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Politics & Current Affairs —

Today’s Birthrights: Life, Liberty and Broadband

Though Internet freedom is often a nebulous concept, one thing is sure: We want it. Venture capitalist Fred Wilson warns that taking it away will cause a revolt among younger generations. 

What’s the Latest Development?

New York venture capitalist Fred Wilson tells of just how integrated broadband Internet and our culture have become, and how it will prove essential to our future. Today, says Wilson, even farmers depend on speedy Internet access for a variety of reasons, making them as conversant in Web matters as the San Francisco or New York tech crowd. In other words, conversations about Internet regulation now permeate society, making it a popular topic around which our values increasingly revolve. Before the SOPA battle in Congress, Internet freedom had never appeared on such high a stage. 

What’s the Big Idea?

Speaking with his daughter and their friends, Wilson came to realize just how one-directional Internet freedom is. He estimates it will be nearly impossible to scale back since today’s younger generations grew up with a laptop and now have a computer in their pocket. “They prefer to watch a movie on their laptop lying on their bed than in the movie theater. And as a young woman said at Princeton last week, they want ‘life, liberty, and blazing broadband’.” To the current generation, Internet freedom is a birthright. Woe to those who try to take it away. 

Photo credit: shutterstock.com


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