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On January 9th, Republican Senator Olympia Snowe and Democrat Byron Dorgan reintroduced the Internet Freedom Preservation act to the Senate. Better known as the Net Neutrality Act, the bill was killed by the Senate last year in a vote split down party lines (Democrats yea, Republicans nay), with the exception of Senator Snowe. With the Democrats having a slight majority in the Senate, the bill certainly has a better chance this time around, but it still needs 60 votes to prevent a Republican filibuster.

The impetus for the bill started back in 2005, when broadband network executives began discussing the possibility of charging companies that use a high percentage of bandwidth. Most notably, in an interview with a Business Week, SBC chairman Ed Whitacre Jr (now AT&T CEO) stated: “How do you think they’re going to get to customers? Through a broadband pipe. Cable companies have them. We have them. Now what they would like to do is use my pipes free, but I ain’t going to let them do that because we have spent this capital and we have to have a return on it. So there’s going to have to be some mechanism for these people who use these pipes to pay for the portion they’re using. Why should they be allowed to use my pipes?”

Whitacre went on to say, “The Internet can’t be free in that sense, because we and the cable companies have made an investment and for a Google or Yahoo! or Vonage or anybody to expect to use these pipes free is nuts!”

Whats nuts is that he actually said that. What followed was a grass roots uprising from Internet companies, consumer groups, and bloggers, concerned about broadband service providers having the ability to determine what applications and services are provided to the Internet consumer. Conceivably, even searches performed on the Internet could lead directly to a site owned by the provider.

Broadband service providers already charge consumers up to $60 a month for Internet service, and now want to turn around and charge companies like Google, Yahoo, YouTube and Vonage for their bandwidth usage. What you see on the Internet would be totally under the influence of your broadband service provider the so called Gatekeeper, and a once free and unfettered Internet would evolve into a scripted and censored interactive television network.

And what about up and coming technologies such as Voice over IP telephony? If you dont pay, you dont play! The pure play VoIP providers like Vonage, Packet8 and Skype offer some of the lowest rates in the history of the Telecommunications industry. Wouldnt AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast just love to tax these companies right out of business! These big boys also offer VoIP phone service, but prefer to start at $40 calling plans rather than the pure plays $10-$20 plans. At 3 million and growing, consumers are realizing the value of Internet Telephony. Let the Gatekeepers charge for the pipe, and the little guys are sure to suffer, as will the consumer in the form of higher prices.

The Gatekeepers complain that they built the network, and they should be able to recoup their investment. Fine, but does that mean they should be able to shape the face of the Internet? Companies like AT&T need to find another way. The Internet was and is a place where the little guy has as good a chance as any to make it big. Google, YouTube, Skype and Vonage all started small, and are now leaders in their Internet industry.

The Net Neutrality act would prohibit service providers from blocking or degrading access to Internet content and services. They also could not prevent consumers from connecting external devices to their network, with the exception of devices posing a threat to security. The prioritization of types of content, applications, or services would be allowed under the condition that it is done free of charge, and that it is done for all types of that particular content. For example, the prioritization of packets to insure Quality of Service for Voice over IP must be done for all VoIP providers free of charge to them.

Another interesting proposal in the bill would require that broadband companies offer standalone broadband service, to be enforced by the FCC. A recent ruling by the FCC in Atlanta decried that Bell South (now AT&T), was not obliged to unbundle its DSL broadband service from a traditional telephone line. This would open up the opportunity for consumers to acquire a DSL broadband connection without having to pay for traditional phone service.

Whitacre and company (AT&T) recently agreed to adopt the spirit of net neutrality for a period of 2 years so that they could get approval from the FCC to merge with Bell South. It worked! Bell South and Cingular Wireless will soon be known, once again, as AT&T.

Senator Dorgan maintains that the Internet was a place where anyone with a good idea could create a business. “The marketplace picked winners and losers, not some central gatekeeper,” said the Senator. “That freedom–the very core of what makes the Internet what it is today–must be preserved.”

With a new sheriff in town, maybe, just maybe it will be.

Author Michael Talbert is a certified systems engineer and web designer with over 7 years experience in the industry. For more information on Voice over IP Telephony, visit the website at http://www.VoIP-Facts.net, or the VoIP Blog at http://VoIP-Facts.net/VoIP-Blog .

Broadband Internet involves using a high speed modem. This allows you to access information on the internet very quickly, so it is commonly referred to as high speed Internet. Broadband Internet can be in the form of DSL, cable, or satellite. As the popularity of the internet exploded in the early 2000′s, Broadband Internet emerged, offering computer users something better. It was quite expensive at first but has become more affordable. Today it is featured around the world.

