At an international world wide web convention in Scotland this week, the inventor of the internet came down on the side of free access and against a multi-tier internet. That’s right keep the internet the way it is. Free access to content. The consumer pays for access to the internet in general. Access is free to any and all consumers. Sir Tim Berners-Lee has said that building a two tier internet (which has been suggested by some US telecom companies) would turn the internet into a very boring place for those who could not afford access to the second tier.
This article on the BBC does a much better job at explaining this than I ever could. Suffice to say that Sir Tim hasn’t sold out and stands behind the ideals of his invention. I am all for any system that does not discriminate against the poor. Viva la revolution!