Maybe not. The big telecom companies are pushing hard to make sure that congress and the FCC enshrine their eminent domain over the internet officially. Essentially, they want the internet to look like cable. If you want to go to Comcast or At&T’s website’s and maybe a few consumer friendly shopping sites that can afford the payola, then you’ll pay one monthly fee. Then if you want say.. your email, you’ll have an additional fee. Want to find that video of that song you can’t remember that played last week on the radio but you haven’t heard in years? You’ll need YouTube, and to pay another fee. Want to find the website of the little gym you’ve been meaning to check out? Hmm… that’ll require all acccess premium service. Who knows how much that will cost.

Many people I’ve talked to in public or passing has said “oh, but how could they do that?” Everyone uses this. Everyone needs this. My business, my kids homework, etc. But if everyone doesn’t step up and say that, and NOW (the FCC is taking comments until Thursday) then the internet could look like this:

(I’ve seen this so many places that I don’t know who to credit, but I got it here)

Credo (who is an awesome cell phone company that I have) is helping the Save the Internet! campaign by giving you an easy way to comment here.

Here’s what I sent to the FCC this morning:

As a young organizer, educator, author and student, the internet is a critical part of how I make my living. I pay a monthly fee to a local service provider to access the internet, an annual fee to a domain provider to keep my address, and an annual fee to keep my website online. The organization that I work at does the same thing, and we use the internet as a tool, through our site and YouTube to get the important perspectives of young people in Boston out to a large community that would never see them otherwise because of regulation in the past that has ensured that the television and radio is inaccesible to their communities.

As a doctoral student, I need the internet for my research, to communicate with colleagues, and professors, and subjects. As an author, I use it to get my opinions out to an unknown audience and market my book. As an educator, I get to use it for assignments, resources, and also to communicate with young people who may have sporadic cell phone use, but always check their Facebook. As a person, I’m able to keep in touch with friends and family that my busy life doesn’t give me time to call as much as I’d like.

Each time that a new communication technology has emerged in our short telecommunications history, the corporate owners that stand to make a profit have stepped in swiftly to make sure that grassroots use and equal voice take a backseat to their control and exorbitant profits. Please don’t let this happen with the internet.