Douglas Rushkoff The Next Net. The moment the "net neutrality" debate began was the moment the net neutrality debate was lost. For once the fate of a network - its fairness, its rule set, its capacity for social or economic reformation - is in the hands of policymakers and the corporations funding them - that network loses its power to effect change. The mere fact that lawmakers and lobbyists now control the future of the net should be enough to turn us elsewhere. Of course the Internet was never truly free, bottom-up, decentralized, or chaotic. Yes, it may have been designed with many nodes and redundancies for it to withstand a nuclear attack, but it has always been absolutely controlled by central authorities. From its Domain Name Servers to its IP addresses, the Internet depends on highly centralized mechanisms to send our packets from one place to another.
I'm not trying to be a downer here, or knock the possibilities for networking. That's right. It is not rocket science. So let's get on it. Related Posts: Wikileaks, The Pirate Party, And The Future Of The Internet. How to save Julian Assange's movement from itself. American diplomacy seems to have survived Wikileaks’s “attack on the international community,” as Hillary Clinton so dramatically characterized it, unscathed. Save for a few diplomatic reshuffles, Foggy Bottom doesn’t seem to be deeply affected by what happened. Certainly, the U.S. government at large has not been paralyzed by the leaks—contrary to what Julian Assange had envisioned in one of his cryptic-cum-visionary essays, penned in 2006. In a fit of technological romanticism, Assange may have underestimated the indispensability of American power to the international system, the amount of cynicism that already permeates much of Washington’s political establishment, and the glaring lack of interest in foreign policy particulars outside the Beltway.
Indeed, it’s not in the realms of diplomacy or even government secrecy where Wikileaks could have its biggest impact. Who Controls the Internet?: Illusions of a Borderless World (9780195152661): Jack Goldsmith, Tim Wu. FCC net neutrality decision sets up court battle, say experts. The US Federal Communications Commission's recent vote to impose net neutrality rules on broadband providers will lead to lengthy court battles, as well as efforts in Congress to repeal the rules, a group of Internet law experts said Wednesday.
Even supporters of the FCC's Dec. 21 vote predicted that multiple court challenges are likely as soon as the FCC officially publishes the new rules in the Federal Register. Court challenges to the rules are "inevitable," said Colin Crowell, former senior counselor to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski . Multiple lawsuits in courts across the US are likely, with some questioning the FCC's authority to make rules affecting Internet service providers and other groups suggesting the rules are arbitrary, added Markham Erickson, executive director of the Open Internet Coalition and a supporter of the rules. The new rules prohibit service providers from selectively blocking or slowing Web traffic.
Eben Moglen Is Reshaping Internet With a Freedom Box. Freedomboxfoundation. Eben Moglen. DIASPORA* Net Neutrality: Save the Internet from Corporate Censorship! By Sarah Aird, member of Amnesty International USA’s Board of Directors Amnesty International activists know how important the Internet is for sharing news, information, and strategy about human rights abuses around the world. From satellite images of Darfur to Amnesty reports documenting Shell Oil’s involvement in human rights abuses in the Niger Delta, from correspondence among Amnesty’s country specialists to online urgent actions in support of Aung Sun Suu Kyi, the Internet is critical to our work. But today, the Internet as we know it is at risk. In the last 15 years the Internet has become the most democratic communications tool ever created.
From its creation, the Internet in the United States operated under the principle of Net Neutrality, which guarantees that all sources of data are treated equally, whether the content comes from FOX News or Amnesty International. Corporate Censorship of the Internet: A Reality Reports of corporate Internet censorship abound. What Can You Do? FCC: We didn't impose stricter net neutrality regulations on wireless because Android is open. FCC Net Neutrality Vote Is Just The Beginning. Photo © 2005 dougward | more info (via: Wylio)In a 3-2 vote split down party lines the FCC approved the first “enforceable” net neutrality regulations this morning. These rules face opposition from all sides, with some holding that FCC has overstepped its boundaries and others saying that the still unpublished framework does not offer enough protection. “Given the importance of an open Internet to our economic future…it is essential that the FCC fulfill its historic role as a cop on the beat to ensure the vitality of our communications networks and to empower and protect consumers of those networks,” FCC commissioner Julian Genachowski said at the meeting.
The idea of the FCC as an Internet traffic cop does not sit well with many. FCC commissioner Robert McDowell, who voted against the rules, emphasized the divisiveness of about Genachowski’s proposition,“We agree that the Internet should remain open and freedom-enhancing…Beyond that, we disagree. FCC Blackout. Was It Google And Verizon Or The FCC That Just Screwed Us On Mobile Net Neutrality? We’ve already covered the FCC Net Neutrality vote earlier today, but something new has come to light. Something that’s very odd. Something that’s quite frankly a little terrifying. Engadget dug up the FCC’s release [PDF] and found the following nugget buried in the all-important section “Measured Steps for Mobile Broadband”: Further, we recognize that there have been meaningful recent moves toward openness, including the introduction of open operating systems like Android.
