Tangled Web

Is the wild west culture of the Internet about to become a thing of the past? Big business is staking its claim on the information superhighway, lobbying Congress for an exclusive faster lane, which consumers could end up paying for. This week on NOW we look at a major battle brewing in Washington D.C. over the future of the Internet.

PBS NOW

Opposing Net Neutrality

...Companies such as Verizon, AT&T, and Comcast provide the lines -- copper, cable, and fiber-optic -- and other hardware that connects Web sites to consumers but make virtually no money from the content that flows through those lines.

They've been lobbying hard to push through a system of fees that would divide the Internet into two tiers: a fast lane for companies who can afford to pay a large toll, and a slow lane for those who cannot. They say the fees are necessary to earn a return on the multibillion-dollar investment in broadband infrastructure.

The group Hands Off the Internet -- backed by companies such as AT&T and Alcatel -- is fighting the concept of net neutrality. Mike McCurry, the former Clinton press secretary who is chairman of the group, says that the telecom industry simply wants the Internet to be governed by economics, not government regulation.

"Show me the money, or I'll choke the people's access to your website" say Mikey.



Now for the good news. This man is the coolest librarian. One of thirty-thousand who told the brownshirts to back off. Interview: George Christian