Any regular reader here knows at least a little bit about the current struggle to maintain "net neutrality". While this loss off freedom may seem distantly abstract for many people, the prospect of lossing net neutrality chills me to the bone. You see, I founded and run an Internet startup company and I could very well be forced out of business within a year. And there are thousands of others like me. Real money, real jobs, and real innovation are at stake here. If you care about either, please see me on the flip.
As things currently stand, big phone companies and cable conglomerates have what is called "common carrier" status. Meaning that they are required to treat all phone calls, Internet traffic, etc. identically. In exchange for keeping their hands off, carriers are given special tax breaks and are normally exempt from being liable for the content they carry (Comcast can't be held criminally liable if someone downloads child porn using a Comcast cable modem, for example). This is how things have been since 1934. However, Congress is moving in the direction to give the big phone and cable companies the power to regulate the 'net as they see fit. They will be able to pick favorites and decide who's traffic they carry--or don't carry at all.
December of last year, I founded Bright Idea VoIP. We're an Internet-based telephone company that provides voice communication services to small-businesses. I frequently explain it as "Vonage for companies with 5 to 100 employees." This technology is known as "Voice-over-IP" (VoIP) is currently one of the fastest growing segments of the Internet. There are hundreds of companies like mine popping up all over the map. Using the flexibility and the freedom afforded by the Internet we are able to save our subscibers serious money. Many of you may not be aware that most small businesses pay more for their phone service than they do in rent. While saving money on phone calls is hackneyed after having been marketed to death for years, cutting a small business's monthly telephone bill in half can mean the difference in whether they can afford to create a new job or not.
Beyond the dollars and cents I'm saving my subscribers, I also have many thousands of dollars of my personal (and borrowed money) invested into this idea. I am not rich by any sense of the word; I am simply a computer geek with a great idea who is trying to earn my piece of the American dream. And it's paying off... The company is growing very quickly. I (and my small, but also growing, group of coworkers) are working hard, but enjoying almost every minute of it. But for us to continue to thrive, or just to survive, we need a level playing field.
If AT&T, Verizon, or another large competitor of ours gains the ability to turn off or slow down areas of the Internet, our service will grind to a halt and I won't be able to do a thing about it. If they start to charge me a special "priority access fee", I'll have to pass that cost onto my subscribers. Suddenly the largest appeal of VoIP is reduced, making it less of a threat to the big telecom companies. And it's not just me... it's the thousands of other Internet innovators too. We'll never know the next Google, MySpace, or YouTube if the established 800 lb. gorillas get the power to decide who stays and who fails. That's not capitalism and that's not the American way. It absolutely enrages me that Congress is so utterly blind to this.
Please recommend this diary if you want to help put a face on this very important issue. And if you're a small business looking at VoIP, please visit our site, or drop me a line: sales@brightideavoip.com. :-)