Google sees a net neutrality protest

WHILE IT WAS NOT the biggest protest seen in California, the fact that 100 people could be bothered to show up and chant at Google's head office was still saying something.

The protesters were upset that Google and Verizon want to treat wired Internet services differently from wireless and allow a two tiered mobile Internet where wireless network providers are allowed to give priority to certain online traffic.

James Rucker of Colorofchange.org, one of many consumer and public advocacy groups taking part in the event, said that Google had benefited from a free and open Internet and their plan will destroy it.

Net Neutrality is seen as central to the government's broadband plan to provide high speed access to every home by 2020, but it is opposed by the US telcos who want to charge websites to get onto their superhighway.

Protestor Christine Springer told the BBC that the FCC was not doing enough to battle for net neutrality. She said that it was hoping nobody will notice.

"Unless we make a lot of noise the corporate giants will prevail. The job of the FCC is to regulate not negotiate with giant corporations," she said.

The hundred protesters chanted "net neutrality is under attack, stand up and fight back" and "we demand our internet rights, together we stand, together we fight". We are not sure if that scans very well for a chant.

Our favourite though was a small group of elderly people who called themselves the Raging Grannies who sang something to the tune of "Clementine".

"We want to raise awareness about this issue and shine a light on how important it is to keep the Internet free and open to one and all," said Raging Granny Gail Sredanovic who was wearing a heavy black Victorian costume.

Still, 100 people is not really going to make much of a splash. µ