With my induction into the world of social media just a few months ago, I came upon the subject of net neutrality and tried to educate myself quickly. I became confused.

Most social media sites like Mashable or TechCrunch (which I was told to follow daily for my education) told me I should be for it. With a unified voice they proclaimed that net neutrality meant a more free and open Internet.

A September posting on the Mashable site read, “the web will not work if a few Internet providers control what can and cannot be streamed to your computer.” I definitely agreed with this anti-monopoly principle. ‘Freedom for all’ was their mantra. So I thought, “I guess I should be for net neutrality.”

However, my general hesitancy towards government regulation in any case prohibited me from jumping head first onto the bandwagon.

My sneaking suspicion turned out to be right. Thanks to the blogger’s briefing at the Heritage foundation today, I had a chance to hear firsthand FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell talk on the subject.

McDowell informed that 27 months ago the Federal Trade Commission examined the integrity of the whole broadband and determined that everything was fine, that there was no need for government regulation. So what is the shift that made the FCC want to regulate?

“There is not really a factual case being made. It’s mostly just opinions at this point,” McDowell said. He said the fact sheets that have been presented are about 10% fact 90% opinion.

In addition to that, Multichannel news reported that McDowell said “it would be a bad time to ‘heap new regulations’ on broadcasters already hurting. He pointed out he had just met with some of those broadcasters who told him that about half their ad revenue came from the decimated auto category.“

It seems to me that this issue of net neutrality is being fueled by the political climate of our day. Big Businesses equals danger and government equals our savior.

McDowell agreed with my sentiments by acknowledging that ‘discrimination’ is often seen as a dirty word in this debate, but to network engineers, it often just means prioritization, which is a large part of network management.

Can we please get off these catalytic words and look at what’s really going on here?

We’re talking about giving more power to the federal government to regulate what, you the consumer, will have access. I do not claim to be a computer engineer, so here is the issue in layman’s terms:
“Pipes” that deliver your computer information have limitations. Congestion can occur in those pipes and it is left to the network operators to work out their differences on what info gets through to you. Engineers got together to try and resolve this and used something called peer to peer software to help alleviate the congestion. What I learned today was that instead of encouraging innovation from these engineers and people who know most about these things “net neutrality” gives that power over to the government.

McDowell said he and the other FCC commissioners “don’t have engineering degrees, we’re liberal arts majors.” He wants to encourage private sector collaboration.

Ars Technica is another tech. site that labeled McDowell’s criticism of net neutrality a “crusade to define the Fairness Doctrine.” They called him a lone Republican and pointed to party politics as the reason for his disapproval. I wonder if Ars Technica knows that the Clinton administration’s policy was to encourage private sector innovation and not government regulatory “net neutrality?”

I’m tired of all logical opposition being labeled as party politics, it’s getting old.  

McDowell has done his research and he says that, “countries that regulate the Internet are less free, and countries that regulate the Internet less are more free.” This whole thing could lead to the government being one big service provider while smaller independent ones are crowded out. Even if that is not in the immediate future, why take a step in that direction if it’s not necessary?

So which option would you prefer? I say “we the people” will always come up with better ways to solve problems than the government’s regulation.  

I do not know the ins and outs of broadband, but I plead with anyone reading to think about this from an ideological standpoint. If your ideology is not in place, than any idea produced from it, no matter how clever, will lead in the wrong direction.

FCC Head Cancels Vote on Free Internet Plan, Wall Street Journal.

Sen. John Rockefeller, (D-W.Va.), and Rep. Henry Waxman, (D-Calif.), who will chair the Senate and House committees overseeing the FCC next year, earlier Friday sent a letter to Mr. Martin asking him to cease actions on controversial policy proposals.

Is There Anything Twitter Can't Do?, Information Week.

Computer manufacturer Dell (Dell) has apparently used Twitter to capture a whopping $1 million in revenue. We don't know if this is incremental revenue, but Twitter can make big bucks for your business! We even have blog publishers turning into book authors to chronicle how awesome Twitter is for business!

All A-Twitter: A Late Adapter Alert, Townhall.com.

Many others want a different sort of communication, though, one that moves outside of the content of the radio program into ideas and experiences that don't make it onto air. Others are using the feeds to advance the online activism they find crucial to the future.  Blogger DenverInTranslation.com bemoans that the GOP "is simply not connected."

Free Web Plan Being Pushed by FCC Head, Wall Street Journal.

The proposal to allow a no-smut, free wireless Internet service is part of a proposal to auction off a chunk of airwaves. The winning bidder would be required to set aside a quarter of the airwaves for a free Internet service.

CNN bid to tie Palin to secessionists is a stretch, LA Times.

The anchorman's serious tone and dancing eyebrows -- not to mention a "The Palins and the Fringe" banner across the bottom of the screen -- suggested big surprises. Must-see TV! And all of it coming "right after the break."

So I holstered the remote for a couple of minutes and waited to see what CNN was up to.

The answer: no good.

FCC Chair Wants to Go Forward With Use of White Spaces, The Washington Post Blog.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin said he wants to allow portable devices to use the airwaves between TV channels for wireless broadband service.

After months of testing and over a year of lobbying by tech firms Google, Microsoft, HP, Dell and others, the FCC's engineering office is releasing a report today that spells out the standards devices must meet in order to use the empty airwaves.

 

HamNation: Obama on Your Shoulder, Townhall.com.

Also the last HamNation - best of luck at the Examiner Mary Katharine.

