Iozzi: The Information Private Toll Road

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

The Information Private Toll Road

In colonial times people had to pay, with money or sweat, to learn to read. To produce reading material people had to pay for a press and supplies. The founders of our country determined that the distribution of this information should be free. In fact this is was one of the conditions on which the US Constitution was adopted.

The Preamble to The Bill of Rights
Congress of the United States
begun and held at the City of New-York, on
Wednesday the fourth of March, one thousand seven hundred and eighty nine.
THE Conventions of a number of the States, having at the time of their adopting the Constitution, expressed a desire, in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers, that further declaratory and restrictive clauses should be added: And as extending the ground of public confidence in the Government, will best ensure the beneficent ends of its institution.
RESOLVED by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, two thirds of both Houses concurring, that the following Articles be proposed to the Legislatures of the several States, as amendments to the Constitution of the United States, all, or any of which Articles, when ratified by three fourths of the said Legislatures, to be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of the said Constitution; viz.
ARTICLES in addition to, and Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, proposed by Congress, and ratified by the Legislatures of the several States, pursuant to the fifth Article of the original Constitution.

This makes it clear that the founders’ intent was to add The Bill of Rights. The first amendment states:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

This makes it clear that the founders intended the flow of information to be free. In colonial times information flow was limited to speaking to someone within earshot, handwriting, and most importantly “the press”.

The printing press was the mass communication tool of the era. It brought about the free flow of information on a scale the world had never before seen. So governments, aristocrats, and anyone with power did their best to control it. Our founders obviously felt the free flow of information on a large scale was a good idea.

They felt so strongly about these rights that they risked their lives to fight a war against the greatest military power of the day. This wasn’t a war like the US Civil War, WWI, WWII, etc. where the political leaders sat in their comfortable offices while the soldiers fought the war. George Washington was on the front lines. There was no doubt that the war would be fought at home. These men knowingly risked everything, on a long shot.

Today information flows through various channels. Television, Radio and print media are largely controlled by a few companies, an oligarchy at best. The channel through which the flow of information is free is the Internet. This is good and bad. Any idiot with access to the internet can publish just about anything they want, even people like me. I am not a modern day Thomas Paine by any stretch of the imagination. The point is his ideas could not have been heard if the British government, the British East India Company, or some other entity had been able to silence his voice.

We must preserve the free flow of information on the Internet. AT&T, Verizon, and other large corporations want to control the flow of information on the Internet. They want to be able to decide what sites you have access to. They want all politicians to be as stupid/corrupt as Ted Stevens. They want the best government they can buy, and they want to pass the cost on to you.

Here are some links to more information about this issue:

Tags: Politics, Media, technology, Internet, Web, Freedom, America, Net Neutrality