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GUEST: Jeff Chester, Executive Director of the Center for Digital Democracy

Major internet access providers are currently strategizing ways to change the internet as we know it today. Companies such as AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast have accused internet services such as Yahoo and Google of having a “free lunch” at their expense. They claim that billions of dollars invested in upgrading broadband networks will yield no return unless such services are charged. Meanwhile, lawmakers in Washington, D.C. have been holding hearings on internet issues such as “net neutrality.” Such safeguards, proponents argue, would ensure that internet providers would be prohibited from prioritizing services and discriminatory practices towards digital content. Meanwhile major telephone and cable companies are considering various other strategies including data mining and various subscription plan schemes. Our guest is Jeff Chester, Executive Director of the Center for Digital Democracy. He has just written an article called “The End of the Internet.”

For more information, visit www.democraticmedia.org.