Why NetNeutrality Matters – CitizenMe in CityAM

Why NetNeutrality Matters – CitizenMe in CityAM 1024 565 StJohn Deakins

digital_rights
Yesterday, CityAM asked us if The US Congress should reconsider the move to scrap NetNeutrality following this weeks day of action.

Our answer:

Yes!

This is economics 101. Infrastructure and service companies have very different financial models. There’s a rich history of infrastructure firms attempting to raise profits by expanding into services. They then use their gatekeeper position to unfairly compete with pure play service businesses. As a result, we get more expensive services of lower quality and with less choice. Imagine if all our public highways were toll-roads owned by Ford Motor. How long would it be until Ford offered exclusive fast lane access and toll-discounts to drivers of Ford cars? Without regulation, infrastructure companies become anti-free market monopolies. The UN now classifies internet access as a human right. Its importance is growing exponentially. In the next decade we’ll see the arrival of AI assisted healthcare, autonomous cars and augmented reality. These new services will become intricately intertwined with what we do and who we are. We are about to witness unimaginable change. It’s up to us to ensure that all the effects are positive. An essential first step is to make a clear and universal commitment to net neutrality.

Why?

We’re on the way to creating a global digital Citizenry. By the end of this decade there will be 5 Billion of us humans connected with smartphones.  The decisions that we make this decade will impact how we and our children live through the rest of this new digital century.  Net Neutrality is one way to ensure that we all have a chance of digital freedom.  Control and agency over our digital presence and personal data is another. This is what CitizenMe is working on, for us all.

The original article is here.

StJohn Deakins

StJohn founded CitizenMe with the aim to take on the biggest challenge in the Information Age: helping digital citizens gain control of their digital identity. Personal data has meaning and value to everyone, but there is an absence of digital tools to help people realise its value. With CitizenMe, StJohn aims to fix that. With a depth of experience digitising and mobilising businesses, StJohn aims for positive change in the personal information economy. Oh… and he loves liquorice.

All stories by: StJohn Deakins

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.