(Good stuff. - promoted by phillip anderson)
The debate over the Internet, who controls the pipes that create it and how they're allowed to charge for the use of said pipes, goes by different names depending on which side of the issue you're on. For those dedicated to the formal establishment of the Internet as a neutral, even playing field for democratic discourse, the name is Net Neutrality; for those dedicated to an Internet free of political constraints and pressures, the name is Hands Off the Internet. Both sides of the issue bring with them legions of loyal activists and concerned citizens with the best of intentions.
But in debating this issue, we should not lose sight of where it began: with corporations. On both sides of the issue, there are huge multi-national technology companies pouring enormous revenue into winning this fight. They do not do this for ideological, let alone altruistic, reasons. As important as it is to understand the idealistic poles of this argument - as important as it is to be sure you're arguing for something you can believe in - it is equally important to understand the motivations of the companies fueling the debate. Otherwise, some activists may be surprised and dismayed to discover that they've ushered in a new era of profit making for one of two large camps of corporations.
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