Net Neutrality

Reading response for 16 Feb 2015 in New Media and Society; on net neutrality and possible implications for and against:

In regards to China changing social media regulations, I am not surprised at their attempt to un-democratize the Internet via regulations on Speech. Any attempt at freedom of speech has always been squelched by China and governments similar to them.

I am not quite sure about Americans and the concept of Net-neutrality because of the possibility that the government will do something similar to that of China and regulate speech as well as speeds. Especially given the track record they have in regards to Wiki leaks and the like. If they feel that the content is "lawful" they would allow it while "unlawful" content would possibly become expanded beyond the appropriate realms. Americans need a realm where all governments have no power: only the people creating content should have power over what they can and can't post.

As we have seen with the Patriot Act, if you give them an inch, they take a mile. Frankly, I am highly skeptical of our government and their ability to do anything correctly. Both sides of the Net-Neutrality coin have decent points. I see no reason that companies shouldn't be allowed to Legoize in order to provide better, faster content.

However, I also agree that companies shouldn't be allowed to throttle competitors to those companies that they wish to work with.

The issue I see us having is coming up with a middle ground between these viewpoints in order to achieve a balanced approach that benefits all involved.