One of the most useful websites I know of is snopes.com, which provides information and analysis of e-mails circulating on the Internet, from the “Bill Gates is Giving Away Money” hoax to the famous 602B e-mail tax bill. Among other things, Snopes ranks the e-mails based on circulation and other factors. Currently, the number five hottest email–beating out warnings about ether-laced perfume and the dangers of rat urine on soda cans–is a missive in support of net neutrality regulation circulated by Move.on org.
The surprising appearance of net neutrality–which until very recently was a term known only to hopeless tech geeks and policy wonks–is a worrying evidence of the efforts being made by Move.on and others in support of Internet regulation. And, unfortunately, for most who get this e-mail, and forward it on–it may be the only thing they hear of the controversy.
Of course, the issue is not fictional–unfortunately the push for regulation is no urban legend. Although Snopes classifies it as “true,” the e-mail does get some important facts wrong. For instance, it says Congress is considering “a radical law” to eliminate net neutrality. In truth, there currently are no neutrality rules in place. Moveon.org is asking for new regulations to be imposed. At the same time, the letter warns darkly of “giant corporations” who are fighting these rules, but doesn’t mention the rather large firms–including Microsoft–who are fighting to have these restrictions imposed on their potential rivals.
Its hard to follow up on mass-forwarded e-mails like this to explain the other side of the debate. (Though it wouldn’t hurt if sympathetic readers forward\ed on relevant posts from TLF–such as this, this, this, this, this, this or this–or perhaps this from Heritage, as a counter-point.)
In any case, it is clear that this debate has passed beyond the small world of telecom wonks, and is now squarely in the public eye–or at least the public’s inbox. And the outcome of this battle over Internet regulation may depend upon the Internet itself, and all of its advantages and flaws as a medium of mass communication.
Stay tuned. This should be interesting.
The Technology Liberation Front is the tech policy blog dedicated to keeping politicians' hands off the 'net and everything else related to technology.