Net Neutrality Defeated

In a serious blow to the freedom of the internet as a whole, the US House of Representatives defeated the Net Neutrality vote that would have prevented telecommunication companies from discriminating how and which websites can be accessed by end users. The effects which by far are not exagerated are listed on the It’s Our Net website.

The bottom line is your internet provider (broadband, dial-up, etc) is not restricted from treating all websites equally. For example, if Comcast were to feel a particular website was consuming too much bandwidth, that website can be restricted or possibly taxed. This will undoubtedly effect every website and every web user.

How does this affect Linux? Linux and most open source owes its great success to the ability for any user to access and contribute via the internet. Any company with an agenda or incentive is now able to obstruct that.

As it is many telecommunications companies act as local monopolies, with this new development I can only see further loss of consumer rights and freedoms.

Posted in: Linux, Philosophy, Politics,