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Google Fires Off Warning to US Telcos
mytrip writes "The US Senate Commerce Committee last week approved reforms in communications legislation that will make it easier for Internet providers to offer IP-based television.
The resultant perceived threat of telecommunications companies muscling in on the Web has stirred search giant Google into firing off warnings.
A spokesman said it would not hesitate to file anti-trust complaints if Internet-providing telcos abuse powers that could come from U.S. legislators in further reforms - some of which, Google argues, could threaten 'Net Neutrality'.
Pretty badass. Can we get the EFF to go public, too?
I scream. You scream. I assume that means we're both acquainted with the problem. We proceed.
From Reuters (linked in Article), More Info Here in yesterday's article
BALLMER: We're going to fucking kill Google!!
GOOGLE: We're going to fucking kill giant telcos!!
(both start throwing chairs; chaos ensues)
Creative misinterpretation is your friend.
I thought they were going to carpet bomb the telcos from the Google plane
Google is a big, juicy target for greedy ISPs wanting to cash in by dipping into other ISPs' customers' pockets. It's genuinely beneficial to Google and their users that Net Neutrality is implemented and protected. I hope Google does everything they can to protect it, too.
As long as they don't interfere with me sending an internet, more power to 'em.
google is just just trying to keep their monopoly on the internets tubes. imho, they're being pretty greedy and its hurting the consumers. i mean, come on! it took me 5 days for the internets to download at my office!
This is an interesting approach in one respect -- Google actually has the money to be able to pursue anti-trust claims. Think about it. Every other group, personal or entitty that usually pursues an anti-trust claim is usually too small to do anything about it. If the Telcos decide on doing discriminating against Google, then Google can make a case and probably win some of them. If I was a Telco, I might think about playing nice.
The views expressed are mine own and do not express the views of my employer.
At least Google built their monopoly by being the best and satisfying the customer -- I can't think of one thing Google's done to piss me off. No flashy banner ads, no sign-ups that fill my inbox with spam, nothing! Furthermore, they don't conduct unethical business practices to drive competitors out of business and then turn around to screw the customer. The telecoms are only a monopoly (okay, an oligopoly) because they were put in place as such by the government and were empowered with the taxpayers' hard-earned money. There is nothing wrong with monopolies -- only ill-gotten dastardly monopolies (such as the teleocoms). Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely. Google power corrupts... with googley eyes?
A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing.
But this looks more like they know they won't be able to be the big dog in on line media if other companies can restrict them because of controlling the transport.
Based on what Google has offered *me* in the last five or so years as opposed to what the telcos and other bandwidth providers have offered *me*, I'd have to say that we're better off w/Google being the "big dog" in online media rather than the telcos.
Actually the Spanish American War (federal excise) tax was finally repealed a few months ago. Not only that but it was retroactive to 3 years ago. It took over a hundred years to do, but it did happen.
So can the gf poster get all he wants now?
Wrong, the government, and by the transitive property, the people, own the wires. The telcos didn't pay for them to go up. In fact, even when they were paid, by the government, to put them up, they didn't.
Stop Global Warming!
Just say no to irreversible processes!
Mod parent up.
The telecos are an abomination of government subsidy and government sponsorship. Arguing that we should keep regulation away from them is nonsensical.
Even in an Ayn Randian world, the Telecos are a market failure, because they were created by the government. Unleashing the unregulated telecos on the cable market would be akin to release government engineered biological disease weapons on the world ecology to allow "natural selection" to run its course.
The telecos should be repossed by the government, stripped of their cash-assets to the states, and then "privatized" by having their physical assets sold on auction. Lines/Switching stations should become property of localities, with clauses that at minimum they must lease them to telecommunication companies, but with rights to do anything else including privization of these assets.
The teleco market is a heavily government subsided (and government created) market that needs economic shock therapy in order for the free market to even have a chance. Otherwise, the abomination should be kept strictly under regulation.
Let me remind you how AT&T was built. Let me remind you how AT&T was reassembled, much like Dr. Frankestein's Monster, for the portions of a dead monopoly.
WhiteWolf666 an exBush supporter. All you new-school,compassionate,save the children Republicans can rot in hell
The consumers don't want competition. We want reliable, fast, inexpensive internet access. If competition is the means to that ends, then great. If government intervention will deliver it, that's great too. Whatever it takes to get me what I want.
If telco's and isp's start examining every packet to apply QOS to it, doesn't that exempt them from being a Common Carrier? The Common Carrier exemption they get is from not examining the traffic and just routing it. If they start looking at packets to apply prefered treatment to traffic, then they are no longer just routing. I would think they would loose their common carrier status and be liable for traffic traversing their networks.