Some of you may have seen or heard me refer to myself as a net.old-fogey. I usually use that term in a humorous sense, but this topic is so important to me that I'm going to use it seriously. (1/x)
First, understand this about me - I've spent most of the last four decades around computers and communications. I punched cards on an IBM System/370 (and a System/3), and I've booted PDPs from paper tape. (2/x)
I was contributing to open source in the 1980s. I've wired entire buildings for Ethernet, helped build the first networked PC lab on my university's campus, programmed phone switches and done punchdown blocks. (3/x)
I was online before "the Internet" existed. I was sending mail around the world from my house via uucp, and I remember the day that CIX brought the commercial world into "the Internet." (4/x)
When CERN released the first source code for this thing some researcher called "the World Wide Web", I built one of the first 500 or so webservers in the world. I'm currently employed as a hybrid software/networking engineer. (5/x)
I don't say all these things to brag; without one of those little blue "verified" check marks, you guys don't know me from Adam, so I want you to understand that I'm not just frothing here. Rather... (6/x)
...I'm speaking as one who has been here all along, from punched cards and paper tape to fiber optics and satellite networking...and @AjitPaiFCC couldn't be more wrong about net neutrality. (7/x)
The principle behind net neutrality goes back to the very beginnings of what became the Internet - "be conservative in what you send, but liberal in what you accept" - and Pai wants to allow telecoms and ISPs to break that rule. (8/x)
When I hit "send" for this tweet, my computer is going to send a stream of packets to Twitter's servers. Now, I have a cable modem for my Internet service, so that means that my packets will... (9/x)
travel alongside (so to speak) the packets from my neighbor playing Mario Kart, my daughter watching Netflix, and the library's website across the street. Today, my ISP makes a "best effort" to deliver each packet; there's no "boost" or priority given to any of us. (10/x)
Pai and the GOP think that isn't right. They think that my ISP should be allowed to sign deals to give some packets priority over others. What happens to my neighbor's Mario Kart game if the ISP that handles both our traffic... (11/x)
...signs a "priority handling" contract with Netflix? What happens to the library website across the street if my ISP signs a "Gold" contract with Netflix and a "Silver" contract with Nintendo to prioritize their traffic? (12/x)
What happens if our ISP signs *exclusive* contracts? Many of you have seen the battles in the cable television industry over which channels go in which tier of service, as in "Oh, you only get ESPN if you pay for the PREMIUM tier". Can you imagine... (13/x)
...your Internet provider saying, "Oh, you only get access to Google with PREMIUM service"? How about, "You can only access international sites with our "Long Distance Internet"? For an extreme example... (14/x)
...how about "you can't go to [NewsWebsiteX] because we signed an exclusive deal with [NewsWebsiteY]"? Make no mistake - in the absence of net neutrality, all of these outcomes are possible. (15/x)
Today, when we secure Internet access, we get a pipe - usually, so many bits per second for so many dollars per month - and it's ours to use as we see fit (within reason), to reach out to the global Internet as we see fit. THAT is the principle that built the Internet. (16/x)
Keep in mind that this won't only affect consumers - it will touch BUSINESSES and CREATORS as well. ISPs will be able to play the same role as do cable television operators today - "Oh, if you want to reach OUR subscribers, you'll have to pay US first." (17/x)
So, speaking as one who has been doing this stuff for a LONG time...I'm asking you to fight this.
How, you may ask?
(18/x)
How, you may ask?
(18/x)
If @AjitPaiFCC does things in the usual way, you'll have an opportunity to make a "public comment" on these proposed changes at the FCC website. I urge you to keep your eyes open for that opportunity - and TAKE IT. (19/x)
You can also contact your Congressional representatives. If you don't know their office numbers, you can call the US Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121. Tell them you need net neutrality, that your use of the Internet should be YOURS to define, not your ISP's. (20/x)
The Internet has always empowered both innovation and individualism, in both creation and consumption of information, and we don't need (and shouldn't want) Internet providers to have the ability to hold it hostage in the name of greater profits.
Thanks for reading.
(FIN)
Thanks for reading.
(FIN)
FOLLOWUP: If you're skeptical of my arguments, take a look at what's happening in Portugal today, without net neutrality - tiered service.
