The (internet) sky is falling

There's a video making the rounds on the internet warning that by 2012, the internet as you know it will be gone. The resource will become more like cable TV, with tiers of access and most content controlled exclusively by big media. The forums, blogs, independent sites and other resources not owned by big media or the major ISPs themselves will get lost forever in the ether.

That's big news if it's true. I'm very skeptical at this point, simply because of who is fronting the story and who isn't verifying it. (Just Google Tanya Devereaux - that's the girl in the video)

What interests me more is not the veracity of the story, but the implications. Imagine this was really scheduled to happen. What the individuals in the video have to say about participation is essentially true. Nobody in power is going to give a rat's ass. The education system will be up in arms, but if ISPs and big media have the government on their side (and they certainly do today), government can simply threaten funding cuts and the revolt will be over. If a Bill like C-61 doesn't cause outrage in your elected politicians because it turns average consumers into criminals, why would they care if the internet gets completely commercialized? It's win-win for them - no more fringe bloggers trying to unmask them for the sell-outs they are, no more online resources for predators, the list goes on.

But what would you do? The way society is going, trends are indicating.......... very little. That's what scares me the most.