Matt's paper topic

I would like to write my paper on the issue of government involvement in the internet. This would manifest itself in two ways. Firstly would be the issue of net neutrality. I have no doubt that ISPs would love to abolish net neutrality and rework the internet into a cable-like system, or access to sites would be based on how much the site owners pay the ISPs to stream their pages. It becomes a question if internet should be treated like other mediums, or if the rules concerning the web need to be built specifically around the unique nature of the medium. If the free flow of ideas should mean anything, than we shouldn't lose the 'free' part of it.

The other element would be government provided internet access. Several months ago, a small town in Minnesota tried to provide free broadband for its citizens. They were then promptly sued by the regional cable provider for essentially stealing their business. This case calls into question whether or not internet should be considered something that is only available through the free market, or if government can provide it through taxes, as they do mail service. By comparison, Japan has national free broadband access for all of its citizens, and it's not some crappy 1 Mbps system either. It's incredibly fast and works anywhere in the entire nation. People taking a train from Tokyo to Osaka never lose connection on their laptops. Given that this is America, however, where business holds more sway than the people's best interest, is it likely that we will ever see something comparable? As the only western nation that thinks healthcare is a luxury good and not an entitlement, I wouldn't hold my breath.

Here's the video of Obama giving his off the cuff answer on net neutrality by the way.



And this is just one I really like.