The content and information gatekeepers want to keep you ignorant. They want to be sure that you can only watch what they decide is important, and want to control how you access that content, what you do with it, and how much you pay for it. If they close down the internet, then you'll not have a chance to see something like this: Though in this case that might be a blessing. Best not to trouble your mind with thoughts oh so complex, and think of the children, why don't you? My reaction, after the break.
Internet filtering and monitoring to protect the children? And proposed by Mr. 'It's a series of tubes' himself? This will certainly be fruitful and well thought out, right?
And it's just a coincidence that AT&T has offered to do just that for the movie studios, opening up each and every packet that you send, all for the elusive 'piracy!!!!' content; it's getting a bit confusing, so best to lay it out more clearly: File-sharing = 'Piracy!!!!', Linux = 'Piracy!!!', open access = 'think of the children!!!', monopolies/cartels controlling all access+content, what you do with your data, hardware and software = No problemo.
They hate Youtube, open access to the internet, the sharing of human knowledge and culture, transparency, and Open Source. May as well throw in accountability and free thought as well.
Never mind that the folks proposing this (in a bi-partisan manner) have less than zero technical knowledge, and that the groups that stand to gain from this already have monopoly control over content, access, and your desktop, or that the people that will lose are everyday citizens that want free and open access to information, culture, art; that the decision was made to discuss this without the voices of constituents heard; that's it's technically unfeasible and will lead to filtering of much more than is legislated; all those things are less important than the hallowed 'think of the children!!!'.
They want to re-institute the top-down, take what we give you model that has worked for them so long, allowing those in the media to parrot what they say, and removing our choice on what we see, what we can say about it ('It's a hate site!!!'), how we get and what we do with the preciousss content.
It will fail, as all such boneheaded plans do, with the end result being a less-informed, more insulated, and more technologically backwards nation. The economic, educational, and creative aspects of the nation will suffer dire consequences as well.
China just broke up a HUGE counterfeiting ring that was trafficking in TWO BILLION $$$$ worth of software and other 'content', while the official Chinese government search engine (baidu.com) still allows for streaming and downloading of the same content 24/7/365.
It's getting easier to protect your data, share content, and use secure and stable Open Source computer operating systems than ever before; the only question remaining is whether the US will be part of the next tech revolution, or drop even further behind.
It's a technological revolution that will overthrow all the old models, one that empowers citizens, offers greater transparency, improves educational opportunities for those in poor and developing nations (think of all those children!!!), increases human knowledge, speeds up the sharing of human culture, and offers advances in medicine, science, mathematics, and computing while allowing folks to do so in a stable, secure and low-cost manner.
Where do you want to go today (TM)?
Will update with links shortly.