Speech: Net Neutrality – The Little Guy Counts, by Jim Ellingson

The Little Guy counts. Your opinions and mine make a difference.

I will tell you some personal anecdotes and will eventually get to the point.

My favorite state in which to take vacations is Colorado. We have been there about 4 times in the last decade and enjoy it every time.

There are a few things about Colorado and the people who live there that make it outstanding – not only is the scenery in the Rocky Mountains the best but the people are great too!

There is an unspoken attitude among Coloradans in which each person is important. Up in the Rockies, our favorite place is Crested Butte. You will find a millionaire, a billionaire and a ranch hand all attending the same hoe down or music festival or community activity.

If you drive over the speed limit, you will get a ticket. It does not matter if you are the Queen of England, Bill Gates or J.K. Rowling.

Thus their small towns, cities, counties and the whole state stand to benefit in a hidden way from tourist traffic, and I mean traffic.

And there are times when a tourist or traveler faces some physical challenges.

To catch a flight into the Rockies from the Denver airport can be tough some times depending on weather conditions. One time during a hail storm in the Rockies all flights were canceled.

A long line formed while the customer service personnel re-routed travelers one at a time.

A man in a very expensive looking business suit with highly polished shoes and a new high class leather briefcase came along, saw this long line and walked right up to the customer service counter. He slammed his briefcase onto the counter and demanded an answer to” “Do you have any idea who I am?”

The lady at the counter immediately grabbed the microphone and said “There is a gentleman at gate 34B who does not know who he is”.

Will anyone who can assist with this identity crisis please step forward.”

That is one reason I like Colorado. The little guy counts.

There is another place where the little guy counts: on the internet!

This is a level playing field. You find freedom of speech. You find a little guy with a good product or service sometimes making a ton of money and getting a lot of attention.

Such success does not go unnoticed. There are big businesses and special interests itching to monopolize the internet.

There have been attempts to set up the internet service providers such as AT & T and out here Time Warner Cable as gate keepers who would then accept money to send the fastest access and highest rankings to those with the biggest budget.

Vested interests could also elbow in, including the psyches. The site I run is all about the health-giving and life-restoring qualities of a good balanced raw food diet. This site could be and has been attacked because it provides alternative ways of handling diseases and becoming healthy. I will quote an article showing the psyches message that could be delivered instead of mine. Note THIS IS AN ACTUAL ARTICLE, NOT A SPOOF:

Healthy food obsession sparks rise in new eating disorder

“Fixation with healthy eating can be sign of serious psychological disorder”

“Orthorexia nervosa sufferers like to focus on ‘righteous’ eating and have rigid rules about avoiding certain foods.

Eating disorder charities are reporting a rise in the number of people suffering from a serious psychological condition characterized by an obsession with healthy eating.

The condition, orthorexia nervosa, affects equal numbers of men and women, but sufferers tend to be aged over 30, middle-class and well-educated.

The condition was named by a Californian doctor, Steven Bratman, in 1997, and is described as a “fixation on righteous eating”. Until a few years ago, there were so few sufferers that doctors usually included them under the catch-all label of “Ednos” – eating disorders not otherwise recognised. Now, experts say, orthorexics take up such a significant proportion of the Ednos group that they should be treated separately.”

What should we do then, eat the junk food, get sick and take the pills that are advertised on TV?

Here is where I am going with this: We need to be aware that this internet equality must be defended as in L. Ron Hubbard’s definition of the price of freedom: “constant alertness; constant willingness to fight back”. We must be ready to act to keep the internet free.

See www.savetheinternet.com for yourself and check it regularly.

I am quoting:

“Net Neutrality means no discrimination. Net Neutrality prevents Internet providers from blocking, speeding up or slowing down Web content based on its source, ownership or destination….The free and open Internet brings with it the revolutionary possibility that any Internet site could have the reach of a TV or radio station. The loss of Net Neutrality would end this unparalleled opportunity for freedom of expression.”

—SaveTheInternet.com FAQ[34]

At the in the current session (the 111th session of congress) [at the time of this speech] there is no definitive bill to preserve net neutrality. When one is proposed, you will now be aware of what they are talking about and what is at stake.

The little guy counts.