If you are still using dial up Internet connections then you may be wondering what all the hype is about. After all, it does get you connected to the internet as well! Most people switch their home Internet service to Broadband after experiencing the difference between the two while accessing the internet on their office computer. You can go to a public library as well to try a computer with Broadband Internet for a couple of hours, and then decide which one you would rather have.

DSL is the most common type of Broadband Internet connection. DSL stands for Digital Subscriber Line. It allows high volumes of data to be transmitted quickly. Some rural areas have cable that offers Broadband connections. One downside of it is that all the customers share a certain amount of bandwidth so you can find your Broadband Internet functioning slowly at times. Cable companies try to avoid this by adding additional connections as the number of customer’s increases. A satellite Broadband connection works the same way.

Broadband Internet has become very popular because it offers so many advantages over dial up Internet access. It is up to 10 times faster. This means you can access information on the Internet almost the instant you click on it. Since it doesn’t operate on your phone line, you can still take phone calls while being connected to the internet. This also means you won’t get disconnected in the middle of something or not be able to get online during peak hours.

Many people choose to watch movies and videos on the internet. Having Broadband Internet allows you to download them or view them quickly as it doesn’t take long to buffer them. Listening and downloading music is another popular feature of the internet that works well with Broadband Internet service.

Broadband Internet can be purchased from a variety of providers. It is becoming a popular feature of Internet service providers as well as cable providers. This is a great opportunity for you to get a package deal on cable services and Broadband Internet. You will save money over having them at two separate providers. Broadband Internet costs more than dial up internet service, but it is well worth the speed you get for accessing the internet.

All three Broadband Internet connections work very well. You should make your choice after comparing what is available in your area. Next compare the prices and the installation charges. Many Broadband providers run periodic promotions where they will do the installation for free. This is a great way to save money. You should also ask your friends and family what Broadband Internet provider they use and their experiences. You want a Broadband Internet provider that offers great prices and excellent customer support.

The newest wave of communication is the Voice Over Internet Protocol, known as VOIP, it allows you to speak to people all over the world with unbelievable clarity. It is used by businesses because it offers a great solution for conference calls. The charges are often billed as a local call rather than long distance. For anyone who makes a great deal of long distance calls for leisure or business, this is the perfect phone solution. However, VOIP requires a Broadband Internet connection to function.

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Technology such as Broadband Internet covered in this article are rapidly changing our world in many ways and becoming more affordable for the average person. It’s worth mentioning however that better technology is actually properly defined as simply a better way of doing something we already do with whatever process we have at hand. Rather than thinking of better technology in terms of computers, hi tech gadgets and such, for example anytime we find a way to get to work 5mins faster than before we have found a better technology to improve our lives in some respect.

How often do you use your Internet? I can hardly fathom computers at times. If I actually sit and think about all they do, I simply get confused. It’s kind of like cassette tapes. Back when I was a child, I used to wonder how in the world does music come off of this magical tape. Well, it still makes little sense to me even after studying the process. The Internet is like this also. The World-Wide-Web takes us throughout cyberspace, but does it from our living rooms. It’s phenomenal how we can lounge on our couches with laptops at hand and surf the planet. However, to do this the right way these days is with high speed cable Internet.

You may find it hard to choose between high speed cable Internet and DSL. If this is the case, ponder no more. Let me give you some basic advice about high speed cable Internet. There is no substitute. You probably hop online every day. Most of us send emails, pay our bills, do some work, and maybe surf the web on a regular basis. Don’t you want the fastest speed when doing these routine chores? With high speed cable Internet you get things done at a much quicker pace. No more sitting around on your thumbs while waiting for a single page to load. Who wants to wait an hour for a movie trailer to open? You want to watch it now. You need high speed cable Internet. While DSL might save you a little; is it really worth sacrificing all of that time? Our lives are too valuable.

**Running Commentary** – Its interesting to note at this point that the cost of Broadband Internet is going to range in price quite a bit and you really need to first identify your needs and wants and when you go shopping make sure you don’t overspend for features you want but don’t really need. As technology so quickly becomes obsolete 1. many of the features will become obsolete 2. later models will be cheaper if not superseded by a later model with newer features and 3. are you going to actually have time to read the whole manual and understand how all the features work ? (I know I never figure out all the features of any new gadget or gizmo I buy)

Yes, there are a few individuals who suffer from the horrible affliction called dial-up. It’s hard to believe anymore, but a few of us still deal with the ear-piercing screech and the constant disconnections. Dial-up is certainly a thing of the past, and most of us are very glad it is. These days we love the freedom of high speed cable Internet. When you finally make that switch from one to the other, you will be completely shocked at the difference. I laughed at my father who recently switched to high speed cable Internet from dial-up. He was utterly amazed at the newfound speed. If you are not up to date on quality Internet service, it’s time to hop online and browse around. A popular high speed cable Internet service that many of us share is called Road Runner by Time Warner Cable Service. Take a surf through cyberspace with high speed cable Internet and you’ll never go back to the inferior.

