Earlier this year, just this past April, actually, you may have come across this: a ruling that favored Comcast over the FCC’s effort to promote net neutrality. Here is the NYTimes article that describes this.

A federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday that regulators had limited power over Web traffic under current law. The decision will allow Internet service companies to block or slow specific sites and charge video sites like YouTube to deliver their content faster to users.

The court decision was a setback to efforts by the Federal Communications Commission to require companies to give Web users equal access to all content, even if some of that content is clogging the network.

The court ruling, which came after Comcast asserted that it had the right to slow its cable customers’ access to a file-sharing service called BitTorrent, could prompt efforts in Congress to change the law in order to give the F.C.C. explicit authority to regulate Internet service.

Check out the whole article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/07/technology/07net.html

The internet as it is now has been great. It has provided everybody a platform to voice their own opinions. Discussions are much more dynamic and anybody can join in, whoever you are, wherever you are. That is the essence of net neutrality. And it is clear that the FCC wants to preserve net neutrality and sometimes it is imperative to impose regulations to make sure that we don’t take this platform away from people who don’t have the money or power. Just like what they have done to cable companies and network televisions. Regulations sometimes are important and inevitable to make sure that our rights as ordinary people are protected.

Now, let’s take a look at this commercial. I just came across this ad on TV. Granted that I am now on vacation and that I have to say my peace of mind about this ad, that should indicate how much this video just got to me…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07teCE1EWZY&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

Now, I don’t know what kind of lies the people of Americans for Prosperity are trying to convey. OK, I’m going to try and be diplomatic about this, and if they can convince me that the FCC is unnecessary and are “anti-net neutrality”, then I’ll listen. But so far, from what I know, what FCC has done so far (and unfortunately,failed in terms of the Comcast ruling) is the opposite of what the AFP people are claiming. They understand we should not take net neutrality for granted any longer. Knowing that there are greedy people out there who craves control, power, and money, the FCC understands that regulation IS necessary to preserve our rights to free speech and also to keep us away from economic downfall. It’s amazing how people are already starting to forget that we are still in recession, and what caused it in the first place…