posted 09/23/09
at 2:43 pm
David Dombrosky discusses why people in arts and entertainment should care about the net neutrality debate in his 9/22 article on Technology in the Arts.
“[W]hy should arts advocates care about net neutrality?” he asks.
“Let’s say for example that a theatre company pays Comcast for access to the Internet. The theatre also has a nonprofit channel on YouTube where they post video interviews with playwrights, directors, actors, designers, etc. The theatre has successfully used these videos as promotional tools to raise interest in upcoming productions. What happens if Comcast decides to prohibit the theatre from accessing YouTube because Comcast is launching a video sharing site that competes directly with YouTube? Suddenly, your Internet Service Provider (ISP) is determining which online tools you may or may not use to pursue your arts organization’s goals and mission.
Does the idea that your Internet Service Provider would prohibit you from accessing certain sites sound preposterous? It’s not.”
