Internet legislation could be costly for users: Reader

Dear Editor:

As a 20-year veteran of the technology industry, I’m writing this letter to inform you and your readership about pending legislation that poses a viable threat to the way many people use wireless Internet.

Called the “Internet Freedom Preservation Act,” this piece of legislation, in reality, serves to allow the government to place unnecessary and inefficient regulations on wireless Internet access providers, causing a trickle-down effect that will reach you – their consumers.

The regulations outlined in the legislation are broad, sweeping and vague – affording the government seemingly endless opportunities to put their stamps on wireless broadband access.

The changes outlined in the bill place restrictions on product differentiation and collaboration between access and application providers, driving up costs while limiting innovation and variety. This legislation will also change the way networks are managed, leading to inefficiency and heightened security risks.

As a culture, we are becoming increasingly dependent on the availability of on-the-go, Wi-Fi Internet access, hand-held mobile devices and the endless variety of applications (or “apps”) we can download for our personal pleasure.

While this legislation only explicitly affects the providers of wireless broadband access, the common consumer will feel the effects through increased cost, a limited assortment of available apps and greater restrictions on consumer choice of providers and services.

The Internet Freedom Preservation Act is a misnomer: it hinders your free choice, as well as the ability of service providers to offer you a variety of services from which to choose.

Do not allow the government to hold you hostage through the way you utilize wireless Internet on a daily basis. Write a letter to your congressman today asking them to oppose the legislation as it is currently written.

Jamie Courtney,

Technology manager,

Client Technology Services LLC

Baton Rouge, La.