I'd like to begin by saying that I am fully supportive of federal strides to increase government transparency. I think that it is a great idea to make the public more able to see what is going on within the federal government. There is a broad legislative effort being created in order to secure this increased accessibility. This act, more specifically the Transparency in Government Act, includes sections of the bill devoted to the transparency of government sects that include Congress, the Executive branch, and information about lobbyists. I think this is a big step in the right direction towards a more democratic nation. But, one problem I do see is the fact that this could potentially be completely overlooked by the public. We already have television networks like C-SPAN that produce 24-hour coverage of things like congressional sessions and the law making process. Save for my high-school government teacher, I have yet to meet anyone who fully takes advantage of this view into the inner-workings of the American government. What good is more government transparency if no one will take advantage of it? Transparency is a good idea if it can be promoted and pulled-off effectively.

I like President Elect Obama's innovative plan to broadcast his weekly addresses via Youtube. With his campaign relying so heavily on the internet, and the success that it has brought him, I feel like his decision to continue his affair with the web is a smart idea. At least in my age group, I know that many more people will watch his videos on Youtube than would ever sit by a radio and listen for his address. I am really impressed with Obama's willingness to embrace the internet, and more specifically Youtube. With plans to set up a White House video channel on the site to keep the public informed about recent events in Washington.

I'm very down with the fact that I will be able to listen to President Elect Obama's messages via Youtube when I actually have time to do so. The public will no longer be bound by schedules of important announcements and addresses that they could potentially miss when they are broadcasted on television or radio. Also I think the posting of these videos on Youtube is a great opportunity for feedback from the public. There is an inherent general forum involved with people commenting on Youtube videos. I believe that with the ability to directly comment on, and discuss thoughts about Obama's planned videos, Youtube might turn into the new town-hall meeting place. Based on the recently ended election season, it is already heading in that direction. The possibilities are endless for this newly recognized media outlet. People from all over the country, and globe for that matter, will be able to respond to an important address or a simple weekly update instantly. Political discussions will run rampant across the site. Exciting stuff.

Now, obviously I'm all for Obama's plans for expanding his Youtube political empire. But, I am weary about the rest of the government's ability to break into the internet's ability to create a more transparent government. I would love to watch a five minute clip of Obama talking about issues within the federal government, or watch him shoot the shit about college football, but I don't know how thrilled anyone would be about watching boring stuff about Congress. Sad but true. I think it's good that that sort of information will be at Joe Public's disposal, but I doubt the American public is politically motivated enough to fully take advantage of it.

In this last election season, America saw a huge increase in voter turn out and political awareness within it's citizens. I hope this trend continues and Americans don't fall off the bandwagon that has had a tirade through the country over the past few months. If all of these plans do go through, and Obama does set up a internet-video-based national address system, I feel as though it might prolong the life of political interest that has been a breath of fresh air for the country. I hope people do not get lazy and resort back to not giving a crap about American politics and the federal government. I'd like to think that the new measures towards transparency will work, but I am not fully convinced.

Writing Assignment 12: Net Neutrality

In recent years, the concept of net neutrality, and the highly debated controversy surrounding it, has made a lot of news in the United States. Simply put, net neutrality is the principle that protects a free and open internet. There are a great amount of people who are staunchly for keeping the internet open for all users, while there is also a rising opposition to this ideal. Those who oppose net neutrality, most notably are some large telecommunication companies, seem to want to take as much money as they can from consumers by proposing extra fees in order to provide them with currently free services. These services might include the bandwidth of a website or how fast a website can be loaded on your computer. Personally, my main concern with this issue is the fact that it is an issue. This should not be happening. A legal retraction of net neutrality would be absolutely terrible for everyone who wasn't reaping the fiscal benefits.

Supporters of keeping net neutrality want to keep the internet open and accessible to everyone. A group made up of several bands and musicians called "Rock The Net" is in full support of the conservation of net neutrality for everyone. Their platform for this issue is composed of three distinct points that they discuss on their website. Their first demand is that internet service providers should provide everyone with equal access to all websites and services that they may provide. This group argues that people who pay more should not get preferential treatment based on the fact that they have the spare change to fund their internet usage. Their second idea in their platform on the issue points out that net neutrality encourages innovation in many areas. Claiming that unequal access to the internet can hurt the growth and innovation in the areas of creativity, technology, and the economy. The final idea that the Rock The Net organization advocates is the basic right that all people should be free to see websites in spite of the content or controversy surrounding a particular issue (Rock The Net).

Many people fear the fact that if net neutrality was no longer around, ISP's would favor the websites of constituents who pay the most money. To me, the fact that ISP's could potentially give priority to some data over the rest based on commercial advertising money is very scary. And this is something that is actually going on, not just a theory of what could possibly happen. Other advocations include the protection of consumers, small businesses, and the integrity of the internet and it's standards (Wikipedia).

Those against the concept of net neutrality have their own reasons for their attitudes towards the issue. From what I can gather from the confusing arguements and lingo thrown around in countless forums and websites that I have perused is that large telecommunication companies like AT&T, for example, want to impose themselves as gatekeepers between the internet and consumers. For a price, one can expect full priority of websites and services, while others who do not pay the price set by these companies must deal with slow connections, blocked sites, and little attention from these companies. This power would let these companies impose their own views and services while blocking the sites that might be competing against them.

Personally, I think this is a terrible example of greed of internet service conglomerations who are high on their own power to control consumers. I am for the preservation of net neutrality because I am for personal freedom that doesn't have a monetary price tag attached to it. I do not agree with these big companies imposing their will on citizens by spending millions of dollars lobbying congress for their own personal gain.


Sources:

1) Rock the Net website. Accessed 11/14/08. http://www.futureofmusic.org/rockthenet/index.cfm.

2) Net Neutrality. Wikipedia Article. Accessed 11/14/08