Free Internet is Walking the Plank!!

I just read this article.....

www.globalresearch.ca...

I am so freaken pissed off at this issue!!!

To think that I have to pay to visit ATS, or even my own personal website is beyond censorship, its rape of creativeness and expression!!! The imperialism of the capitialists charging by the byte for the internet is a huge choke hold on the voice of the truth, and the "venue" of free speech!!!!

What can be done to stave off this stripping of our virtual voices? ATS members what do you think?



[edit for spelling]

[edit on 22-7-2008 by theability]

If that's true, that's utterly ridiculous and terrifying all at the same time.

Off to research a bit while hoping it's another one of those "FCC will start charging for emails" hoaxes.

It won't work, especially in Canada. Canadians are far more politically alert, they swing elect to remove politicians alot and are not satisfied with any of them. UK shoves things in, like making Sharia Law coexist with UK family law, and education. They attempted that in Canada and the protests drove it off the table. They screw with our Internet, which I already pay a pretty penny for, and it will also be driven off the table so fast it won't look pretty.

I read the article, and I think it is just completely whacked out. How do they expect to regulate the over 18 billion webpages available? That is ludicrous. How will they divide them up? What about new pages? This is not like TV where stations have to apply to get a channel broadcast, they simply get the name and put it up. I have to laugh at anyone that takes this kind of thing seriously.

Personally, I think this will kill the internet.

I wouldn't pay for service plans like that and I don't think anyone else would either.

Businesses would keep the internet, because they depend on email, etc., but for most of the rest of us, such a plan would turn the internet into a joke.

People who know me know that I don't yield to extortion and such a plan would be extortion.

I don't know what to do about this problem, but I would suspect that if such a plan were to be implemented in any given area and the consumer base evaporated overnight, then someone might see a golden opportunity to offer internet service as we now know it.

[edit on 2008/7/22 by GradyPhilpott]

Originally posted by Rook1545
I have to laugh at anyone that takes this kind of thing seriously.

As I appreciate the honesty is that comment, funny that in my research into the subject matter that in Beaumont Tx Time Warner has started charging already by the byte in a trial...

June 2008 just recently here is the link:

www.nytimes.com...

So I guess that laughing will be short lived right?

Again this isn't a joke the imperialism is being "implemented!"

reply to post by theability


By the byte is different than what they were proposing though.

to begin charging per site fees on most Internet sites. The plan is to convert the Internet into a cable-like system, where customers sign up for specific web sites, and then pay to visit sites beyond a cutoff point

They are talking like "bundles". So would subscribe to your news sites, your gaming sites, your conspiracy sites (would we get dinged double since ATS is both news and conspiracy?), your nudey sites, etc.

This is completely impossible to regulate. I mean I would sign up for one site, a proxy site, then just do what I wanted anyway.

reply to post by mystiq

I agree with you. Canadians aren't pushovers or idiots despite what some say. I don't believe they'll take something like this without putting up a huge fight.

Now pass the maple syrup, you snowshoe-wearin' landlubbers.

Sleuth
Jerk American (US)

Just kidding! I like you Canadians. You send us all your snow.

I did find one other reference to it:

Republican Party of Ontario...

And here's another site that seems to have a similar theme:

Save the Internet

They have some interesting information on their site, and some good backup in the form of things that have already been done and things that companies have actually said to indicate that this is not just a hoax or scare tactic.

reply to post by Rook1545



Impossible it is not!!! Its easy to regulate, you must pay to gain levels of access!!

Just like that, if you don't pay for a certian level, the content is blocked. How hard is that?

I mean never tell someone that wants to choke the money from the massess that, something is "IMPOSSIBLE!"

...they will prove you wrong....

Originally posted by theability
reply to post by Rook1545

 

Impossible it is not!!! Its easy to regulate, you must pay to gain levels of access!!

Just like that, if you don't pay for a certian level, the content is blocked. How hard is that?

I mean never tell someone that wants to choke the money from the massess that, something is "IMPOSSIBLE!"

...they will prove you wrong....

I agree that they will certainly try, but how will they block it? What if someone decides not to tag his site? How will they block that? It just seems like a complete logistical nightmare to try and impose. What happens to those countries that do not subscribe? What about proxy sites?

reply to post by GradyPhilpott


To me this is such a gray area, it seems to verge on violation of civial liberty of free speech, yet the "domain" is a corporate veil, so, how does the middle class protect themselves from this situation?

Like I said, its kinda like check...with mate slowly coming after...

These big cable and communication companies have quite the upper hand here if this takes hold, will the FCC really care about the results?

I'd think not...

reply to post by Rook1545


Great questions! Do these companies care about the restrictions that will come if users don't pay?

I sure don't have the answers to what your ask, I just wonder if these companies have been preparing for the situation at hand all along...???

Here's the deal.

The internet runs over the phone and cable lines. The owners of those lines have the right to charge for their use. They are inclined to maximize profits and that is their right.

We have a right to freedom of speech, but that has nothing whatsoever to do with medium.

The internet is awfully convenient and has linked the citizens of the world in a way that is unprecedented in history, but the internet is not a right and shouldn't be.

I don't mind so much that there might be usage caps, but as the NYT article points out, when providers put limits on usage, people tend to use less. Overage charges have a real dampening effect.

This is going to hurt a lot of businesses. People won't download files from media companies. People won't casually browse Amazon for hours and a host of other problems that are also mentioned in the NYT article.

If this proceeds in a manner that is inimical to both business and consumers there will be enormous pressure on the ISPs.

Like I said before, it hasn't been that long since the internet was non-existent or very few people used it at all.

People will learn to live without the internet if they are pressured to do so and they will find that while some of the conveniences will be missed, life will go on.

Ultimately, rash decisions on the part of the ISPs could have enormous consequences for the dot coms and the overall economy, which doesn't really need any more monkey wrenches.

People will just have to see how things shake out.

If ISPs start losing customers en masse, they will have no choice but to lure in more customers and that might mean a return to unlimited usage.


[edit on 2008/7/22 by GradyPhilpott]

reply to post by GradyPhilpott


You are 100% correct. Usage limits are terrible, but I can deal with them. Limiting me on what I can look at I have a problem with. I would much you limit how long I can look at something over what I can look at.

I think the real issue that governments are having with the internet is just what is on it. As much as I hate to admit it China had the right idea. Block it all out, then slowly allow more to open up and see how it affects the populace. It is much easier to open the floodgate to allow more water out, than it is to try and stop the full flow once it is going. Bad analogy, but it was the best I could come up with for the situation.

Another ATS thread covering similar ground:


Report: The end of the internet

reply to post by Psychopump


I was focusing on here (in this thread) what if anything we could do to prevent or steer this in a better direction....

reply to post by theability


Sorry if I´m harsh, but I would simply join in the other thread, which concerns the EXACT same subject and has many participants already. 2 threads on the same subject NEVER result in better quality discussions.

well my bad.... Since the originating article for my thread wasn't listed on the ATS search I figured that the topic hadn't been addressed.....

It's posssible that the big computer companies, Gatescorp and MacWoz, Dill, etc. might have an interest in stopping this kind of thing.

So much of the growth of the industry has depended on economies of scale. This usage charge trend kind of runs counter to the spirit of what has fueled the growth of the industry and it's many spin offs. This might just be a momentary indicator of the difficulty ISPs are having handling demand.