Net Neutrality, Why Should You Care?

So you are an independent filmmaker and you have just finished an amazing project that is buzz worthy and definitely has, dare you hope, Oscar potential. You don't have a lot of resources, but you have some marketing savvy and you launch your online campaign to build an audience for your west coast theatrical run. But suddenly AT&T, the largest broadband provider in your target area sends you a message that if you want to reach their customers you are going to have to pay 4¢ per view. Your east coast broadband provider only has a 15% market share in that area, suddenly your maxed out credit cards have slammed into another brick wall.

While this scenario is hypothetical today, it could be a reality in the near future. The Coalition for Media and Democracy and VoterBook sponsored a panel on Net Neutrality in New York City last week with a panel that discussed the current state and future implications of broadband access. Hannah Miller of the coalition explained to me before the panel that it is a difficult issue to put on the radar of most concerned citizens.

Currently we live with net neutrality, so there is no perception of real danger. You pay an internet service provider for access and the content you post is available to viewers who are accessing the internet with competing providers. There have only been a few isolated incidents to date where providers blocked access to content, explaining in one case it was to free up bandwidth. Yet the technology exists to restrict access and as panelist, Michael Livermore of the Institute for Policy Integrity maintains, the major broadband providers are fighting very hard for the right to do so, while maintaining they have no intention of carrying through on it.

As panelist Tim Karr of Free Press stated, the market is ruled by duopolies and in some cases monopolies that are only growing larger as the proposed merger of Comcast and NBC Universal indicates. We already pay higher prices to access broadband in this country than in similar markets overseas. The United States ranks 14th among industrialized countries in availability to high speed internet connections on a per capita basis.

Panelist Kris Rios with People's Production House explained how the digital divide is hurting individuals in low-income communities and rural areas where large providers have less economic incentive to provide access.

As a consumer who relies on the internet for your life and work as much as you might rely on your public utility for water and electricity you may want to stay current on the National Broadband Plan that is currently in the works, and the organizations that are advocating on behalf of consumer access.

The video clip contains excerpts from the panelists. The full show will air soon on Manhattan Neighborhood Network.