Despite the rules governing the 700 Mhz auction, Verizon has arrogantly decided that they are somehow not required to participate. Well, hell, that’s exactly what one ought to expect when there is a lawless administration, but that’s another story…

Google Accuses Verizon of Planning to Dodge 700 MHz Open Access Rules

Verizon has taken the public position that it may exclude its handsets from the open access condition. Verizon believes it may force customers who want to access the open platform using a device not purchased from Verizon to go through “Door No. 1,” while allowing customers who obtain their device from Verizon access through “Door No. 2.”

“When the FCC announced the open access requirements, Verizon asked the the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to find those conditions unlawful and only withdrew its appeal after that court denied Verizon’s request for an expedited review and after the wireless industry’s trade association, CTIA, filed a similar appeal”

Therefore, screw the court! Great attitude, and they somehow deserve credibility? Trust?

You may not like Google but, as in reality, thank God they exist!

“On Friday, Google urged the FCC to block Verizon Wireless’ $4.7 successful bid for the C Block band of spectrum in the recently completed 700 MHz auction unless Verizon is forced to agree that open access rules apply to handsets it provides its own customers. Specifically, Google claims that Verizon Wireless has no intention of abiding by the open access rules governing the C block spectrum for devices it gives to its own customers and that the FCC should condition Verizon’s grant upon a clear commitment that Verizon will not exclude these handsets from the requirement.”

Perhaps someone might want to check into how many Congressmen/lawyers/judges are in Verizon’s pocket? Oh, no, sorry, that sounds undemocratic…

Read more at Broadband Reports.

Post from: EveryJoe

Sure – Trust A Telco – Go Ahead…

Google: Spectrum bid goal was openness, not winning

Google says it participated in the recent wireless spectrum auction not with the goal to win, but to help drive bidding high enough to ensure that open-access rules it had pushed for would be adopted.

“Google’s top priority heading into the auction was to make sure that bidding on the so-called ‘C Block’ reached the $4.6 billion reserve price that would trigger the important ‘open applications’ and ‘open handsets’ license conditions,” Richard Whitt, Washington telecom and media counsel, and Joseph Faber, corporate counsel, wrote in a posting Thursday on Google’s Public Policy Blog.

That post makes reference to an entry from last July which says;

Our position is simple enough. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin and the other commissioners have argued persuasively that we need a real third pipe broadband competitor in this country. They also believe that the upcoming 700 MHz auction is the best way to get there. All we are saying is that, based on what we know, new broadband competition will emerge from the upcoming auction only if the FCC’s rules allow it to happen. For Google, and other potential new entrants, the prevailing imbalance can be corrected most effectively by introducing license conditions based on open platforms.

I believe the day will come, perhaps not in the immediate future – possibly much later – as whatever democracy is left, when folks look back, this effort by Google will be seen as truly beneficial to all. Unless, the Telcos gain immunity…

Post from: EveryJoe

Google Improved Part of Your Future

Hat tip to The EFF. Did you know that: “the wholesale price to Time Warner for 40gb for a month amounts to about $3.”

“While the cable industry suggests the move is to recoup costs incurred by heavy users, the low caps they’ve got planned (ranging from 5 to 40GB) are raising a lot of eyebrows.”

Once again new information emerges regarding Time Warner’s about-to-be-implemented overage charges for bandwidth consumption. I’ve found one comment of maximum interest;

swhx7 says:

“If it’s pay-by-transfer-amount with neutrality, or “unlimited” transfer with discrimination (i.e. filtering by traffic content or destination), then the per-gig pricing is the lesser evil.

The ridiculously low caps they’re talking about, however, could amount to a big rate hike for even moderate users.

I think what we’re seeing here is the ISPs trying to exhaust all alternatives to wring more money out of subscribers without spending on upgrades. Only when they reach the point of diminishing returns on these tactics – or face competition, whichever comes first – will they finally resort to upgrading the infrastructure for more capacity.”

I continue to wonder why the solution is so amazingly simple yet no one is willing to take care of the infrastructure. Oh, sorry, that’s right – its about money… yours and mine. They think the well will never run dry. Obviously they’re not paying attention to the economic news.

