekeepers to the Internet, and without Net Neutrality, they would seize every possible opportunity to profit from that gatekeeper control. Just like they've been trying to do ever since the FCC ruled that Net Neutrality is a thing.
Dozens of lawsuits and millions of dollars have been spent in lobbying Congress (and greasing the palms of senators and congressmen) to facilitate sneaky legislation that will undermine Net Neutrality.
Just a few months ago the FCC ruled, based on Title II of the Communications Act, just the same as the phone company can't decide who you can and cannot call, to ban throttling, blocking and paid prioritization for Internet providers.
The "no data charges if you use
theeeese video providers" is an early sneaky way around the rules, which is left uncontrolled will result in a complete disappearance of Net Neutrality. It's illegal to charge someone extra for using a credit card, but it's not illegal to give them a
discount for using cash. That's what the phone companies are trying to get away with regarding bandwidth usage.
I'm not suggesting, even a little bit, that anyone should boycott Go90 or any other sponsored prioritized content. I'm merely suggesting that it's something to be keenly aware of, so you can recognize the "creep" that's to come. That way you'll understand what the heck happened when you suddenly realize that you Internet provider has more control than you do over which websites you visit and what you watch or listen to online.
