Net Neutrality is CRUCIAL to any Democracy

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Word is spreading about the shut down of all media including the Internet. Yet despite this reports continue to funnel into London and even Iran through software filters to spread word of the Revolution! What a difference 3 decades make! Net Neutrality is CRUCIAL to any Democracy. Especially when Western media continues to report and or assume that all the protesters are Mousavi supporters when in fact most of the citizen journalist reports indicate that he is part of the regime as well.

"Then the Iranian Internet stopped." Via reader Chas, on the Arbor Network Security blog, Craig Labovitz writes:

In normal times, DCI carries roughly 5 Gbps of traffic (with a reported capacity of 12 Gbps) through 6 upstream regional and global Internet providers. For the region, this represents an average level of Internet infrastructure (for purposes of perspective, a mid size ISP in Michigan carries roughly the same level of traffic).

Then the Iranian Internet stopped.

One the day after the elections on June 13th at 1:30pm GMT (9:30am EDT and 6:00pm Tehran / IRDT), Iran dropped off the Internet. All six regional and global providers connecting Iran to the rest of the world saw a near complete loss of traffic.

Article includes the image, and echoes a point about the risk of a backlash that I wrote about earlier: "Unlike Burma, Iran has significant commercial and technological relationships with the rest of the world. In other words, the government cannot turn off the Internet without impacting business and perhaps generating further social unrest. In all, this represents a delicate balance for the Iranian government and a test case for the Internet to impact democratic change."



11:05 AM ET -- Mousavi speaks at the mourning rally. A reliable Iranian on Twitter types up some of the highlights on the fly, via reader Ian:

· I have come due to concerns of current political and social conditions - to defend the rights of the nation

· I have come to improve Irans International relations
· I have come to tell the world and return to Iran our pride, our dignity, our future
· I have come to bring to Iran a FUTURE of FREEDOM, of HOPE, of fulfilment
· I have come to represent the poor the helpless the hungry
· I have come to be ACCOUNTABLE to you my people and to this world
· Iran must participate in FAIR elections, it is a matter of national importance
· I have come to you because of the corruption in Iran
· 25% inflation means IGNORANCE - THIEVING - CORRUPTION - where is the wealth of my nation?
· What have you done with $300 BILLION in last 4 years - where is the wealth of the nation?
· The next Gov of Iran will be chosen by the people
· Why do all our young want to leave this country?
· I know of no creation who places HIMSELF ahead of 20 million of the nation
· We are Muslims - what is happening in Iran Government is a sin
· This Gov is not what Imam Khomeini wanted for Iran - #Irane lection I will change all this - This is the SEA of GREEN

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/13/iran-demonstrations-viole_n_215189.html