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NEWS > TECHNOLOGY > AL FRANKEN AFRAID THE GOVERNMENT IS COMING FOR HIS INTERNET
AL FRANKEN AFRAID THE GOVERNMENT IS COMING FOR HIS INTERNET
March 18 2011
Austin, TX – The internet is inarguably one of the most dynamic of new technologies ever introduced. While that diversity has undoubtedly added to appeal of the medium, it has also made incredibly difficult to nail down. Almost twenty years after its 
introduction as a consumer product, no one has ever been able to fully grasp the its scope as it constantly twists and turns into new forms leaving businesses constantly two or three steps behind the wave.
That is relatively unique in business. Business is, by its very nature, aggressive and capable of moulding new forms to its will in short order. Unlike cars, planes, movies, or videogames which all developed in the last century, the web has remained an elusive creature capable of suddenly transforming itself just as soon as people think they have a handle. That is not to say that people haven’t made money from the medium, lots of money in fact, but there are no ‘Big Three’ internet companies, there are no monopolies, and if advocates have their way there never will be any such entities. In recent years the issue of net neutrality, an effort to prevent exactly that type of control, have been garnering a lot of attention in the media and from the government, including even state officials such as Al Franken of Minnesota who is apparently very afraid people are coming to take his internet.
“My concern is, is that as there’s concentration in media and fewer and fewer companies own the internet service providers, there is the fear that they will do paid prioritization, have a faster lane, and essentially consumers will be getting, really, content that’s paid for by large corporations that can afford the faster lane,” Franken told an audience at the SXSW festival. “Let’s not sell out. And let’s not let the government sell us out. Let’s fight for net neutrality. Let’s keep Austin weird. Let’s keep the Internet weird. Let’s keep the Internet free.”
Franken reportedly is a big fan of using unsecured networks, though that has never been a tenet of net neutrality experts.
“Franken is one of the few politicians on note who has been willing to address this issue head on, to actually take a strong position on the issue and come down on one side. That is certainly admirable but likely will add little to the debate. Franken is a person for whom his positions are very clear and while it is good for any issue to have advocates, they either have to be dynamic or powerful to be really effective and Franken is neither, frankly,” said Scrape TV Media analyst Sarah Piper. “New neutrality is certainly going to be one of the major issues going forward, not just an issue of free speech but also of human rights. With the way the web is expanding and growing and gaining real social relevance access to it has to be part of a comprehensive human rights analysis.”
Recent examples of the power of net neutrality cited by supporters are the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt as well as the earthquake in Japan.
“The good and bad thing about true net neutrality is that it gives everyone access, geniuses and idiots alike and that can clog things up. Unfortunately to have a truly free network idiots and jerks have to have their say,” continued Piper. “However the issue is not as dire as some would have us believe. They aren’t going to take away your internet, they may manipulate what you use it for and spy on you, but they aren’t going to take it away. Not even from Al Franken believe it or not.”
Franken was apparently prompted to appear at SXSW after a faulty modem knocked out his internet access for an entire night.
Martin Philton, Technology Correspondent
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