Here's something few news outlets are reporting: The big cable and telephone companies won a victory April 11 in the House of Representatives and the losers could be the American public, who have enjoyed access to basically free speech Internet.
If the bill becomes law, companies like Verizon and Comcast could charge money for smooth access to Web sites, speed to run applications, and permission to plug-in devices. These network giants believe they should be able to charge Web site operators for the right to use the network. Those who don't pay will find that their sites won't load as quickly, and their applications and devices won't work as well.
If this house bill becomes law, consumers could find that an Internet provider (Comcast, Verizon, RoadRunner, et al.) has blocked the Web site of a competitor, or slowed it down so much that it's unusable. This could mean tacit censorship, discrimination, and chill any further innovation in a medium that has, until now, been the freest form of wide expression in our lifetimes.
