As a 25yo w/out a TV, this is the first I've heard of it as well.
Given the likelihood of similarly positioned friends on my social networks, I shared the Economist article here ( http://www.economist.com/news/21567340-governments-squabble-... ) as a set up for the link to the petition, should people agree w/ Google's efforts.
Thank you. A very interesting article. A few points that caught my attention:
1. The US position on the ITU meting is to shot down various proposals and keep the current regulations intact.
2. The bulk of proposals are devised to lessen the influence of the US on the internet. E.g. transfer ICAAN duties to ITU, charge companies like Facebook and Google for outgoing traffic to national networks.
3. European Telecommunications Network Operators seek to outlaw net neutrality, quoting that without "fair" traffic control they're unable to develop their networks.
And in the end a little excerpt:
"A bigger danger is therefore deadlock. That might encourage a large pack of nations to set up their own internet regime, making communication with the rest of the world more costly and more complicated."
Which is already happening with China, Syria, Iran, and others.
