Ask Not For Whom the Web Tolls - It Tolls For Thee

There is a significant push in the US toward tiered internet service.  US telecommunications companies who supply the lines and hardware that comprise the backbone of the internet are lobbying Congress for the ability to charge clients for premium, high-speed delivery of data, according to a May 25th CNN report Coming Soon, The Web Toll.

Some foresee the end result being much like cable TV - with basic channels and premium channels offered. Congress may vote on the matter before the year is out, and it is quite possible that the days of open cyberspace are numbered.

A tiered system would give companies with deep pockets a huge competitive edge over start-ups.  Small web sites, including many blogs, would no doubt disappear.

BBC News reports that Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the developer of the web, has stepped forward to state that he believes the web should remain neutral and resist attempts to fragment it into different services.  He warned that if the US decided to go ahead with a two-tier internet, the network would enter "a dark period".

I can hardly claim to be objective since I am the owner of a minimally funded web site and blog. but one of the features I've always liked best about the internet is that in many ways it levels the playing field among the small and the great. It gives a voice to what Glenn Reynolds (Instapundit) refers to as "An Army of Davids."

Other than making money for the telecommunications companies, at this point at least, I have a hard time seeing a positive side to this development.