an old protest poem about Net Neutrality

it’s like every couple of months

Congress tries to break the Internet

no joke

 

it’s not broke, but

because of the inherent newness and untamed

nature of this borderless digital network

 

you’ve heard the Internet is like the wild west, yes

 

Congress but really, corporations, can’t help themselves

they poke, prod, speculate and nod, entertain scheming big business

lobbyists in expensive shoes and fat wallets

who want even bigger pockets

 

Think of the profits!!! undiscovered gold mines

except the gold mined

is fines and fees imposed on the masses

 

so yes, every time Congress tries to break the Internet,

large corporations have nudged them to it

this time, all the buzzing around Net Neutrality is no different

what is at stake is that noble principle

of all data as equal

the headlines are not hyperbole

the Internet that has existed since its creation can be destroyed

with legislation

the way we live online now is aggressively under attack

let me tell you

 

but first, acknowledge how horrible the phrase Net Neutrality is

Net Neutrality is not about a neutral Net refusing to take sides

as if there is a bad Net and a good Net,

the Web is not Switzerland in World War II okay

Swiss Miss is not crossing her arms and refusing to participate

in a grand debate over morals and intentions

 

there is just the genderless Net,

a grid of neon spider lines whose glow encompasses the globe

URLs and IPs, servers in their farms, cables and tubes

underground and under the sea

no where and every where

 

the Net is a soulless ephemeral

yet also physical

object beyond Good and Evil

 

and if we must use the term, we are actually living in the Good Net

right now: fair and open to all

 

but should Net Neutrality fall

we would descend into a dark lair where

the lowest income bracket could no longer afford

the knowledge of the world

streaming packets in their small pockets

eternal class warfare

 

Net Neutrality prevents mega-corporations from dictating

what you see and when you see it

freedom for the thinking man

in the access to your favorite web address

 

Net Neutrality lets you go where you choose, and everyone goes

the same speed

there’s no win or lose

no toll to pay to Verizon and Comcast

to board the fast lane

 

Call your congressman today, leave a message after the beep,

and let them know the FCC’s plan to abandon Net Neutrality

does not serve the interests of the American people

 

proposing to restrict and gate the cyber realm

ignores the past and denies all mankind

the greatest tool since fire, the wheel and sliced bread

combined

 

a version of this poem originally appeared in 2014 on NewHive for LadyBits. I’ve uploaded it here with some tweaks in honor of today’s Net Neutrality protest   

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