NationStates Jolt Archive


Liberal, conservative, whatever ... we need to support this!

Eutrusca
15-06-2006, 18:45
The end of Internet neutrality really will spell the end of the Internet as we know it. Imagine letting a private company set up toll boths at every entrance to and every exit from the currently toll-free US Interstate Highway system, and you'll have a good idea what this means.

Unless you want the Internet to look like cable TV does now, visit here and help however you can: http://www.freepress.net/news/
Fass
15-06-2006, 18:46
Oh, noes, not teh Internets.

Good riddance to poor trash, I say.
Eutrusca
15-06-2006, 18:47
Oh, noes, not teh Internets.

Good riddance to poor trash, I say.
[ smacks you repeatedly with an excessively large, semi-decomposed trout! ]
Teh_pantless_hero
15-06-2006, 18:48
That reminnds me, I need to write a letter to the editor. Thanks.
Fass
15-06-2006, 18:51
[ smacks you repeatedly with an excessively large, semi-decomposed trout! ]

What? Those who make more money tend to be cleverer. Thus, we'd save ourselves a tonne of stupid by shutting them out.
Ifreann
15-06-2006, 19:00
What? Those who make more money tend to be cleverer. Thus, we'd save ourselves a tonne of stupid by shutting them out.
Stupid people can already afford internet costs. Making it more expensive won't get the stupid out of the internet.
Teh_pantless_hero
15-06-2006, 19:01
Stupid people can already afford internet costs.
Looking around here I would beg to differ. But yeah, internet costs are several times what they should be for the level of service and bandwidth we receive in America.
Fass
15-06-2006, 19:01
Stupid people can already afford internet costs. Making it more expensive won't get the stupid out of the internet.

It will get them out of my Internet.
Teh_pantless_hero
15-06-2006, 19:02
It will get them out of my Internet.
So will unplugging the cable from the modem.
Whereyouthinkyougoing
15-06-2006, 19:05
Stupid people can already afford internet costs.
Looking around here I would beg to differ.
What, we're not stupid enough for you? o.O
Teh_pantless_hero
15-06-2006, 19:16
What, we're not stupid enough for you? o.O
I misread what Ifreann wrote -_-
Ignore that post >_>
Fass
15-06-2006, 19:20
So will unplugging the cable from the modem.

I much prefer getting rid of them/you.

And, modem? What century and/or backward country are you living in?
[NS]Simonist
15-06-2006, 19:20
I misread what Ifreann wrote -_-
Ignore that post >_>
....Does anybody else find this sweetly ironic?
Cluichstan
15-06-2006, 19:22
I much prefer getting rid of them/you.

And, modem? What century and/or backward country are you living in?

He lives in a country he loathes. Yay.
Whereyouthinkyougoing
15-06-2006, 19:22
I misread what Ifreann wrote -_-
Ignore that post >_>
Yeah, well, too late. :p
Whereyouthinkyougoing
15-06-2006, 19:23
Simonist']....Does anybody else find this sweetly ironic?
Very. :p
Fass
15-06-2006, 19:23
He lives in a country he loathes. Yay.

He's hardly the only one.
Cluichstan
15-06-2006, 19:26
He's hardly the only one.

You thinking about emigrating here then? :p
Fass
15-06-2006, 19:29
You thinking about emigrating here then? :p

I shared the sentiment about his country, not my own.
The Mindset
15-06-2006, 19:33
Fass, you're misunderstanding the total implications of this. Yes, it may lock out poorer people, but it will also result in the telecom companies limiting your bandwidth to sites that are not commercially viable to them.
Cluichstan
15-06-2006, 19:34
I shared the sentiment about his country, not my own.

Awww...you won't come here and hang out with me? :(
Fass
15-06-2006, 19:36
Fass, you're misunderstanding the total implications of this. Yes, it may lock out poorer people, but it will also result in the telecom companies limiting your bandwidth to sites that are not commercially viable to them.

That's OK. The Internet was a frivolous fad anyway.
Fass
15-06-2006, 19:36
Awww...you won't come here and hang out with me? :(

You? No.
Cluichstan
15-06-2006, 19:37
You? No.

No lovin' from Fass! *cries*
Fass
15-06-2006, 19:38
No lovin' from Fass! *cries*

You must have been rendered emotionally destitute.
Sumamba Buwhan
15-06-2006, 19:39
I believe it would take too much work/time/money/cooperation to restructure the net in such a way. This is just going to be a lot of hot-air back and forth until the telecoms run out of steam.
Ifreann
15-06-2006, 19:39
That's OK. The Internet was a frivolous fad anyway.
It's lasting pretty long for a frivolous fad. That tamogatchi fad a few years ago didn't even last 6 months.
Iztatepopotla
15-06-2006, 19:39
I don't get it. Rich people have been able to move about in choppers and jet planes while all I'm able to get is a bus pass every month, and yet no one complains.

