I received the following email in response to my latest post on net neutrality. It came from my son – truthfully I had no idea that he read my blog and I was impressed that he wanted me to know what he thinks about the topic. Since he did not write his comments for public consumption, I asked permission to share what he had to say.
Hi Dad,
I just read your blog post on net neutrality (very well written). Anyways, I just wanted to share with you a couple of thoughts I have on the subject. During the editing of the film I am currently working on, I have listened to hours of interviews with people from all over the world. One of the questions always asked in these interviews is “where do you get your news and information from? Three times out of four the answer is “the internet”. I have footage of people waiting in line outside an internet cafe in Kabul, Afghanistan. They are there to read the news and communicate with people all around the world. A lot of these people don’t even have electricity in their homes, yet they depend on the internet for information. I feel that the difference between the haves, and have nots in todays society is not currency but access to information. For corporate interests to have control of this information, be it by censorship or by making it financially unattainable, would be disastrous. The ability for all people to be able to create and consume content without financial, ethical, or political pressures is key to the future of the world. I don’t think that is an exaggeration. We are quickly becoming a global community and there is no turning back now. It is paramount that everyone remain in the loop.
A little background – Todd works on documentary films. In the project he describes he is one of the Final Cut Pro editors putting together a piece on what people around the world think of the United States.
