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No we're not. They'll never pull something like this off. They can't. There's too much content that is too widespread globally among too many countries that don't have to subscribe to US law for it to ever happen. _________________ HEDir's Prince of Cool
I'd rather not take the chance, yannow - 'cause if that pernicious system gets implemented in the U.S, I think the four horesemen are going to serve as an inspiration to the pipe providers elsewhere to start triple-gouging customers.
From their perspective, it's all gravy - and american business regulations have been known to creep into other countries' laws through various means. NAFTA, for instance. Or the debacle over patenting mathematics, otherwise known as software patents.
I don't think I'm being alarmist when I say DOOM! DOOM! GLOOM and DOOM for good measure, should this come to pass....
When Doc Searles is creeped out, I start to worry. _________________
I agree with ADAM. I see a lot of smoke and no fire. I don't care how big the american telcos are (or think they are), the Internet is still bigger -- both in size and concept. They are afraid of it precisely because it is beyond their control, but by trying to rein it in... Well, we've all seen Jurassic Park, right?
I'm not saying the telcos couldn't cause disruptions. Sure they could. But that would only last until someone else jumped in to fill the gap. And even though I might believe that the american government is capable of just about anything, I don't think its realistic to think that even they would be able support a movement which would cripple the Internet... even if you buy the conspiracy theories that they don't care about the people, they would be concerned about the impact on the vast majority of US businesses. _________________ Alter-Ego profile migration - we need beta testers! Tech tips and solutions SwitchRight NTFS permission replacement utility
Posted: Fri Apr 28, 2006 4:53 pm Post subject: Well...ALL smoke and mirrors...?
I think there are reasons to be concerned, from a cost point of view if not from a content one. I do think it's time for us Americans to make contact with our Washington legislators. Here's an article I received in the WebPro newsletter yesterday, submitted for your consideration...
Quote:
Thursday Apr 27, 2006
Telecommunications giants scored a victory over Net Neutrality advocates in the U.S. legislature yesterday as the proposed "Markey Amendment," a provision to prevent Internet providers from creating access chokepoints was voted down in the House of Representatives.
Editor's Note: Did the House Energy and Commerce Committee sell out the Internet? Or do you think Net Neutrality supporters are overreacting? Share your thoughts on this very important issue in WebProWorld.
The amendment's defeat has caused a firestorm of accusations against the telecom industry and the legislators siding with them in the debate. A diverse and growing opposition believes that Congress members like Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) and Rep. Bobby Rush (D-ILL), who pushed for the amendment's defeat, are acting not in favor of their constituency but in favor of the big-money telecom industry.
Telecoms, like AT&T and Verizon, want to create a two-tiered Internet where customers and content providers can be charged for premium content delivery at higher speeds and quality than other content. The harshest critics believe that ability will give ISPs the ability to block, slow, or degrade content unfavorable to them, including access to websites and email.
The Markey Amendment, proposed for addition to the Communications Opportunity, Promotion and Enhancement Act (COPE), was created to protect what proponents call "Network Neutrality," a philosophy that the Internet should remain free and open to encourage innovation, startup business, and free speech. Called the "Internet's First Amendment," this concept is supported by Internet and technology giants like Google and Microsoft.
The amendment expressly warned the telecom industry " not to block, impair, degrade, discriminate against, or interfere with the ability of any person to use a broadband connection to access, use, send, receive, or offer lawful content, applications, or services over the Internet." It was voted down by a vote of 34-22 in the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
The COPE Act will now move to the full House for a vote, and then to the Senate if passed. The Senate Commerce Committee is expected to propose its own Net Neutrality legislation in the coming weeks.
“The House vote today ignores a groundswell of popular support for Internet freedom,” said Ben Scott, policy director of Free Press. “We hope that the full House will resist the big telecom companies and reject the bill. But we look to the Senate to restore meaningful protections for net neutrality and ensure that the Internet remains open to unlimited economic innovation, civic involvement and free speech.”
Free Press recently spearheaded a campaign through the website SaveTheInternet.com, a nonpartisan initiative that attracted over 250,000 petition signatures and over 500 weblog authors in just a few days. While the initiative is not apolitical, it is diverse along party lines with membership ranging from libertarian Gun Owners of America, to the Consumers Union, to MoveOn.org.
SaveTheInternet.com doesn't view it as a total loss, however. The attention the coalition has generated seems to have made a large impact on the voting. Before the initiative launched, Net Neutrality provisions were shot down 23-8 in the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet.
"The telcos have spent hundreds of millions of dollars and many years lobbying for their position; we launched four days ago, and have closed a lot of ground," reads the website.
“The Commerce Committee is headed in the opposite direction of where the American public wants to go,” said Columbia Law Professor Timothy Wu, a pro-market advocate and one of the intellectual architects of the Net Neutrality principle. “Most people favor an open and neutral Internet and don't want Internet gatekeepers taxing and tollboothing innovation.”
Barton and Rush Under Scrutiny
Congressmen Barton and Rush have been put under the microscope by opponents lately for their financial relationships with the telecommunications industry. Both vocal opponents of Net Neutrality provisions in the Commerce Committee, Barton and Rush led the charge in defeating the Markey Amendment.
Many find it no small coincidence that out of Barton's top three campaign contributors, the second and third largest ones are SBC Communications (now AT&T) and Comcast Corporation. Tied for 12th among contributions is the National Cable & Telecommunications Association.
The Chicago Sun-Times points out that Bobby Rush, the only Democrat to sponsor the bill, recently "received a $1 million grant from the charitable arm of SBC/AT&T" for a community organization Rush is associated with called the Rebirth of Englewood Community Development Corporation.
For this to happen it would be equal to one country trying to build an army to take over all 4 corners of the world.
There are far too many people that would go against any decision of taking over, what they feel are their rights, to see what they want without persuasion by a corp giant.
We would simply roll back in time to the old BB boards and connect IP to IP until new networks were made to transfer information even if it were just an underground network.
Hell, they can't stop P2P file sharing, warez sites, and child porn as it is now.
They would never pull it off.
Usually the only way for anything to pass it takes many many years of biting and chipping at something before it can happen completely. To take on a challenge like this and all at one time will only fail.
They would have to connect it to something that irks people and that people want to see taken off of the web before people will decide to allow it. Myself, I would go for almost anything that stops child porn on the web. As unbelievable as it is I have seen people on the news that still oppose that happening. They fear it will turn into other rights of their internet activities being taken away.
Ok I have babbled enough. I was starting to get carried away adding stuff to this.
I have no worries about this until the little pieces of internet freedom start vanishing.
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