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 It seems like every time an online service like Facebook or Twitter publishes something unpopular, there is talk of repealing “Section 230”. And because big internet services are generally unpopular, it’s tempting to support anything that would take them down a notch. But what does Section 230 actually say and would changing it help or hurt the online public?To answer the first question: "No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher … [Read more...] about The internet isn’t fair – and Section 230 can help

As I wrote a couple of weeks ago, the availability of broadband in rural areas is critical to economic success. A recent post on Wirecutter.com titled Moving to the Woods Killed My Internet put it this way: The result is that rural communities are seeing an exodus of younger families, partially because these families don’t have the ability to live modern lives in poorly connected towns. The older folks who remain don’t have access to vital services, like telemedicine, or to services that are … [Read more...] about Rural Broadband Follow Up

As most of you know, I’m writing this from a small, rural community in the foothills of the Sierras. Next year, three of our five county supervisors are up for reelection and the debate about how to address the county’s many issues is well underway. One issue that comes up in all of the candidate’s remarks is the lack of widespread broadband service throughout the county. (Broadband is defined by the FCC as connection speeds of at least 25 mb/s download and 3 mb/s upload.) This problem is not … [Read more...] about Who needs the internet?

In November of 2018, I wrote in my newsletter about the Contract For the Web, an initiative started by Sir Tim Berners-Lee and the World Wide Web Foundation. This project is intended to “bring governments, companies and citizens together around a shared set of commitments to build a better web.”With our collective online experience being degraded every day, there is precious little opportunity for ordinary people to speak up for a World Wide Web that meets their needs. This is an opportunity … [Read more...] about What will you commit to?