Hardware Firms Oppose Net Neutrality Laws
In a split with other tech firms, Cisco, 3M, Qualcomm and others ask Congress not to enact any new laws mandating Net neutrality. Check out the story here.
This is an ominous development in what might become the defining piece of legislation for the Internet in the 21st Century - the fight over whether the Internet stays “free”.
The gap between the rich and poor is growing. Information is power. Up until now, these two things, wealth and access to information, have been relatively unhinged—the growing gap in wealth has not led to a proportional growth in the gap in power.
The relatively low cost of access to the Internet (and it’s inherently egalitarian structure) has democratized our ability to get information, organize collectively, and petition corporations and governments (look at the recent demonstrations of illegal workers in the US as evidence of the ability of the Internet to empower the poor and marginalized).
If Net Neutrality Laws are struck down, all this is in jeopardy. Power will be handed back to the wealthy, 1 toll fee at a time.
