And the Internet Goes to…the Highest Bidder?

On May 15 the Federal Communications Commission is scheduled to announce new rules for the Internet. The FCC is proposing new rules that would create a faster transmission for telecom giants who pay top dollar, like Verizon or Comcast, and a slower one for the little guys. Internet activists say that this two-tiered system amounts to a body blow to a long cherished philosophy of net neutrality – the idea that all data on the web should be allowed to flow from data servers to users without discrimination by the network middlemen. Is the agency giving control of our access to corporate interests, or might new regulations create a more competitive market and better service for consumers? Whatever happened to President Obama's promise of a free and open Internet? We hear about "pay to play" broadband and how it might affect innovation and free speech.