Yet, when big companies and spammers who use zillions more bandwidth than I do for their commercial purposes are asked to carry their weight's worth everybody screams bloody murder.

People are odd... ooooooooddddddd.
The Ogiek People
15-06-2006, 19:39
Someday our children and grandchildren will look back in disgust at how easily we surrendered our freedoms.

And now the government is recruiting private companies to spy on us.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/01/20/MNGEVGQED31.DTL
Fass
15-06-2006, 19:40
It's lasting pretty long for a frivolous fad.

You should tell that to people wearing bell bottoms, or culottes.
Carnivorous Lickers
15-06-2006, 19:51
You should tell that to people wearing bell bottoms, or culottes.


Wait a minute-you're NOT wearing culottes right now?
Cluichstan
15-06-2006, 19:52
Wait a minute-you're NOT wearing culottes right now?

Nah, he's wearing a corset. :p
Ifreann
15-06-2006, 19:54
You should tell that to people wearing bell bottoms, or culottes.
Wasn't there a group in some French revolution called the sans-culottes? Or did I imagine that?
Fass
15-06-2006, 20:00
Wait a minute-you're NOT wearing culottes right now?

No, seeing as culottes (http://www.commonsensepatterns.com/images/csp/9138B%20Wms%20Culotte%20Jumper.gif) are female garbs, a cross between a skirt and a pair of trousers.
NeoThalia
15-06-2006, 20:06
The end of net neutrality will result in rich people: "Paying their fair share." What it will result in is the ability for corporations to deny access to sites on a whim.

The precedent is already being set with certain ISP's blocking sites which could potentially harm their profit margins.



And claiming the internet is a fad is a bit hypocritical for people who seem to use it regularly. Fad's don't result in billion dollar google sales or online... well everything.

After the creation of online gaming its hard for most computer gamers to even imagine what gaming would be like without it. And now that console gamers are suckling on the teat of online multiplayer I believe that there too it will be hard to wean them off it.


Face it: the internet is here to stay. The only question is what kind of internet do we want to see when we sign on in the morning.

NT
Not bad
15-06-2006, 20:12
What? Those who make more money tend to be cleverer. Thus, we'd save ourselves a tonne of stupid by shutting them out.

Fass forsakes his people SHOCKER!
Europa Maxima
16-06-2006, 01:41
What? Those who make more money tend to be cleverer.
The word of God, spoken through Fass. Tremble ye beggars, you are but meek parasites. Eat your cake and speak no more.


A world without the poor...Heaven. :)
Pride and Prejudice
16-06-2006, 01:57
Someday our children and grandchildren will look back in disgust at how easily we surrendered our freedoms.

And now the government is recruiting private companies to spy on us.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/01/20/MNGEVGQED31.DTL

Heh, that article reminds me of the research I did for a psych project.
<_<
>_>
I got to research "terrorism." I spent some time waiting for the FBI to show up at my doorway...
Neo Undelia
16-06-2006, 02:23
I believe it would take too much work/time/money/cooperation to restructure the net in such a way. This is just going to be a lot of hot-air back and forth until the telecoms run out of steam.
Exactly.
The Nazz
16-06-2006, 02:32
I believe it would take too much work/time/money/cooperation to restructure the net in such a way. This is just going to be a lot of hot-air back and forth until the telecoms run out of steam.
I'm not so sanguine about it. The telecoms have already made noises like they want to start bidding wars for access to their "pipes" and I have little doubt that they'll start off by shaking down Google and Microsoft and will quickly work their way down the food chain to gamers and personal bloggers.
WangWee
16-06-2006, 02:40
The end of Internet neutrality really will spell the end of the Internet as we know it. Imagine letting a private company set up toll boths at every entrance to and every exit from the currently toll-free US Interstate Highway system, and you'll have a good idea what this means.

Unless you want the Internet to look like cable TV does now, visit here and help however you can: http://www.freepress.net/news/

Don't care, not American.
Eutrusca
16-06-2006, 04:20
I don't get it. Rich people have been able to move about in choppers and jet planes while all I'm able to get is a bus pass every month, and yet no one complains.

Yet, when big companies and spammers who use zillions more bandwidth than I do for their commercial purposes are asked to carry their weight's worth everybody screams bloody murder.

People are odd... ooooooooddddddd.
You've missed the entire point. I suggest you visit the site and actually, like ... READ the articles! :p
Eutrusca
16-06-2006, 04:22
Nah, he's wearing a corset. :p
And nipple-clips! :D
Iztatepopotla
16-06-2006, 05:05
You've missed the entire point. I suggest you visit the site and actually, like ... READ the articles! :p
I did! I've been following the story for a couple of months now. It's not like this happened just yesterday, you know. And, although I can see how internet purists are concerned, I really don't see the catastrophic even taking place.

