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Verizon Posts Message In Morse Code To Mock FCC's Net Neutrality Ruling
HughPickens.com writes: Chris Matyszczyk reports at Cnet that Verizon has posted a message to the FCC titled: FCC's 'Throwback Thursday' Move Imposes 1930s Rules on the Internet" written in Morse code. The first line of the release dated February 26, 1934 in old typewriter font (PDF) reads: "Today (Feb.26) the Federal Communications Commission approved an order urged by President Obama that imposes rules on broadband Internet services that were written in the era of the steam locomotive and the telegraph." The Federal Communications Commission voted 3-2 along party lines in favor of new Internet service rules that prohibit blocking, slowing or prioritizing traffic. The rules, which have not yet been released, are opposed by cable and telephone companies that fear it will curb Internet growth and stifle payback on network investment. "It isn't a surprise that Verizon is a touch against Thursday's order. In 2012, it insisted that the very idea of Net neutrality squished its First and Fifth Amendment right," writes Matyszczyk. "I wonder, though, who will be attracted by this open mockery. Might this be a sign that Verizon doesn't think the fight is over at all?"
This is not far off how it used to be. Years back Verizon DSL was covered under Title II. They provided the lines, but you could choose any one of dozens of ISPs to actually buy your service from. It was wonderful.
It just drips Irony doesn't it?
Of course... that article is dated before the ruling.
Today, the front page reads this way.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/...
I case you don't choose to read the ruling.
Let me summarize:
EFF LOVES THE RULING.
She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
(the oft discussed "fast lane" has yet to actually happen)
I get about 5x lower bandwidth streaming movies from Amazon than from Netflix. I've stopped renting HD movies from Amazon because the buffering kills it. Netflix happens to have paid to AT&T (my ISP) to get preferred service [1].
Hmm... That sounds an awful lot like a "fast lane" to me.
[1] http://time.com/3059431/netfli...
Australia is almost as big as the US. Our last govt* began a project to roll out fibre to everyone's house (well at least 97%) which would've given us all 1G fibre. Australia has a lot more empty space than the US and far sparser population. If we can do it, then the US should be able to piss it in.
*unfortunately our last govt lost the last election and the new govt knocked the project on the head, despite every independent analysis backing up the claim it was a net gain for the economy and would've returned a profit to the govt as an asset once complete. Ah politics. never let the facts get in the way of chance to score points, even if it means fucking over the country in the process.
I propose that instead, we bring FIBER to a COLO, from where the citizens can CHOOSE (market forces) the options and features they desire from the multitude of companies that offer these services.
That's how we do it in most of "socialist" Sweden. I.e. I have an "open city network" fibre to my house. ISPs are free to sell service on that fibre/network (for a small access fee that pays for the network infrastructure, now less than 10% of my montly fee). So I have a choice of eight different ISPs and pay about $40/month for 100/100Mbps + IP telephony (no subscription fee, but charged calls). I also get cable TV over the same fibre from a different company but that's extra, about $25 for the channels I get.
That's how you'd actually want it organised to enable a free market.
Stefan Axelsson