In addition, we anticipate soon seeing the effects on the market of the openness conditions we imposed on mobile providers that operate on upper 700 MHz C-Block spectrum, which includes Verizon Wireless, one of the largest mobile wireless carriers in the U.S.In light of these considerations, we conclude it is appropriate to take measured steps at this time to protect the openness of the Internet when accessed through mobile broadband Except wait. As Patel writes: I am slightly more paranoid. Steve Wozniak on the FCC and Internet freedom. What is "Net Neutrality?"
Long Live the Web. The Open Internet: A Case for Net Neutrality. Net Neutrality Timeline | Lobbynomics. La belle histoire de la neutralité des réseaux » Article » OWNI, Digital Journalism. Perdu dans la neutralité ? Pour y voir plus clair, Lobbynomics réalise un éclairage original du concept, à travers l'histoire des réseaux de télécommunication. L’histoire de la neutralité des réseaux depuis la fin du 18e siècle, quel intérêt ?
Si l’on considère cette idée à l’aune du seul réseau Internet, difficile de saisir l’utilité d’une telle remontée dans le temps. Mais si cet embranchement de tuyaux est aujourd’hui au centre de toutes les attentions, il ne faut pas oublier que d’autres moyens de télécommunication, avant lui, ont jeté les bases de la réflexion actuelle sur la neutralité. Lobbynomics a retracé la sinueuse histoire réticulaire dans une infographie, consacrée au déploiement des lignes de télécommunications américaines et européennes entre 1770 et 2010. C’est d’ailleurs dans cette perspective mi-figue, mi-raisin que la FCC, équivalent de notre Arcep national aux États-Unis, s’est effectivement prononcée, peu avant Noël. Infographie initialement publiée sur Lobbynomics. Tim Wu: Net Neutrality and Free Speech. Network neutrality: A tangled web.
A Net Neutrality Timeline: How We Got Here: Tech News « Updated:The FCC Tuesday voted 3:2 to approve an order that will enshrine the policies of network neutrality — the idea that ISPs can’t hinder or discriminate against lawful content flowing through their pipes — as regulations enforced by the commission. While legal challenges remain, and the text of the full order won’t be out for a few days, here’s the gist of what’s in store, as I explained last night: The order contains three sections that set policies around transparency, create a prohibition against blocking lawful content on wireline networks and certain types of content on wireless networks, and set up rules preventing unreasonable discrimination.
More analysis will come later. Update: Here’s the release discussing the order, and the full order itself will come in a few days. As for how we got here, this is a brief recap of the events and decisions leading up to today’s vote: 2006: Congress attempts to pass the first of many network neutrality bills. Lessig: It's Time to Demolish the FCC. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Home Page. DOC-303745A1. FCC To Push 'Net Neutrality' - Bloomberg. Telecomix. Telecomix (telecomix) Timothy Karr: Obama FCC Caves on Net Neutrality -- Tuesday Betrayal Assured. Late Monday, a majority of the FCC's commissioners indicated that they're going to vote with Chairman Julius Genachowski for a toothless Net Neutrality rule.
According to all reports, the rule, which will be voted on during tomorrow's FCC meeting, falls drastically short of earlier pledges by President Obama and the FCC Chairman to protect the free and open Internet. The rule is so riddled with loopholes that it's become clear that this FCC chairman crafted it with the sole purpose of winning the endorsement of AT&T and cable lobbyists, and not defending the interests of the tens of millions of Internet users.
Welcome to AT&T's Internet For the first time in history of telecommunications law the FCC has given its stamp of approval to online discrimination. Instead of protecting openness on wireless Internet devices like the iPhone and Droid, the Commission has exempted the mobile Internet from Net Neutrality protections. Obama's 'Mission Accomplished' Don't believe it.
Cerf: Governments shouldn?t have a monopoly on Internet governance. The beauty of the Internet is that it’s not controlled by any one group. Its governance is bottoms-up—with academics, non-profits, companies and governments all working to improve this technological wonder of the modern world. This model has not only made the Internet very open—a testbed for innovation by anyone, anywhere—it's also prevented vested interests from taking control.
But last week the UN Committee on Science and Technology announced that only governments would be able to sit on a working group set up to examine improvements to the IGF—one of the Internet’s most important discussion forums. This move has been condemned by the Internet Governance Caucus, the Internet Society (ISOC), the International Chamber of Commerce and numerous other organizations—who have published a joint letter (PDF) and launched an online petition to mobilize opposition. Petition: UN Needs to Ensure Open and Inclusive Internet Governance. The UN Needs to Ensure an Open and Inclusive Approach to Internet Governance. IGF-Working-Group-Decision1. Is a UN Internet takeover looming? Not quite. Perhaps you saw or heard the headlines last Friday or over the weekend: the United Nations could take over the Internet!
