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Edited on Fri Nov-07-08 01:30 PM by oktoberain
(and much-needed) public service. If we want to take a REAL bite out of Corporate America, free government-supplied wi-fi service is a major step. The burden of paying for internet access is incredible to a poor, struggling family--and often impossible. School internet access is not a good compromise, as children have very little time to freely use it, are hampered in excess of common sense by filtering software that does not allow parents to overrule it, and must give up OTHER important activities (such as recess, which is important for physical development and growth) in order to take advantage of it.
The basic point is this: the internet has become as vital to day-to-day life as our interstate highways are. It is SO vital that keeping it as a for-profit entity is incredibly unfair to those who either cannot afford it, or do not have local access to it due to geography.
If we can afford spy satellites to tell us when some Chinese military officer in Beijing takes a bathroom break, we can afford to provide internet access to the entire nation.
Edited to add: Not to mention the fact that the internet permits an enormous increase in awareness of government and education about issues. Small-town America NEEDS this--badly. A better-informed population can only help us all.
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