Mary Katharine Ham, with the help of her favorite songwriter, explores life under the new rules and politics of an Obama administration that's in all your business.

The Right Wing News Upgrade Is Now Complete, RightWingNews.

First of all, RWN is now a group blog -- and not just on the week-ends.

During the week, I will be regularly posting along with Dr. Melissa Clouthier & Van Helsing from Moonbattery. I'll probably be adding one more regular guest blogger as well.

Also, you will be seeing occasional (probably 1-2 posts a week) from Atlas (an anonymous congressional aide), former congressional aide and tech junky, David All, and E.M. Zanotti from The American Princess.

Once I get the final guest blogger in place, it's going to mean that the amount of content on RWN is going to have roughly doubled each day from 6 posts to around 12.

Additionally, there were some other changes made, some of which you'll be able to see and some of which, you won't.

Ousted Executive Provides a Feminine Face to the McCain Campaign, New York Times.

But Mr. McCain, as Ms. Fiorina put it, does “clearly not” share the views of her critics. To the contrary, he so proudly calls on Ms. Fiorina in her regular appearances with him on the campaign trail — he calls her an American success story “who began as a part-time secretary” — that he seems to be suggesting that Ms. Fiorina, true or not, might have a role in a McCain cabinet.

As a result, Ms. Fiorina has been buzzed about as a potential commerce or Treasury secretary or even as a McCain running mate, although some Republicans close to Mr. McCain swiftly dismiss the idea of her as vice president. But the view within the campaign is that it can only help Mr. McCain’s standing among women to have Ms. Fiorina mentioned as a possibility for high-profile office in a McCain administration, particularly when he is trying to win over the supporters of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.

In the meantime, Ms. Fiorina has done little to tamp down speculation that she might run for office herself, including the California governorship in 2010.

“I would be disingenuous if I said it has never occurred to me,” Ms. Fiorina said about running in general. “And in part it occurs to me because people keep asking. When I give speeches, people raise their hand — ‘run, run, run.’ ” For now, she said, “I’m focused on getting McCain elected.”

TechCrunch's Mike Arrington shows his primary colors, LA Times.

It was a fascinathttp://techrepublican.com/node/add/bloging political odyssey for Arrington. He praises former Republican candidate Mitt Romney for having the courage to go first, braving his questions and his readers' "crazy comments." He dings Democratic contender Dennis Kucinich for hanging up before delving into any of the issues.

Arrington ended each interview with the same question: Are you a Mac or PC user? Most were PC users, except McCain, who professed to being computer "illiterate." McCain's campaign later clarified that McCain knows how to use a computer and surrounds himself with tech savvy folks. The message: This is no Ted Stevens referring to the Internet as a "series of tubes."

"Frankly, I don’t give a damn if McCain ever turns on a computer or not," Arrington said. Besides, McCain totes an iPod loaded with his favorite Beach Boys and Roy Orbison tunes, Arrington pointed out.

John Hawkins: A strident right-wing voice in a crowded blogosphere, MediaTransparency.org.

Angry, pugnacious, sophomoric, bombastic, prolific, internet savvy, occasionally funny and under-funded, John Hawkins the founder of the blog, RightWingNews, is focused on bringing down Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic Party's presumptive presidential nominee.

While Hawkins, who calls himself a "mainstream conservative," is no big fan of Republican John McCain, he is certain that the Arizona Senator, the Republican Party's presumptive presidential nominee, would better serve America than Obama.

Who is John Hawkins, and why should we care about what he thinks or does? He's no Matt Drudge and some would call him just another bleater in the crowded blogosphere, churning out items faster than a Land O' Lakes butter factory. While he isn't in the top echelon of conservative activists, stories that appear on RightWingNews reach thousands of people and are geared toward consolidating conservative discontent behind McCain.

Advice for McCain: Rethink strategy, Politico.

9. Viral market the heck out of everything: God knows the Obama people know how to use the Internet. Think Obama Girl. Creatively telling the positive stories about McCain in short clips on the Internet should be a bigger part of this campaign. The opposing team will do negative clips. McCain has to keep it positive and keep it real.

10. Reinvent the modern campaign: The Obama primary campaign was nearly perfect. It used the most modern techniques (heck, it invented them) to make Obama a true modern phenom. McCain’s people need to study what Obama did and adapt those techniques to the Republican’s personality and his strengths. The long-winded speech is not McCain's strength. But his personality, his courage, his integrity and his life story are strengths that can be highlighted in a truly modern campaign.

FCC chief's free broadband plan delayed, AP.

A plan by the nation's top telecommunications regulator to provide free wireless high-speed Internet service hit a snag this week over concerns about possible interference and a proposed censoring feature that upset free speech advocates.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin told The Associated Press on Thursday that the plan will not be voted on at the June 12 meeting as first promised, but he hopes to present it to the full commission in July.

"I want to be clear that I am still very supportive of the cause of providing a lifeline broadband service across the country," he said.

Under the plan, the FCC would auction 25 megahertz of spectrum _ a sizable chunk _ to a single bidder who would use it to build a nationwide network and dedicate about 25 percent of it for the broadband service.

MeetBarackObama.com

From an RNC press release:

As Barack Obama wheezes across the Democrat primary finish line, many voters are still learning about the junior Senator from Illinois’ proposals to meet with rogue leaders instead of America’s generals, raise taxes on families and small businesses, and choke off funding for our nation’s soldiers.

MeetBarackObama.com features a compilation of research, videos, and criticisms from Democrat Party leaders in order to educate voters about Obama’s poor judgment and misguided vision for America.