In fact, I remember that pretty much the same debate took place when advertising and commercial operators first became interested in the new fangled invention called the internet. Many thought it would be the end of the internet, and that any kind of commercial activity went against its spirit, etc.
Teh_pantless_hero
16-06-2006, 05:09
I did! I've been following the story for a couple of months now. It's not like this happened just yesterday, you know. And, although I can see how internet purists are concerned, I really don't see the catastrophic even taking place.
There was a Letter to the Editor in the paper the other day - Time Warner cable areas did not air FOX News.

In fact, I remember that pretty much the same debate took place when advertising and commercial operators first became interested in the new fangled invention called the internet. Many thought it would be the end of the internet, and that any kind of commercial activity went against its spirit, etc.
Telecoms have already proven they will do whatever it takes to put their product ahead of the competition and ensure they will continue to take in profit.

I'm sure the government is going along with this because
a) They don't know fucking shit
b) the private corporations can and will stop "pirating" of software and media with unhindered control of the internet because it will hurt their profits.
Neo Undelia
16-06-2006, 05:38
b) the private corporations can and will stop "pirating" of software and media with unhindered control of the internet because it will hurt their profits.
If the government couldn't do it, how could the corporations?
Eutrusca
16-06-2006, 06:21
If the government couldn't do it, how could the corporations?
Uh ... because the corporation managers are smarter than the average government functionary? Ya think??? :p
Barbaric Tribes
16-06-2006, 06:24
and so America takes another turn down the road towards becomming a police state. After the patriot-act, the emminent domian bullshit, the spying on us citizens illegally, wire tapping, and a corrupt power hungry federal goverment has already happened. How many other Americans want to excorise the Right of Revolution soon? *loads gun*
Iztatepopotla
16-06-2006, 06:39
There was a Letter to the Editor in the paper the other day - Time Warner cable areas did not air FOX News.
Change cable companies or get a DTH system. Or get together with your neighbors and demand that they feature FOX News. That's what happened in Texas, I think it was, when a cable company refused to carry MTV.


Telecoms have already proven they will do whatever it takes to put their product ahead of the competition and ensure they will continue to take in profit.
You mean they will act as if they were a private business? Shocking horror! That can't be true!

Look, the internet currently is a mess, a god awful mess, traffic wise. Spam, torrents, and unsecured finantial transactions all competing for the same limited bandwidth with stuff like information services and the like. All they are going to do is mark some packets as "urgent" to be delivered first while others wait, in essence creating a toll fast lane. That doesn't mean they are going to block traffic on the free lanes, it'll simply move slower. How slower? Chances are that individual and medium users won't notice, although big businesses who don't want to pay the toll booth will see some reduction.

At least for the time being you'll be able to keep pirating. After all, the telecoms can stop that traffic right now if they wanted to, just by blocking the packets. They don't not because they can't but because they would piss their customers no end.

Yeah, I'm not naïve, the writing's on the wall and the days of the internet as a free-for-all wild frontier are over. There will be more regulation, not less, and that'll bring good and bad things with it; but is the only way in which it can keep moving forward.
Waterkeep
16-06-2006, 07:21
Look, the internet currently is a mess, a god awful mess, traffic wise. Spam, torrents, and unsecured finantial transactions all competing for the same limited bandwidth with stuff like information services and the like. All they are going to do is mark some packets as "urgent" to be delivered first while others wait, in essence creating a toll fast lane. That doesn't mean they are going to block traffic on the free lanes, it'll simply move slower. How slower? Chances are that individual and medium users won't notice, although big businesses who don't want to pay the toll booth will see some reduction.

At least for the time being you'll be able to keep pirating. After all, the telecoms can stop that traffic right now if they wanted to, just by blocking the packets. They don't not because they can't but because they would piss their customers no end.

They don't right now because doing so would get them into a legal case with the FTC for violating legislation that requires they provide equal access to the lines. That's what this legislation changes. Otherwise why would they need legislation for it, right?

To say that the regular user won't notice the difference is to place a lot more trust in the telco companies than they've shown any reason to deserve.


Yeah, I'm not naïve, the writing's on the wall and the days of the internet as a free-for-all wild frontier are over. There will be more regulation, not less, and that'll bring good and bad things with it; but is the only way in which it can keep moving forward.

No, it's not, actually. They could simply act within the current legislation, provide equal access for all, and establish a standard where packets with the "streaming video" header get preferential routing. If it does end up costing more, they raise their rates to the general consumer, or, and here's a novel idea.. charge for bandwidth used.

This legislation will allow them full capability to slow down any packets that come from a competitor. Considering that the average internet user won't wait more than 30 seconds for a page to start loading before going somewhere else, it then basically splits the internet along telco lines. Got AT&T internet? Great! You can use Excite or Lycos. Good luck getting to Yahoo though, as they're an MCI subsidiary.

Want your business to succeed on the net? Better pay the AT&T subscription fee.. and the MCI subscription fee.. and the Verizon subscription fee.. otherwise you're just narrowing your potential market to the ones that happen to subscribe to the service you're on.

Basically it'll be a government legislatied tax on online businesses that gets delivered directly to the corporations using the lines that were subsidized in the first place by the public.