Neutralize THIS, Julius!

Here’s betting FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski’s proposal on “preserving Internet freedom and openness” doesn’t touch the Institute for Global Communications (IGC) and its offshoot the Association for Progressive Communications (APC). In Net Neutrality, Julius style, some animals are always more equal than others. While some tend to see the Internet as FoxNews.com on one side and HuffPo on the other, it’s really WorldWide Net versus IGC/APC.

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Plebes of the Net Unite. While citizen journalist bloggers pay Internet server fees and worry about bandwidth, for decades now IGC has been funded by the Tides Foundation. In other words, the WorldWide Net as we know and use it, has had a deep-pocketed rival up and running since 1987. Providing its own network to leagues of nations, United Nations branches, mega lists of non-profits and NGOs, IGC/APC would make Wikileaks look downright wimpy. IGC and APC are one of the Tides Foundations largest ongoing projects. With the boring names adopted by most with progressive agendas, IGC is the Worldwide Net of all things progressive. It’s a massive, 24-hour, transnational computer communications network expanding by the day. IGC and APC kicked off back in 1987 when the England-based GreenNet began collaborating with IGC, which operates PeaceNet, EcoNet, ConflictNet and LaborNet in the U.S., and the rest, as they say, is Progressive internet history. While the Internet sites Julius Genachowski is trying to “neutralize” on December 23 tap into Google, et al, IGC tap into their own progressive Internet. By 2004 IGC was servicing 17 United Nations offices, 40,000 activists, many of the more radical stripe, and a legion of non-governmental organizations in more than 133 countries. According to an APC Internet historical account, the the two giant networks began sharing their electronic conference materials and “demonstrated that transnational electronic communications could serve international, as well as domestic committees working for peace, human rights and the environment.” How social justice got left off the braggart list is anybody’s guess. And IGC is generational. The network now holds seminars for high school students making sure they’re on the progressive side of the Net. By late 1989, the IGC network included Canada (Web), Sweden (NordNet), Brazil (AlterNex), Nicaragua (Nicaro) and Australia (Pegasus). Castro’s Cuba was brought onto the network in 1991 when the Toronto-based Web/Nirv, Canadian affiliate of the IGC used a 64 KBPS undersea cable IP link from Havana to Sprint in the U.S., linking our Cuban friends to the left paved Information Highway. The Tides Foundation funded APC with the specific goal “to coordinate the operation and developing of an emerging global network.” The Tides Foundation is a charity. Under American regulations currently applying to tax-exempt, not-for-profit organizations, IGC “has had to openly pronounce that its networks are for educational and charitable purposes only”. Under usage rules in the IGC manual: “the network shall not be used in any substantial way to carry on propaganda, to influence legislation or to intervene in any political campaign. “It may be used, however, to discuss in a non-partisan way, legislation, politicians and campaigns. Only up to five percent of the total resource time of staff may go to working on political causes and towards lobbying efforts.” Meanwhile, there are two computer communication networks: the one that Julius Genachowski is going to “neutralize” and the thriving network the FCC won’t touch.