Song for the Net Neutrality

I would like to present this great hip hop song by Lonnie Ray Atkinson called “Net Neutrality – Hands off the Internet”.

Just push play:

Song info and lyrics

Lyrics

verse one:

narration: “so what up bird, what’s the word on this net neutrality?”

well, the same mugs that charge your monthly access fee

are lobbying congress to let them put speed limits on websites

where the fastest speed is reserved for who can pay the biggest price

like a wide hov lane for money and power

leaving the mom and pop sites stuck in rush hour

ain’t a chance if you can’t spend like them big boys

they say it’s for progress, but yo, I keep hearing this pig noise

see, it’s more than just your average scam

if they got the juice to manufacture an online traffic jam

not only can they crush competition, they can crush dissent

the best democracy that money can rent

’cause when the health of our society relies on information

rationing speed is like rationing care to a patient

when they decide if, how, and who you get access to

it’s game over, the promise of the internet is through

chorus:

hands off the internet

hands off the internet

let’s cut the invisible hands off the internet

let me hear you sing net neutrality if you believe

the internet should be commons and commons should be free

verse two:

But yo there’s more than just monopoly dreaming to corporate scheming

The problem is wider than just providers and telecom demons

To be truly net neutral, we gotta expand the definition

It ain’t just who we pay, but who gives us permission

Search engines, social networks, media aggregators

Those we deem our online benevolent dictators

who filter your searches and feeds, what you watch what you read

They give you what they think you want, but not what you need

It’s like we’re children and they’re the adults

How can you and I do the same search, get different results

And yo, I get it’s convenient, and that’s ok when it’s trivial

But our preference can’t be the formula to filter the political

That only reinforces our current ideological vision

With no counter info to help us make an informed decision

And that, of course, is if they want us to see it at all

What’s to stop them from gate keeping if we make it their call

When it comes to news and important information

do you really want to give more control to corporations

chorus:

hands off the internet

hands off the internet

let’s cut the invisible hands off the internet

let me hear you sing net net neutrality if you believe

the internet should be commons and commons should be free

verse three:

narration: “come on, man, you really think they would do that to people?”

it ain’t about if they would do it, it’s about if it’s legal

and speaking of legal, you know it’s more than just the masses

viewing the internet through corporate colored glasses

we gotta expand the definition again to react

to when the government decides to get in on the act

to put us on an information diet, to keep us quiet

shut it down in the name of security, blame it on a riot

we want a bill reflecting real net neutrality

preparing for the worst becoming reality

patriot act mentality, thought police brutality

again it’s not if they would do it, it’s about the legality

and if we’re serious about the sanctity of the internet

it’d be smart to start planting the seeds for the indynet

a guerilla web of handsets, tablets, and gadgets

a network independent of corporate bandwidth

the technology already exists to chart a course

occupying public airwaves, everything open source

create a force that they can’t ignore or cast aside

then double down, lobby for the spectrum to be recognized

now I know that sounds like pie in the sky, but whatever

it may be our only hope to keep the net neutral forever

chorus:

hands off the internet

hands off the internet

let’s cut the invisible hands off the internet

let me hear you sing net net neutrality if you believe

the internet should be commons and commons should be free

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