Post from: EveryJoe

The Proposed Caps On Bandwidth

Couldn’t Help But Notice (123007)
By TBlumer
Google, with its transparently self-interested advocacy of “Net Neutrality,” is already engaging in rent-seeking and position-cementing behavior. Its (and Yahoo’s) willingness to sell out to the Chinese police state reveals the …

Another confused anti-Neutrality Op-Ed
An anti-Net Neutrality Op-Ed in today’s Seattle Times, Hysteria Makes for Bad Law, by information technology provider Avis Yates Rivers, is so riddled with omissions and sloppy logic, I do not know where to start taking it apart. …

The Year in First Amendment Rights: Victories
By blog@aclu.org (James Tucker, Policy Counsel, ACLU)
This week, I’ll be blogging in more detail about net neutrality; internet censorship; national security and free speech; television censorship; and media consolidation and free speech. We hope that 2008 will promise greater protections …

What Will 2008 Bring?
By Matthew Woolums
I also think that Net Neutrality will be both more important, and more imperiled. Oh, and of course, something will come along that I didn’t expect, I probably won’t understand, and I’ll dismiss it as an unimportant passing fad, …

(Here’s Hoping That) The Emotional Center Cannot Hold
By tekel
GE’s approach to running NBC news, and the general phenomenon of ratings-driven news, is the very best argument for why net neutrality is essential to the future of American democracy.

Dorothy Margraf has CRITICAL infomation for us
By Constance Cumbey(Constance Cumbey)
If passed it will be another step toward creating an internet policing apparatus complete with watch-lists and user profiles and all the follies associated with the suppression of civil liberties online.If you thought net neutrality was …

How the Grinches Stole Net Neutrality
ISPs in the United States and Canada are trying to equate peer-to-peer file sharing with illegal content pirating in order to justify their violations of Net Neutrality. But their argument is just a clever smokescreen to mask their true …

CNet quizzes the Presidential candidates on technology
By Martin
CNet’s Declan McCullagh and Anne Broache sent 10 technology-oriented questions to the candidates, discussing net neutrality, Internet taxation, REAL ID, wiretapping, and other issues, and CNet has published the answers as part of their …

Setting the Stage for a People-Powered Web in 2008
By Timothy Karr
Hillary Clinton `pledged her support for Net Neutrality in January. In May, John Edwards called for true open access while standing alongside millions of activists who support Net Neutrality. Barack Obama’s unveiled a comprehensive open …

Cisco Charts New Course
eWeek – New York, NY
I’m thinking specifically about net neutrality. For me, the question with net neutrality is: What are we trying to accomplish? We’re trying to get broadband …

Post from: EveryJoe

Net Neutrality Links 01-06-2008

A Web 2.0 Christmas Fairy Tale
By Stan Schroeder
Net neutrality is strictly adhered to except on BitTorrent Day, a special day in the year when corporate customers get their bandwidth reduced to let the BitTorrent users leech 20% more stuff. And finally, the increased income from …

Year in review: Quiet year for tech on Capitol Hill
by Anne Broach
It was also a quiet year for an issue that so dominated the political debate in 2006: Net neutrality. Just after Congress opened its new session, two senators reintroduced a 2006 bill that would generally prohibit broadband operators from prioritizing Internet content, and House Democratic leaders predicted it would top their tech agenda this year. But no action has been taken on the Senate proposal; no counterpart bill has emerged in the House as of mid-December; and no congressional hearings were held, although thousands of comments on the topic poured into the Federal Communications Commission during the summer.

Cross-ownership and new media
By Dan Kennedy
As long as we can preserve net neutrality, such a mediascape is almost certain to come into being. And, at that point, there will no longer be a rationale for regulating the media. For some 80 years now, the FCC has regulated the …

(Over) Simplifying the Complex
By Larry Downes
A few weeks ago, I published an op-ed opposing pending Net Neutrality legislation. The editorial appeared simultaneously on both CNet and ZDNet. Of course there are many in the technology community who disagree with me and who believe …

Satellite Internet Exchange: Nayasat
The peering arrangement allows local ISPs to exchange traffic on a barter basis, rather than on a cash basis—net neutrality being the key. Such arrangements bypass ITU protocol, regarding revenue sharing and allow net lower cost to all …

Broadband is everywhere in Taiwan–why not the US?
By Martin
GigaOm’s Om Malik points to a story detailing how broadband access is available for practically every city and community in Taiwan. This is a tremendous accomplishment for any country and one to be proud of, but it also draws more attention to the fact that the United States–supposedly the technological leader and innovator of the free world–is falling further and further behind in its adoption of broadband Internet services nationwide …

