Dan Gillmor

[Commentary] It’s increasingly dawning on people that they don’t really own a lot of the goods they buy, not in a world where software is infiltrating everything and can be modified at the whim of the seller. So it’s a breath of fresh air when the government steps in and tells a manufacturer it should allow, even encourage, customers to modify devices that most of us use in our homes and businesses: Wi-Fi routers that let us do our computing and communications without being tethered to a wire. That just happened in a case at the Federal Communications Commission, and it’s a very, very good thing.

If ever we needed the ability to modify a device by changing the software it shipped with, it’s this one. Many if not most routers are grossly insecure. Installing third-party operating software (sometimes called firmware) is sometimes the only way to plug gaping security holes. Moreover, changing the firmware can radically improve a router’s overall capabilities, such as creating community networks in places Big Telecom is slow to serve, and ensuring local communications in disasters.

[Gillmor teaches digital media literacy at Arizona State University]

[Commentary] In a small number of Silicon Valley conference rooms, decisions are being made about what people should and shouldn't see online -- without the accountability or culture that has long accompanied that responsibility.

This is a pivotal time for our communications ecosystem. As we cede control to governments and corporations -- and as they take it away from us -- we are risking a most fundamental liberty, the ability to freely speak and assemble. Let’s not trade our freedom for convenience.

[Gillmor teaches digital-media literacy and entrepreneurship at Arizona State University]

[Commentary] The Federal Communications Commission will say -- loud and proud – that it is fixing the open-web problem while actually letting it get worse, by providing a so-called "fast lane" for carriers to hike fees on sites trying to reach customers like you and me.

Which, inevitably, would mean you and I start paying more to use those sites -- if we aren't already.

If you live in America and believe in an open Internet, don't waste your time sinking into despair over politicians' betrayals. A little anger wouldn't hurt, but aiming it at the former cable and wireless industry lobbyist Tom Wheeler is pointless. Focus your attention on the people who he works for, and who allegedly work for you.

Start with President Barack Obama, whose unequivocal vow as a candidate to support an open Internet was as empty as so many of his other promises, if not an outright lie. Then:

1. At the local level, push for community broadband networks, owned and operated by the public. (Waiting for Google Fiber? You might as well wait to win the lottery. Google is not your daddy, or your savior.)
2. The telecommunications cartel has frantically worked to get state legislatures to prevent them from existing in the first place. Tell your state legislators that this is an unacceptable intrusion on your community's right to govern itself.
3. Finally, tell your member of the US House of Representatives and your US senators that they have a job to do -- to ensure the future of innovation and free speech in a digital world. In particular, tell them that Internet access is a public utility and should be treated as such.