We found this remarkably informative image in a blog post over at Gizmodo. It happens to be one of the best examples we’ve seen of why net neutrality is so important.

A short while ago, nature-lover and VCAM member, Joanna Cummings, approached us with an idea and asked if she could use VCAM’s free public access resources to get her project off the ground. Her idea was to produce a blog “as a means to create social groups interested in sharing their thoughts, activities, videos, photos and knowledge in the areas of Vermont nature, agriculture and the environment.” Joanna indicated to us that she would likely need video production gear to go out into the community and shoot video content, digital editing facilities, a computer with Internet access, a couple different web-design applications, and access to video tutorials to help her get the ball rolling.

As it turns out, VCAM’s new workstation dedicated to web-design (a new iMac equipped with Adobe CS4 Web Premium) along with our video production gear, editing facilities, and subscription to the extensive Lynda.com video tutorial library, were the essential tools for her to get started. Over the last few weeks, Joanna experimented with different templates for her blog, using free web-based applications including Blogger and Ning, before deciding to go with Wordpress. Her goal was to have enough happening on her blog to launch it today, Earth Day 2009, and that she did. Please take a minute to check out Joanna’s new project, leave her a comment or two, and join in the greater conversation about preserving our natural environment by living thoughtfully on the land.

From Reuters…

The Federal Communications Commission said this week that Comcast’s attempt to revise the practices it uses to manage Internet traffic unfairly favors its own voice Internet service.

The last day at the FCC of Kevin Martin, the outgoing Republican chief, was Tuesday, which leaves the issue to his successor. Democratic sources say the new chairman will be technology executive Julius Genachowski, who advised President Barack Obama on his technology agenda during the transition period.

“The president has long been a supporter of net neutrality; his positions are clear,” said Ben Scott, policy director of the group Free Press, which urged the FCC to look into Comcast’s practices. “And Genachowski was the driver behind (Obama’s) technology platform.”

In a precedent-setting decision last year, the five-member FCC voted 3-2 to uphold a complaint accusing Comcast of violating the FCC’s open-Internet principles by blocking file-sharing services, such as those that distribute video and television shows.

“What this represents in my view is the commission taking seriously what it started with its investigation of Comcast,” Scott said.

The case became a flash point in a debate over a concept known as “network neutrality,” which pits open-Internet advocates against some Internet service providers, which say they need to take reasonable steps to manage ever-growing traffic on their networks for the good of all users.

Comcast, which is appealing the FCC’s earlier decision, has since revised its practices. But the FCC said in a letter this week that the company is still discriminating, this time in how it treats voice over Internet protocol, or VoIP, calls.

Here’s another cute installment from the folks at Common Craft illustrating everyday benefits of Twitter. Enjoy!

I was delighted to discover a link to this video while bouncing around on Radiohead.com. Do you remember last fall when VCAM hosted a party for the Vermont International Film Festival and in attendance was Susan Buice, co-director (with Arin Crumley) of the feature film Four Eyed Monsters? Well it appears the dynamic duo has another project in the works, and the subject of this one should hit close to home for VCAM members. As Susan and Arin are never folks to be thwarted by the perils of independent media distribution, this time they’ve decided to take the media giants head-on and have set out, armed with a documentary, to protect the future of our internet. Watch, enjoy and please help others understand why net neutrality is important.

Save the Internet | Rock the Vote

Here’s a neat and easily digestible animation from the folks over at Common Craft.