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Net Neutrality 7-24-2006

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Net Neutrality Links

I’m adding this link to the Net Neutrality Page.

Telco Wars and Net Neutrality

Let me start of by saying reading this post by James Enck may cause your heart to skip a few beats if you work at Level3 or are a customer who relies on them, or has built budgets and pro-formas based on how Level3 charges you.

But it goes much deeper and you MUST read through the various links that other bloggers have gathered to get the whole picture. . . .

The line from Gordon Cook sums up a lot:

Net Neutrality is a skillful diversion to draw our attention there while Qwest, ATT, Verizon and BellSouth still the knife in at the court and PUC level and kill off the remaining services they don’t control.

. . .

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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NET NEUTRALITY PAGE

Net Neutrality 7-23-2006

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Net Neutrality Links

I’m adding this link to the Net Neutrality Page.

Jon Stewart Revisits Net Neutrality

Jon Stewart from the Daily Show revisits net neutrality, with another brilliant explanation of what it is and how it works. This new segment is in addition to the clip discussed last week. With educational material of this nature is it any wonder that so many people turn to Jon Stewart these days?

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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NET NEUTRALITY PAGE

Net Neutrality 7-22-2006

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Net Neutrality Links

I’m adding this link to the Net Neutrality Page.

Wiretapping, Net Neutrality and Mergers: PhoneCo Power Grabs

In 1974 the US Justice Department initiated a historic lawsuit against what was then commonly known as “The Phone Company.” Eight years later AT&T was forced to divest itself of local phone businesses which were transformed into 7 regional “Baby Bells.” AT&T then focused on long distance services with two new competitors: Sprint and MCI. Today that trend is on the way to reversing itself.

Recent and pending phone industry mergers are threatening to hurt consumers and bring us back to the monopolistic pre-1974 days (see diary below). In addition, the phone companies are allowing the Bush administration to spy on Americans and we’ve seen them team up to claim such efforts are beyond judicial control. Finally big corporations and the phone companies are trying to grab corporate control of the Internet by eliminating Net Neutrality and making it into the modern day equivalent of television.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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NET NEUTRALITY PAGE

Net Neutrality 7-21-2006

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Net Neutrality Links

I’m adding this link to the Net Neutrality Page.

How Washington will shape the Internet

In the end, it’s really an argument about who will bear the costs of building out the robust networks that we’ll all use in the future. And while net neutrality has received the most press, in the end it may not change the status quo as much as either side fears or hopes. If the networks win, the government will probably intervene if it sees unfair discrimination against competitors or censorship. If the Googles of the world win, the network owners will undoubtedly figure out some other way to raise prices.

No matter which way it goes, it means a new element of government regulation. And as far as who pays to build out the networks — in the end, one way or another, most of the costs will still be passed on to the consumer.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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NET NEUTRALITY PAGE

Net Neutrality 7-20-2006

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Net Neutrality Links

I’m adding this link to the Net Neutrality Page.

Net Neutrality On Life-Support.

It’s clear to me that net neutrality is on life support. If Ted Stevens is any indication of how well these issues are understood by the people allegedly paid to represent us, expect to hear him and his cronies echoing this ad’s message when they vote to do to net neutrality something they would never have done to Terri Schiavo.

The problem is that in addition to net neutrality, the communications bill is also dealing with the issue of “red lining” and broad band access to disadvantaged communities. The lobbyists for the cable and telco interests have focused on splitting the digitial “haves” from the digital “have nots” in their effort to kill net neutrality. So far they have succeeded. That is why the Markey amendment didn’t pass in the House. The people hoping to get high-speed access are looking at the bill as a way to protect their right to access, while we are arguing about access to content.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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NET NEUTRALITY PAGE

Net Neutrality 7-19-2006

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Net Neutrality Links

I’m adding these links to the Net Neutrality Page.

Googleman: Congress needs a comic book!

Kid you not, Google’s Vint Cerf in his debate today actually ruminated on the need to create a comic book to educate Congress on the Internet and net neutrality. He also played to the elites in the audience, by giving veiled instructions to a questioner to google “Stevens” and “tubes.” Mr. Cerf apparently is not shy about telling a room full of press that he and his colleagues do not have a very high opinion of the mental aptitude of our national legislators.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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NET NEUTRALITY PAGE