Currently there is a bill on Capitol Hill that has been lobbied for by AT&T, Verizon, Qwest, Comcast and other bigname communication companies. The bill would allow Internet Service Providers (ISP's) to offer a 'tiered' service. Basically what it means is they want to charge successful websites (Yahoo, Google, eBAY, Amazon, etc...) more money they also want to charge users who visit those sites more money.

Without net neutrality internet startups would have never succeeded there would be no Yahoo! no Google and no Amazon. What net neutrality would do is give big companies who are starting to get online an even bigger advantage.

Recently Viacom has purchased 3 internet sites, two of them related to teh gaming inudstry. All three were shoestring startups that cost mere hundreds to develop, their owners parted with them for millions.

Sites like Alipac and others that are gaining in popularity would suddenly have to scrap together a lot of money to stay online and visitors to their sites would be punished with extra fees on their bill.

I own and operate an internet radio station. My startup cost was $70 and the site is growing at an amazing rate. If the big comapnies had their way my bandwidth would be twice as expensive and I would have no choice but to charge a subscription fee, sell ads in my stream or shut down. Clear Channel and CBS radio have invaded the online market and would easily edge out most of the internet radio stations which have been online since 1998.

The large phone and cable companies act like they are going broke over the internet, when the reverse is true. Sites like Google and Yahoo! spend millions every month in bandwidth fees. Americans pay between $20 and $100 per month for thier broadband connection ad price that would double if this bill passes. The average broadband speeds in the USA are half of what they are in South Korea and three times as expensive.

If you watched the Daily Show last night (7/12) then you know that the chairman in charge of ecommerce doens't seem to understand how the internet works and my guess is that neither does the rest of congress, they will easily be persuaded to vote in favor of large companies a decision that could cripple the internet as we know it.

The basic idea of net neutrality is that every website whether started by a fortune 500 company or a kid in high school has the same chance to grow and be succesful.

Please tell your congressman and senators that you don't want them to pass the net neutrality act.