Fixing What Isn’t Broken
By Harry
She wants to end net neutrality and proposes pricing and policy changes by Internet Service providers (ISPs). In any other business model, growing to meet this demand would be easy. …

The Smartest, Dumbest Tech Moves of ‘07
PC World – USA
“And messing with the protocol in the way Comcast did with forged TCP packets was a dumb move, especially when the net neutrality issue is dying down.” …

And So This Was Christmas By Eileen Fleming (Vanunu)
By dandelionsalad
Nor will it; as long as there is Net Neutrality and truth, justice and peace seekers. In an email received from Vanunu on December 26, 2007 he wrote:. Bad news, Dec. 25 th. The police come to the American Colony to arrest me. …

“Black Blogging Year In Review: We Did It!” – - Yobachi
By Francis L. Holland Blog
That’s why it’s so important that we FIGHT FOR NET NEUTRALITY! If IPOs or search engines can control what websites you can go to on their services, it’sa wrap. We’re back to the same thing because then they could block us out. The net neutrality thing is something that all bloggers from all walks should come together to fight for – liberal, conservative, moderate – black or white – socio-politically conscious or celebrity bloggers; we all have the same stake in fighting for this one. …

Post from: EveryJoe

Net Neutrality Links 12-30-2007

There is an unfathomable amount money to be made in this market!

Online Entertainment Steals TV Viewers

Pro and amateur videos, social networking and even streaming TV shows are luring audiences to the Web, study shows

NEW YORK (Reuters) – “More television viewers are turning to the Internet to watch videos, films and TV episodes, according to a new survey. In the past year, YouTube has widened its lead as the top destination for online videos, while search engines and television networks have gained ground.

Approximately 65 percent of the 2,455 U.S. adults surveyed by Harris Interactive said they have watched a video on YouTube, compared to 42 percent during the same time last year.

“Viewing videos online seems to inspire a sense of adventure, particularly among younger viewers,” Joan Barten Kline, a spokeswoman for the company, said in a statement.”

Sooo – how many of you remember the rotary phone, black and white TV, AM radio?

[Image Credit - Atracks Search Engine Marketing and Web Analytics Training]

Post from: EveryJoe

Do You Really Not Perceive This Is Happening?

Striking writers in talks to launch Web start-ups
By The Home Office
That’s why we’re so strongly in favor of Net Neutrality — because without NN, these efforts will run into the same Big Media distribution roadblocks as television. The Writers strike has hastened that evolution, as this LA Times story …

T-Mobile Attacks Net Neutrality Unnecessarily: Twitter Problem Not Its Fault
Wired Blogs – USA
The argument T-Mobile’s serviceperson offers is useful because it outlines the straightforward, no-messing-around strategy that bandwidth providers have for killing net neutrality: block the customer, then treat the backlash as a standard-issue legal grindhouse: terms of service, binding arbitration, and other legal minutiae will win the day. Its reps are already promulgating these canned arguments, even when they’re irrelevant to the problem at hand. …

Ten Worst Telco Moments of 2007
By lerskine
In the last year, phone and cable companies have been throttling the free flow of information on the Internet and cell phones — giving us a glimpse of a world without Net Neutrality. A review of the ten worst telco moments of 2007 in …

Why the Coming Data Flood Won’t Drown the Internet
Slashdot – USA
A closer look reveals that many of those raising the alarm about an exaflood are generally doing so to make the case against ‘Net neutrality regulation. …

Congress slow on tech issues in ‘07
ITworld.com – Framingham,MA,USA
Net neutrality: Many consumer groups and Internet-based companies continued to call on Congress to pass a net neutrality law, which would prohibit broadband …

TechCrunch Gets ‘08 Contenders to Come Clean on Net Neutrality, ID Theft
ABC News – USA
TechCrunch, which is read by more than 400,000 people monthly according to Nielsen/NetRatings, will allow readers to vote on its site for a Republican and a Democratic presidential candidate based on the candidate’s stance on issues such as net neutrality and ID theft.

