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The future of free

In the entire history of democracy, and free speech, and open communication, nothing has had a greater impact than the Internet.

In the entire history of democracy, and free speech, and open communication, nothing has had a greater impact than the Internet.

Even in North America the Internet plays a vital and democratic role, providing a foil against all the right wing media moguls that are taking over newspapers, networks, talk radio stations, and other mediums to stump their right wing, corporate beliefs.

And as media conglomerates continue to consolidate, controlling the spectrum of views and politics even further, the Internet is really the only open source left for independent and progressive news, and for questioning and challenging authority.

During the Iraq war, many Americans became frustrated with the unquestioning, flag-waving coverage of the major networks. In fear of being labelled unpatriotic or cut out of the loop, prominent news organizations became self-censoring and pandering, apparently forgetting their higher responsibility to present the news objectively.

As a result, Americans who wanted the truth had no choice but to turn to Canadian and European new sources to get the real story – a vastly different, and perhaps more accurate, view of events as they unfolded.

People also turned to a growing number of alternative Internet sites like Common Dreams (www.commondreams.org), The Nation (www.thenation.com), Tom Paine (www.tompaine.org), and others – independent American media outlets put on level footing with the giants by the Web – for news.

The fact that media outlets are finally starting to cover the negative aspects of the war, and the spurious reasoning that led to war, is also largely due to the Internet. The information news organizations knowingly suppressed or exaggerated was getting out anyway via the World Wide Web, calling their own credibility into question. People began to distrust news organizations, and that’s bad for business.

That’s not all the Web has been good for.

The Internet has helped propel Vermont governor Howard Dean, a relative unknown, into the frontrunner position in the race for Democratic Party leadership, with most of his campaign funds contributed online.

MoveOn.org has already compiled a list of over two million supporters of progressive causes, and is having an impact on politics and policy.

The Internet is even having a progressive impact in B.C., as public online comment has been invited by the government on a variety of issues.

Enjoy the freedom of the Internet while it lasts.

While dial-up Internet access is more or less protected by ancient laws and regulations pertaining to the phone system, broadband Internet access through DSL and cable is substantially more private in nature.

In the U.S., the Federal Communications Commission is considering removing common carrier rules from DSL and cable networks, effectively putting them under the control of media corporations. That in turn could make it harder to access independent media because whoever controls the broadband Internet will be able to control the price – independents generally run on shoe-strings – and direct content.

"In moving to implement this highly centralized vision for broadband, the cable industry does not simply ignore the democratic and competitive history of the Internet," wrote Jeff Chester of the Center for Digital Democracy, "It is actively hostile to it."

Ernest Partridge of The Crisis Papers believes the media companies won’t move overnight to control broadband, publicly saying who gets a say and who doesn’t. "Such high-handedness would invite lawsuits," he said. "Instead, dissenting individuals and non-profit organizations would simply be priced out of the Internet, while the four-figure applications fees and three-figure monthly charges would be chump change for marketers and right-wing publications and foundations."

It may sound unbelievable, but look at what’s happening with other mediums. Chains took over newspapers in Canada long ago, and always started each takeover by saying that, while there would be a few small changes, the paper would essentially remain the same.

Little by little the newsrooms fired and retired employees, relying on wire service news from other chain outlets to fill pages rather than local reporters. Columnists and editors that had differing opinions than the corporate owners were also pushed out, and replaced with right-wing syndicates friendly to the chain.

After taking over broadband networks, it would only be a matter of time before media corporations used the medium to support their corporate beliefs, and drummed out the dissenters.

They can’t eliminate Web sites, but they can make it too expensive for alternative news organizations to maintain their online presence, and more difficult for surfers to find the sites that do remain.

To read Partridge’s article on the potential impacts of broadband deregulation, visit www.crisispapers.org.

B.C. biz gets own search engine

Sifting through the millions of Internet sites in order to find what you’re looking for is a complex, often frustrating job. If you don’t know all the tricks involved in searching, it can be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

To make it easier for businesses and consumers in Western Canada to connect to businesses in this part of the world, a company called Reveal has created a specialized search engine.

It’s a free service for both business and customers, and is available at www.reveal.ca. To use the service, go to the site and type in the name of the company or the kind of product or service you’re looking for, and let the search engine do the rest. Once you have located the business you’re seeking, another tool creates a map to their front door.

"It’s better than a phone book because it includes all of Western Canada and the United States, and soon all of Canada," said Richard Sayler, co-founder of Reveal. "Plus it’s easier to use. You don’t even have to spell correctly.

"Other search engines pull up listings from everywhere. So instead of finding a chiropractor in Richmond, for example, you often end up with everything and anything related to chiropractors across the whole continent. With Reveal.ca, you actually find what you’re looking for quickly," he said.

If your business doesn’t have a Web site, Reveal can even help you to create one, also free of charge, using their selection of site templates.

B.C. has the highest per capita Internet usage in Canada, with 65 per cent of households on the Web. Many regularly use the Web to locate products and services, says Sayler.