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Proud Mary

Thu Nov 18 2010, 09:37AM

Registered Member #543 Joined: Tue Feb 20 2007, 04:26PM
Location: UK
Posts: 4992

Vaizey announces an internet 'fast lane'

By Jerome Taylor
The Independent
Thursday, 18 November 2010

The Government plans to abandon one of the founding principles of the internet by letting service providers charge money for a "two-tier" service prioritising some websites.

Net neutrality â€“ the principle that all internet traffic should be treated equally â€“ is one of the cornerstones of cyberspace and ensures that providers like BT, Virgin or Sky give a simple blog the same level of access as a website for a major corporation or institution. But in a speech yesterday the Communications minister Ed Vaizey signalled the Government's intention to abandon net neutrality in favour of a system where providers could charge money for a better and quicker service.

The proposals would allow internet service providers (ISPs) to effectively create "fast lanes" and "slow lanes" for the internet, with websites only having access to the fast lane if they pay.

Campaigners have attacked the proposals as amounting to the death of democracy online but the Government says the changes are needed for future internet upgrades.

Chris Russell

Thu Nov 18 2010, 11:07AM

... not Russel!
Registered Member #1 Joined: Thu Jan 26 2006, 12:18AM
Location: Tempe, Arizona
Posts: 1052

Not good. Hopefully this can be turned around before it is too late.

Muttyfutty!

Thu Nov 18 2010, 01:28PM

Registered Member #2915 Joined: Fri Jun 11 2010, 10:41AM
Location: Malaysia!
Posts: 101

Oh dear, Where do these people come up with such bright ideas?
Anyone up for a protest?

Proud Mary

Thu Nov 18 2010, 02:13PM

Registered Member #543 Joined: Tue Feb 20 2007, 04:26PM
Location: UK
Posts: 4992

Our kleptocracy longs for a means to stifle its internet critics and bring the web into the same morbid symbiosis that government shares with the corporate media.

If this control can be exerted by what appears to be 'self regulation' and 'free market' beliefs - a sort of 'out-sourced' censorship - the more it will appeal to them.

The ISPs will bend to corporate bribery and coercion, and if that means disenfranchising dissenting voices on the web, then they will find a way to do it.

quicksilver

Thu Nov 18 2010, 04:47PM

Registered Member #1408 Joined: Fri Mar 21 2008, 03:49PM
Location: Oracle, AZ
Posts: 679

Actually in the States this has been spoken of for some time. The consensus is that the "lower tier" will actually be flooded; making it generally close to dial-up in speed (an exaggeration but not too far) thus forcing more of the public into a controlled environment.

Conspiracy folks (& some who see a simple ugly profit motive) believe that the underpinnings are really to gain MUCH more control over the net. By flooding the lower tier, the actual use would dwindle to such an extent as to eventually make it's eradication easier. The upper tier could be not only be commercialized & profited from, but it could be monitored much more effectively.
The "conspiracy" element being that to do so in one fell swoop would create a public firestorm. But to develop this in stages would allow for substantial control under the guise of "performance". Conceptually, the conspiracy goes; that so much free interchange of information exists that it's harder to monitor but as a channeling agenda emerges; making in much like standard commercial information / communication services.
Obviously "tapping" the internet already exists. But this concept makes for a far easier method to isolate the flood of interchange to be controlled in a manner it doesn't have yet. Therefore the two venues, the profiteering and the "big brotherism" can help one another.

Thomas W

Thu Nov 18 2010, 04:52PM

Registered Member #3324 Joined: Sun Oct 17 2010, 06:57PM
Location:
Posts: 1276

and what gives them the right to do that anyway?
they dont own the internet
the dont own the servers
people do.
of they do things like that we should make the internet V2
its only a WAN

if this goes ahead i might as well just quit the world of computers ECT :(

Adam Munich

Thu Nov 18 2010, 09:43PM

Registered Member #2893 Joined: Tue Jun 01 2010, 09:25PM
Location: Cali-forn. i. a.
Posts: 2242

Europe is going to become dystopia...

klugesmith

Fri Nov 19 2010, 01:05AM

Registered Member #2099 Joined: Wed Apr 29 2009, 12:22AM
Location: Los Altos, California
Posts: 1716

Tom Williamson wrote ...

and what gives them the right to do that anyway?
they dont own the internet
the dont own the servers
people do.
of they do things like that we should make the internet V2
its only a WAN

The Phone Company and the Cable TV Company
really -do- own the wires and routers between the consumer and the rest of the Internet.
It was their money that bought the equipment and installed it in your neighborhood.
They pay the electric bills, and the wages of people who fix stuff after storms and earthquakes.

This is about how far the government can or should -regulate- utility companies.

Don't get me wrong -- I hope net neutrality rules will prevail. But look at the way the
regulation of broadcast airwaves has been perverted to the benefit of
Clear Channel Communications et al, at the expense of the citizenry.

rp181

Fri Nov 19 2010, 02:25AM

Registered Member #1062 Joined: Tue Oct 16 2007, 02:01AM
Location:
Posts: 1529

This is an article I am glad was written with such bias...

Martin King

Sun Nov 21 2010, 09:14PM

Registered Member #3040 Joined: Tue Jul 27 2010, 03:15PM
Location: South of London. UK
Posts: 237

quicksilver wrote ...

The "conspiracy" element being that to do so in one fell swoop would create a public firestorm. But to develop this in stages would allow for substantial control under the guise of "performance".

I.E. pretty much how CCTV was introduced in the UK. Governments have learnt that "softly softly catchy monkey" If you do it in small stages people don't realise it's a problem until it's too late to do anything about it

Martin.

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