Net Neutrality: What it means

Ok, I know alot of you don't really understand the concept of Net Neutrality, so I'll try to give you a primer on how the system works.

ISP's (Internet Service Providers) such as Comcast, Suddenlink, Verizon and Time Warner handle all of the information that flows to and from your computer or phone. As such, they know where each bit of information comes from and where it's going.

Right now, they aren't allowed to do anything with that knowledge. They have to treat every bit just like every other bit. Whether that bit comes from Netflix, Microsoft or that little store down the street makes no difference. THAT is the 'Neutrality' in the phrase.

If the new regulations go into effect, the ISP's will be permitted to start segregating those bits. If Netflix pays a fee, their bits will get priority and everyone else's will just have to wait.

You see, bandwidth is a zero sum game. There is only so much to go around, so in order to speed someone up, someone else HAS to be slowed down. The only way to fix that is to build more of it. That costs money, but charging for priority access to a limited network MAKES money. You can see which one the ISP's would prefer. Google and Amazon have been the prime movers behind killing Net Neutrality. They want more bandwidth and this is the only way they can get it.

Something few people think about is the course that their data takes on the internet. From your computer, it goes to your ISP. From there, it goes through many systems, all owned by OTHER ISP's, until it reaches the ISP of the website that you want and then to the website itself. After all, websites typically need to buy their own access. While Google might be able to build their own portal onto the internet, pretty much everyone else has to use an ISP just like you do. Under the rule of Net Neutrality, that's the end of the story.

Under the new rules, something else happens.

If a website wants to avoid the slow lane, they have to negotiate a deal with their ISP. Simple, right? Not so much, because then they have to negotiate deals with EVERY OTHER ISP that their data will travel through.

Nobody, except the really big boys, will be able to afford that.

The end result? The little guys go out of business, leaving the giants to provide everything on the internet. It harkens back to the early days of TV. Many companies tried to get into the business, but we ended up with only the Big Three. If you wanted to watch, you watched NBC, ABC or CBS.

That is the future of the web without Net Neutrality. If you want something on the net, you'll have a very small pool of sources. Fewer sources mean higher prices. That's just how it works.

Whew, that ended up longer than I thought it would. A bit. If you made it this far, then congratulations! Hopefully, you now have a better idea what's at stake here.

Go do something about it.

A Rarely Used Word

Earlier today I used a word in response to a story shared by a dear friend. Hardly unusual, as I tend to use a great many words. You may have noticed this from time to time. This particular word, however, is one that I rarely have an opportunity to use.

"Interregnum."

It's proper definition refers to the time period between the death of a king and the crowning of his successor. A Latin term directly translatable as "Between kings."

I used it to reference the last 23 years. From the fall of the Soviet Union until Russia's present actions in the Ukraine. They have spent this period deciding what they are and (apparently) a decision has been made.

I think that it will only be a matter of days before they move in and annex the south-eastern half of the country, if not the entire nation. The moment that occurs, we will be living in a new world and the interregnum will end.

What shape the world will take after that can only be conjecture at this point. It's unlikely that they will be satisfied with their meal, but it will take time for them to digest it. The years to come will be spent by Europe in fortifying positions and nervously watching the giant wrestle with it's old possessions. Whether we (or they) will interfere with the process is yet to be seen, but the answer to that question will shape the coming century.

Really, I'm no more a fortune-teller than you, but you can feel the strings vibrating from half a world away.

"The King is dead! Long live the King!"

Or not.

The show is just starting.

The Contract

My beliefs about how to live life can be summarized using a few words:

Do no harm.

We are all familiar with this simplified summary of the Hippocratic Oath, but it means far more to me. I believe that every act of harm does violence, not only to the victim and the perpetrator, but to everyone else as well.

Do no harm.

Every child left hungry, every person struck by a loved one, every soldier left bleeding on the battlefield, every prisoner breathing his last in the chamber and every pet abandoned by it's owner diminishes the humanity of us all.

Do no harm.

Every person will immediately see possible additions or exceptions to this simple statement, but I see no need. It is up to each of us to make of it what we will.

Do no harm.

It is a journey with only one possible end: failure. I am imperfect, just as every other human being living on this whirligig spinning in space is. That doesn't mean that I shouldn't strive for perfection, even knowing that I will fail.

Do no harm.

I do not expect others to feel as I do. For me, this is a contract that I make with myself, no one else. I do, however, hope that more people will make similar contracts with themselves. Many already have.

Do no harm.

I have only to see gentle humor in the eyes of Gandhi or the Dalai Lama or the solemn determination in Dr. King's face to know that I am doing the right thing. If one must be said to have a religion, then this is mine.

Do no harm.

I believe that, one day, exceptions to this will be unthinkable. Until that day, I will work as hard as I can to abide by my contract and to do no harm. Maybe even laugh now and again.