Google/Verizon to ruin Internet

Prepare for a tiered Internet ...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/josh-silver/google-verizon-deal-the-e_b_671617.html

 

Notice how Verizon and Google are in full denial mode now. Regardless of what they say it's coming.

 

This is definitely something I've been fearing for quite some time when the rumblings started a few years ago.

Google positioned itself as the base search engine. They came out with a phone O/S. Nearly everything runs through them. Unbelievable!

 

The Internet is pretty much the only thing in modern life that we can look back at over the past 10 years and say, "it's only gotten better."

That may soon come to an end.

 

Cable television has gotten much better.
I now get what, maybe 120 HD channels now? When I bought my plasma in 2005, I got about 10 -- the networks, ESPN, HDNet, couple others. Now I get NBA TV, NHL TV, Golf, Tennis, FSC, CBS College all in HD.
So I'd say that's another thing.
Author of this piece tries to drum up the fear by saying that non-neutrality means Uncle Joe's Blog won't get the same internet treatment as, say, ESPN.com.
Is that supposed to be a selling point for his position?
Surely there's a better argument than that.

 

Corporations giving preference to political sites that favor their preferred view?

 

There's one.

 

Or blocking the opposition entirely? Or an ISP cutting a deal with say, Google, that prevents you from using any other search engine? Or preventing you from using Yahoo e-mail and redirecting you to Gmail?

 

Surely I'm an asshole for pointing this out, BUT: Maybe this could be a huge break in favor of newspapers.

 

Having to pay internet companies to make sure people have access to our site?

 

If your ISP cuts side deals you don't like, you can fire your ISP.
I'm not sure that would be a good business model. Too many options.

 

Google: Taking the Don't out of Don't Be Evil since about 2006.

This one is painful, because we all hated Microsoft from the beginning, but we begrudgingly used their products, even if they weren't the best, because they were universal.

But I liked Google. I really did. I still do in so many ways. But when you start like they did as the anti-microsoft, anti-Orwellian company, it's kind of a kick in the gut when they look like they are becoming what they hated, as if they were a lead character in a poorly written sci-fi movie.

The moment they started moving companies up on the search results because they participated in AdSense or paid to be put to the top, that was the first time I groaned about the company.

I don't believe they're going to bring about the apocalypse or something, but they're starting to get on my nerves. Apparently Android phones will overtake the Iphone in 2012 with current projections. Here's the to the marketplace finding even another company to compete with those two. Or else Android will eventually end up producing its own version of Vista sometime around 2020...