Total Elimination and Destruction of the InternetIt is 3:15 P.M. on a late September day. A group of kids files off a bus, all saying bye to one another, and then head off to their homes. One of the boys that gets off at the stop walks home solemnly. He has homework tonight. This homework includes using the web to look up an article written in the 1960’s. The boy unlocks his front door and enters, finding that he will be alone until late tonight. He pulls out his assignment and reads it over. In bold letters, at the top of the paper, he reads, “the article must be found on the internet and printed out. Also include the webpage URL.” The boy slumps back in his chair, groaning. He does not have an internet connection at his house. He just moved in three weeks ago; boxes still sit around unpacked in his home. Being new to the town, this boy has not had enough time to make close friends and has no family nearby. He does not live near downtown. He lives in one of the subdivisions furthest away from the library, and he has no transportation until his parents get home, at which time the library will be closed. He has no way to do his homework.
In the United States, only 68.7% of citizens had access to the internet in their household as of 2009 (U.S. Census). This means that 31.3% do not; in this percent, there are students that are required to use the internet to do homework. This idea, of free-floating information on the internet, is so simple that it has become a primary part of the culture of everyday life. A little idea that not many understand is that the internet was not meant to be used by everyone; it was originally created for scientists to share their ideas and tests across the globe. Today the chairs behind computers, which in this day and age has now become the living room sofa, has become the place of gathering for friends via internet. Instead of planning on going out and seeing a movie, friends sit in the confinement of their own home and communicate with one another using social networking websites. The misusage of the internet is alarming many thus it should revert back to its original purpose. Elimination of the internet to the general public should be taken into action. This operation, Total Elimination and Destruction of the Internet, or TEDI, will help create a better world.
The battle will be difficult, but eventually everything will be back in working order. First, to set operation TEDI in motion, there will need to be a movement to temporarily shut down all companies providing internet connections. This will be called Blackout. During this time, the companies will be ordered to terminate all internet-affiliated systems. As of 2011 the top three internet providers were, in order, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and AT&T. Others include Verizon, NetZero, and AOL. (TopTenReviews) These providers would be included in Blackout. Due to this change, phones will no longer be able to make connections to the internet, nor will computers, for that matter. Blackout
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At the very least, it is unlikely that the government will implement it immediately. Given the nature of the problems in which a government has no choice but to shut down a market that offers so-called “internet services” that provide access to people’s work, such regulation would be unlikely to be implemented from a policy standpoint. In any event, the Obama administration has announced that it believes private internet providers should be able to block online service because they’re in the business of controlling a marketplace for such services. […] […]
Even now, though, Obama is moving quickly towards allowing the government to keep access to internet services that are available only to individuals and businesses. In 2013 the Obama administration sent letters to Comcast, T-Mobile, Verizon, and Time Warner Cable asking for “a legal stay”. The letters included a detailed list of a number of conditions attached to the letter requesting that an injunction be made, and that all “Internet Services Limited” websites and mobile internet access access providers should be shut down. At least one company called T-Mobile has previously agreed to allow its customers in its US network to buy its own broadband internet service for up to a week in an effort to get its service back online — and at an additional cost to Comcast.[…]
It’s worth noting that a recent Pew poll finds that nearly two-thirds of Americans oppose the “free market.” (Pew Research Center).
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The White House has not offered assurances that Internet access in the United States or that an injunction against its implementation will be met. On the one hand, the administration has refused to answer the public’s questions about its online stance. On the other hand, the president has taken steps to ensure that online services that might otherwise be available to businesses are not blocked by the government. […] The White House says it will enforce its policy at all times when it becomes available to businesses and that the first call made by the president will be in advance of the deadline. (A White House press briefing on December 16) […] […]
[…] “The internet has moved beyond the realm of being a small set of cheap Internet service that you can buy over the phone, and now that you have access to a larger set of services, you would be able to connect to any device of any size and use any number of Wi-Fi carriers.” – Michael O’Sullivan, The Washington Post
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The U.S. Constitution would not permit the government to “direct, regulate or prohibit the free enterprise of one kind or another in which freedom, or religion, religion, creed, or belief is infringed.” –