Where Were You in 1995, When the Internet Was Privatized?

Watch the first-ever event devoted to "Internet Independence Day," when the government got out of the business of running the Internet backbone.

Where we you in 1995 when it came to the Internet, asked Daniel Berninger, the founder of VCXC, a nonprofit promoting the development of an all-IP-based telephony system.

Last night in D.C., Berninger organized and hosted the first-ever "Internet Independence Day," which celebrated 20 years of a fully privatized Internet backbone and the immense growth in connection speeds, ubiquity, and innovation. In the wake of recent FCC actions to reclassify the Internet under Title II rules, he has convened a panel of "tech elders" to promote a truly open 'net. The elders include figures ranging from John Perry Barlow to Mark Cuban to Bob Metcalfe (the inventor of ethernet).

Speakers last night included former FCC head Reed Hundt, Consumer Electronics Association head Gary Shapiro, and former Clinton administration advisor Ira Magaziner.

Click above to watch last night's event and go here to read Berninger's take on why the government should steer clear of regulating the Internet under Title II or Net Neutrality rules.