(Or, as the Drudge Report put it, "UN PLANS INTERNET REGULATION. ") This, you may not be surprised to learn, isn't quite accurate. A UN working group is currently talking about what, if anything, it could do to improve the operation of its Internet Governance Forum (IGF), a group devoted to dialogue but possessing no decision-making powers.
But some are making plans to give the UN far more power. Back in 2006, the UN endorsed a call from the World Summit on the Information Society to create a multi-stakeholder forum for dialogue about Internet governance issues. IGF does plenty of jawing, which can be quite useful, but it doesn't actually have any power. IGF meetings gather delegates from government, industry, and civil society for a big annual shindig. Indeed, there was such a proposal law week, though it came out of a separate process. Cutting through the cant. Google and Verizon Joint Submission on the Open Internet. Net Neutrality as Diplomacy | Yale Law and Policy Review. A joint policy proposal for an open Internet. Posted by Alan Davidson, Google director of public policy and Tom Tauke, Verizon executive vice president of public affairs, policy, and communications The original architects of the Internet got the big things right.
By making the network open, they enabled the greatest exchange of ideas in history. By making the Internet scalable, they enabled explosive innovation in the infrastructure. It is imperative that we find ways to protect the future openness of the Internet and encourage the rapid deployment of broadband. Verizon and Google are pleased to discuss the principled compromise our companies have developed over the last year concerning the thorny issue of “network neutrality.” In October, our two companies issued a shared statement of principles on network neutrality. 1. 2. Today our CEOs will announce a proposal that we hope will make a constructive contribution to the dialogue. Third, it’s important that the consumer be fully informed about their Internet experiences. Google, Verizon and net neutrality: reaction from the web | Technology. Google and Verizon have put forward a joint policy framework aimed at allaying fears the two companies could bring an end to the internet principle of net neutrality.
In a joint op-ed in the Washington Post today, the Google chief executive, Eric Schmidt, and his Verizon counterpart, Ivan Seidenberg, outlined their "commitment to an open internet", saying "blocking and degrading internet traffic is antithetical to the principles of openness and consumers' expectations". Long-running talks between the US media and telecoms regulator, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and a host of big internet companies – including Google and US telecoms operator Verizon – broke down last week amid reports of the two companies trying to forge a deal in private, something they both denied.
But the two companies have been discussing the concept of net neutrality – an internet tenet stating that all content should be delivered at the same speed on a level playing field – for some time. "[...] "[...] Industry Cautious on Net Neutrality Rules. FCC Commissioner On Verizon-Google Proposal: Time To Put Consumers First. Why Google Became A Carrier-Humping, Net Neutrality Surrender Monkey (UPDATED) | Epicenter ANALYSIS — In 2007, when the Android OS was still vaporware, Google made a gutsy $4.6 billion bet on mobile net neutrality. While they never had to pay out the money, that all-in move forced the FCC to license wireless spectrum with binding rules that finally force the wireless carrier that wins a spectrum auction to let Americans use whatever handsets, services and apps they wanted to connect to it. Verizon, which eventually outbid Google, howled with outrage and filed a lawsuit against those rules, which Google rightly derided as an “attempt to prevent consumers from having any choice of innovative services.”
Fast-forward to 2010. Google and Verizon announced Monday, as part of their bilateral net neutrality trade agreement they want Congress to ratify, that open wireless rules were unnecessary. That’s fancy language for: Verizon and the nation’s telecoms have yet again won, Google officially became a net neutrality surrender monkey, and you — as an American — have lost. Facebook Enters the Google-Verizon Net Neutrality Debate. A paper trail of betrayal: Google's net neutrality collapse. Compromis over netneutraliteit mislukt. Google Is Anakin, Verizon Is The Emperor, And The Dark Side Is Winning.
Franken: Net Neutrality "Biggest Issue Since Freedom of Reli. Keen on … Net Neutrality: Is America Losing its Edge? (TCTV) Phase II - - ONI Home Page. Bill of Rights in Cyberspace, amended « BuzzMachine. Net neutrality is hypocrisy. Neutrality Or Bust. EXCLUSIVE: FCC Dems Narrowing Net Neutrality Gaps. Net-neutrality battle peaks. Senate Session. Al Franken: The Most Important Free Speech Issue of Our Time. De Maizière scheint für staatliche Regelung zu Netzneutralität zu sein : netzpolitik.org. Google / Verizon.
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