The Internet faces an existential threat from the cable companies that provide service to millions of Americans, said the founder of Reddit.com.

Web entrepreneur Alexis Ohanian appeared last week on the Joe Rogan Experience to talk about the future of online rights and access.

He said only about six to eight lawmakers understood the Internet and were willing to fight for user rights, which leaves consumers vulnerable to schemes to charge more for online access.

“We’re now in a position where cable companies — because they’re basically oligopolies, right? — because there’s only a handful of them, want to break (net neutrality), Ohanian said. “They don’t want the Internet to be flat; they want it to look like your cable. They want you to have a basic package, right? Where you get Bing search for free, because they’ve made a deal with Microsoft. If you want Google, it’s an extra $10 a month, but it’s a really good search engine, so you’ll pay for it, right?”

Joe Rogan Experience #487 - David Seaman

more @http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/04/14/reddit-co-founder-tells-joe-rogan-cable-companies-about-to-fck-up-the-internet/

David Seaman is a journalist and former Congressional candidate. He also hosts his own podcast called "The David Seaman Hour"