To wrap up our article about Broadband Internet I wish you luck in putting your new technology to use in your home/work life. In the last 20 years I have seen so many examples of new technology come and go I can’t help feeling excited about what I’m going to see in the next 20 years. Although many people seem to feel a sense of foreboding about new things changing their lives in a negative way I must confess that I don’t have this fear at all (at the ripe old age of 40 anyway). I understand that new and changing technology is not only inevitable but in fact is opening up more opportunities for us all than ever before in our history and we should only feel threatened if we choose to cling to the past and somehow expect the rest of the world around us to do the same.

Mr James has owned The Cartridge Specialists (Melbourne, Australia) since 2004 selling ink & toner cartridges, fax rolls etc & regularly writes articles about his industry http://www.cartridgespecialists.com.au

In this day and age of convenience stores, fast food and high tech people no longer have the patience to wait for anything. We have microwaves to cook food in minutes when it used to take hours for the same results. We drive faster, travel farther, and go to the extreme on everything. Now we need all of that from our internet connection too. When the internet first began it was accessed through a phone line. This seemed to be revolutionary technology. And now the same access is like going on a long trip with Grandma driving on four flat tires.

Our Internet surfing needs have increased along with the need for speed. We have to check our email and favorite web pages before going to work or school and we don’t have much time to do it. The best and fastest way to achieve the necessary speed, so we can continue our lives, is with a cable or satellite connection.

Most homes are now fitted with either cable or satellite so getting the computer hooked up is no problem. It usually just takes a junction of some type and a cable stuck in the back of the computer then off you go into the wild blue yonder of cyber space. There are other reasons to go with the high speed connection, besides the time savings issue. There are also movie and television shows that can be downloaded and watched on your monitor. Many web pages are now interactive and you can do many different things, like play games or take quizzes, they are much more fun and interesting when they can go as fast as the player.

There are also the home based workers. A high speed connection is the only way to go if you work from your computer at home. When time is money there is no other comparison. It isn’t just the fast downloads that can be performed but also the uploading of completed work that can be done quickly. This is also true with sharing photos and video clips. Who has the time to try to open an entire photo album when a single picture can take five minutes to download?

Some businesses are based on how fast they can perform certain operations. For example, when it comes to buying and selling stock, you have to be able to not only make quick decisions but you have to be able to get the stock you want when the price is right. Many day traders work from home on their computers and have several of them running at the same time to stay on top of the market and receive up to the date notices of how their stock is doing. When trading with hundreds or thousands of dollars, you don’t want to wait for your computer to catch up.

Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Florida. Find more about this as well as fast DSL internet at http://www.fastdslinternetconnection.com

Considering VoIP? Do you make plenty of long distance calls or just a few? Do you spend a fortune no matter what you do to lower your rates? Call after 9pm. Wait until the weekend to share your good news with those across the ocean? Perhaps you even have stopped using the services at all? You can stay connected with those that you love no matter where they are located. Have a look at the following ways to save money on long distance:

1. Do you VoIP? The first thing that you can do is to consider the service known as VoIP. This service uses a technology called voice over internet protocol to allow you to talk over the web instead of talking over your phone lines. The installation of equipment is fairly painless and the fee for the equipment is usually a one time thing. If you have a service provider that provides VoIP in your area, you may want to look into it. Why? No additional long distance fees!

2. Ready for some comparison shopping? You can compare the prices on those long distance companies that offer service within your area. Which have the best rates overall? Which will offer both high quality service and excellent prices? Narrow down your list to a few. Do some more research – check out consumerguides.com or some other online reviews.

3. Do you really need long distance? Next on your list of ways to lower your rates is to consider getting rid of any and all of your long distance all together. Many people have found that cell phones are an excellent way to make all the calls that you need to. You’ll need to compare how much you use your service and how much it will cost you to use the correct, no roaming cell service. Only keep a land line for emergency reasons.

4. Keep an eye out for deals! Some will use programs such as late night and weekend calling to get the best rates available. Many long distance companies are out there that offer excellent programs. Some allow for you to purchase long distance for only a limited area. Watch for packages and deals that are always coming out.

5. Some offer a flat rate service – Look into the unlimited long distance programs that are available in your area. Many companies are offering a flat rate service. If you make enough calls this is a great way to save money

Mike Singh is a webmaster and successful publisher of why-switch-to-voip.com. He provides more articles dealing with VoIP such as advantages and disadvantages of VoIP and how to choose a VoIP service provider.