Is the internet really out of control???
Looking past all the news and magazine articles talking about how the web has died, can the internet continue to grow??? Obviously the internet has not died, nor even close to doing so. The internet is still in it’s early stages, with hundreds of new uses just around the corner. But when will it reach it’s potential?
Truth be told the internet could have already taken off, but there is a problem. Who controls the internet? Microsoft? The Government? UN? Google? ISPs? The internet isn’t under control by anyone… which means in turns it’s under the control of the local ISP(Internet Service Provider). This is an issue on many different levels.
One, ISP controls what you have access to. You may think it’s not an issue, but lets say for example, that your ISP is an Cable Provider.
Do you think that they wouldn’t limit access to services like Netflix, Blockbuster or other Internet TV providers? Of coarse they can(and do).
How do they do it? They do it by cutting down your bandwidth. Limited bandwidth prevents you from streaming videos or accessing certain web sites.
Why do we let them do this? Because it’s “the best” for the “majority of users” The ISP only has so much bandwidth to give to users, and they often oversell how much bandwidth they can really dispense. I mean after all, how many people will be streaming Gigabytes of data a week? With services like netflix, Zune, iTunes, Xbox Live, it’s quite easy to thanks to these modern services. If every user of their service used all of the “unlimited bandwidth” they were promised, they would probably go out of business over night. So they limit your “unlimited bandwidth” so that others can enjoy their limited “unlimited bandwidth”. They justify the cause because the networks can’t handle that much, and the cost of Internet access must go up if you really want more internet.
Two, this is also an issue because it can be shut off pretty easy. If ISP didn’t want their customers viewing certain information, they just block access to the web site. If they are under the influence of local business or politicians it could be a disaster for those customers.
So should some government step up and take control? No, I do not want the US government or any government controlling the inertnet. However, I do think that it is vitial as we move towards the future that we are grant equal access to the internet. The Internet is the largest network available ever and everyone should be able to be “connected”. Taking it one step further, everyone should have fair access. No filters or limitations on the internet by ISPs or Governments. It’s a natural right to have fair and equal access to information, whether it be internet, public libraries or even public schools. We deserve to know.
