Any of us paying attention to technology know that The Internet of Things is already well underway. But, like the internet itself back in the 1990s, excitement and hyperbole could threaten its adoption due to wildly overoptimistic reporting.

Though many companies like Cisco, IBM and even consulting firm McKinsey & Co. are all touting a $14 trillion market size within a decade or so, many of us struggle with exactly where that kind of revenue will be generated with products and services.

Pew Research Internet Project just released a report called, “The Internet of Things Will Thrive by 2025: Many experts say the rise of embedded and wearable computing will bring the next revolution in digital technology.”

Some 1,606 experts responded to the following question: The evolution of embedded devices and the Internet/Cloud of Things—As billions of devices, artifacts, and accessories are networked, will the Internet of Things have widespread and beneficial effects on the everyday lives of the public by 2025?

Eighty-three percent of these experts answered “yes” and 17% answered “no.”

Pretty impressive and this space is something Minnov8 believes will be one of the most profound opportunities in technology in the next 15 years, especially as more of the product and service opportunities become clearer.

Then in this morning’s Minneapolis StarTribune, John Rash had this opinion piece that is one of the best, non-hyperbolic and solid overviews of IoT I’ve seen yet. Rash writes the Rash Report column for the ‘Strib’ and is also an editorial writer and a member of its Editorial Board. He also teaches mass media and politics at the University of Minnesota.

Two visions of the future come to mind when considering the new Pew Research Center study about “The Internet of Things.” One is the 2013 dystopian novel “The Circle,” Dave Eggers’ claustrophobic tome about a social network so insidious it becomes a societal noose.

The other is the recent retrospective of 1964’s seminal World’s Fair in New York, during the age of the space race (and “The Jetsons”), when technological transformations were thought to solve, not create, problems.

The future turned out differently than seers imagined 50 years ago, as it always does. With any luck (and common sense), the dark vision of “The Circle” won’t square with Americans seeking to preserve privacy.

And it’s likely that the future envisioned in the Pew report will defy some expectations, too.

Give it a read. It will help you view IoT as the opportunity it is and not just the hype.

Opposition to the FCC’s proposed new rules on net neutrality is growing and respected technology voices seem to agree that the internet as we know it is in jeopardy. (UPDATE: FCC Denies Desertion of Net Neutrality).

It’s an understatement to say that internet-savvy people are opposing this idea and this opposition is accelerating. Imagine the nascent Internet of Things space working only for those companies that can afford to pay for fast access to a consumer’s home (so their “things” can talk to a server easily). Or, while most of us love Netflix, what if an up-and-coming movie startup wanted to compete? Unless they could pony up big bucks for peering arrangements with major internet service providers, their service would always be inferior to Netflix (or the on-demand offerings by the cable providers, who own the servers directly connected to their network!).

If you care about an open internet that stays a level playing field and continues to drive innovation, you will find two ways to get involved below. Ways which will take you only a few minutes of your time.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler is circulating a proposal for new FCC rules on the issue of network neutrality, the idea that Internet service providers (ISPs) should treat all data that travels over their networks equally.

— Electronic Frontier Foundation: FCC’s New Rules Could Threaten Net Neutrality

Not exactly a staunch defender of internet freedoms or anything “open”, The Wall Street Journal was the first news organization to break the story on the proposed FCC rules, “Regulators are proposing new rules on Internet traffic that would allow broadband providers to charge companies a premium for access to their fastest lanes.”

— The Wall Street Journal: FCC to Propose New ‘Net Neutrality’ Rules

“Political cowardice set the FCC up to lose its first battle for net neutrality regulation: the rules that keep the internet as you know it free and open. The idea of net neutrality is that all traffic is created equal — whether it’s a movie streaming from Netflix, or a WhatsApp message, or a Tweet, or a round of Titanfall. But according to a report from the Wall Street Journal, the FCC is now considering new rules that tear down the fundamental principle of net neutrality. The proposal would allow profit-hungry behemoths like Comcast, AT&T, and Verizon to become gatekeepers that give preferential treatment to companies that pay the most for special access to internet users.“

— The Verge: It’s time for the FCC to stand up for Americans

TWO WAYS TO MAKE
YOUR VOICE HEARD

1) Sign the petition at WhiteHouse.gov here: 

About the Petition: Maintain true net neutrality to protect the freedom of information in the United States.

True net neutrality means the free exchange of information between people and organizations. Information is key to a society’s well being. One of the most effective tactics of an invading military is to inhibit the flow of information in a population; this includes which information is shared and by who. Today we see this war being waged on American citizens.

Recently the FCC has moved to redefine “net neutrality” to mean that corporations and organizations can pay to have their information heard, or worse, the message of their competitors silenced. We as a nation must settle for nothing less than complete neutrality in our communication channels. This is not a request, but a demand by the citizens of this nation. No bandwidth modifications of information based on content or its source.

 

2) Take action at Freepress’ Save The Internet page here:

“The Federal Communications Commission is proposing rules that would kill — rather than protect — Net Neutrality and allow rampant discrimination online. Under these rules, telecom giants like AT&T, Comcast and Verizon would be able to pick winners and losers online and discriminate against online content and applications. We must stop the FCC from moving forward with these rules.”

LEARN MORE

• PC Magazine: Net Neutrality: What’s Really Happening?

• New York Times: F.C.C., in a Shift, Backs Fast Lanes for Web Traffic

• Bloomberg BusinessWeek: The Costs of Internet ‘Fast Lanes’

• New York Magazine: Techies Are Freaking Out About the FCC’s Anti–Net Neutrality Proposal

• The New Republic: Sad But True: The Only Way to Save the Open Internet Requires Sucking Up to Corporate Titans

• Politico: Net neutrality: 5 questions about Internet’s future

• Google News: A search on “net neutrality”

Also, let us know in the comments what YOU think about net neutrality and these proposed new rules from the FCC.