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Saving the Internet

Alright! Let’s hear it for Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Va.)! A politician that understands with the telcos are doing. Earlier I posted "Large Telcos Want To Kill The Internet". Rep. Rick Boucher explains:

Essentially, what these executives are proposing is the creation of a two-lane Internet where larger, more established websites with financial resources could squeeze out smaller, emerging websites. …

Internet2, a nonprofit partnership of universities, companies and affiliate organizations, including federal agencies and laboratories, has been studying this matter and has demonstrated that a multitrack Internet model is unnecessary to assure quality of service. Internet2 has for the past seven years deployed an advanced broadband network to more than 5 million users and has learned that in a network with enough bandwidth there is no congestion and no bits need preferential treatment because all of them arrive quickly enough to assure excellent quality, even if intermingled.

I find it somewhat sad that our speed over the last mile, that is from the switch to the house, is so slow.

In countries such as Japan and Korea, network speeds over the last mile of 100 megabits per second (mbps) are common. In the United States, our typical speed is less than 1 mbps.

Special thanks to Tom Maszerowski of My Likes and Dislikes for pointing out Rep. Rick Boucher!

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Large Telcos (Comcast, Verizon, AT&T, etc) Want to Kill The Internet

If you aren’t following, haven’t heard, or don’t understand the news about the large telecommunications companies wanting a “tiered Internet,”

“We don’t want to replicate the cable model on broadband Internet,” Gigi Sohn, president and co-founder of Public Knowledge, a Washington-based advocacy group focused on digital rightssaid. “We don’t want the Internet to turn into cable whereby the pipe owners decide on content and services.”

then this hypothetical conversation from 2019 should help.

Consumers should, and do, want Internet Freedom.

Net Neutrality is also supported by FCC Commissioner Michael Copps, considering it (Net neutrality) one of the most pressing technological issues:

“Our open and vibrant and free-wheeling Internet is the last place where we should allow toll bridges to be erected. Every American has a stake in how this turns out.”

Ben Scott, policy director of the media reform group Free Press:

“These pricing schemes are simply poorly disguised discrimination. Requiring Internet companies to pay for high-speed access to the Internet when they’re already charging consumers for the same service means consumers will ultimately pay twice.”

“The scheme will stifle innovation and competition by effectively denying access to start-ups that can’t afford to pay for access to high speeds.”

Get ready to contact your representative!

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Woof Rough, Start

Our boarder for the week arrived and, to remind us how displeased she was with the service on her last visit, she immediately pooped on the carpet and peed on Tommy‘s bed.

In other news, I got all the kids ready for school and sent 2 of them to their respective bus stops. Noah returns home to tell me that school was cancelled after one of his friends’ mother drove by and told him it was cancelled. I confirmed on WBIR that they are indeed closed. Every now and then Noah shows a little bit of spectrum. His statement this morning was a confused "some woman told me school was cancelled" while Sarah said, "___’s mom told me school was cancelled." There is no snow out and the roads are clear. Good day to cancel!