Latest Pathetic Mud-Slinging Attempt Smears Ron Paul As “Zionist Shill”
The “everything’s a conspiracy crowd” just cannot temper their paranoia for long enough to accept the fact that, while we may not agree with the Congressman on every issue – such as net neutrality or what happened on 9/11, …

New Net neutrality proposal planned for January
By Anne Broache
The pro-Net neutrality lobby hasn’t seen much action on legislation billed as necessary to “save the Internet” this year. But a key congressional Democrat says to expect a new push in 2008. Rep. Edward Markey …

The Telecom Trotskyites
Financial Post – Toronto,Ontario,Canada
Another fave topic for these laptop revolutionaries is “net neutrality.” The basic objective here is to turn the Internet and broadband into a wide-open …

Network neutrality | Freedom of expression at risk
Seattle Times – United States
Consumer groups are pushing for a net-neutrality law that bans ISPs from degrading content and charging extra for Web sites to load as fast as possible. …

The “…and Technology” Debate
By David Robinson
On net neutrality, to take another case, those who favor intervention tend to think that a bad outcome (with network balkanization and a drag on innovators) will occur under a laissez-faire regime. Those who oppose intervention see a …

Post from: EveryJoe

Net Neutrality Links 12-23-2007

Wireless open access: happening or not?
Computerworld Australia – Australia
“Seems like carriers and content providers alike have been bitten by the open access bug. Big news recently was Verizon’s announcement that it plans to open up its wireless network to any device or application. And Google upped the ante by announcing its intention to bid on the available 700-MHz spectrum in upcoming auctions, a portion of which, thanks to Google’s lobbying efforts, is required to be open access as well.”

Engineers: P2P is not “fair” usage; Reverse Robin Hood: Bandwidth rich steal from bandwidth poor
By Scott Cleland
To my delight, one of the technical issues they recently discussed has great import to net neutrality and the FreePress petition on Comcast’s reasonable network management. Kudos to Iljitsch van Beijnum who wrote “Growth of P2P leads …
[Of course relative bandwidth gluttons like Google, eBay and Moveon.org support net neutrality, its all about forcing the many to subsidize their high relative bandwidth usage.] – (Oy Vey!)

RIAA, MPAA, on new ‘worst’ list
By Jon
And the issues which keep them in business, operating against the public interest, are “digital rights management and fair use, patent law, broadband speed and reach, wireless spectrum and network neutrality”. PC World’s Mark Sullivan, …

In Test, Canadian ISP Splices Itself Into Google Homepage
By Sarah Lai Stirland
A screen shot posted to the web over the weekend seems to show that Canada’s largest provider of high-speed internet access is exploring a controversial data substitution technique that lets it add its own content to the webpages customers visit. Expect this development to become Exhibit A in the case for net neutrality legislation.

Can ISPs Overwrite Your Web Content?
By Kristen Nicole
Part of net neutrality is the delivery of information as it’s meant to be; not imposed upon by the company that’s providing access to that information. It’s a big deal when an ISP provider feels the need to modify the content, …

Canadian ISP flouts net neutrality principles again
BetaNews – USA
By Tim Conneally, beta news Rogers Yahoo, which has repeatedly come under fire for traffic shaping, has now ventured even further away from neutral ground, …
[But previous controversy for the company came also in the name of bandwidth conservation. Rogers is now well-known for throttling all encrypted traffic to keep Usenet and BitTorrent downloaders from consuming more bandwidth than everyone else.]

Rogers website messages irk Google
Toronto Star – Ontario, Canada
Rogers’ experiment is being touted by some as more evidence of the need for legislation that enshrines the so-called principle of “Net neutrality,” which …

Net Neutrality and the History of Bainbridge Island Community Network
Comcast tried to eliminate a small community online information resource in Bainbridge Island, Wash. The story cuts to the heart of the Net Neutrality issue.

Super ZDNet piece opposing net neutrality — “Save Internet Freedom – - From Regulation
By Scott Cleland
Larry Downes produced an outstanding analysis for ZDNet today which he entitled “Save Internet Freedom — From Regulation.” I strongly recommend it as it is one of the most cogent and persuasive pieces I have read in a long time on the …

Saving Internet freedom – for users – from telcos
ZDNet Blogs – USA
Larry Downes’ arguments against net neutrality are button-pushing propaganda designed to inflame, not illuminate. I expect better from a University of …

Net Neutrality outrage: reports of T-Mobile blocking Twitter
ZDNet – USA
I explained to the rep about Net Neutrality and, to be honest, she had been outraged from the start. She completely agreed with me that this was an example …

Post from: EveryJoe

Net Neutrality Links 12-16-2007

Testing for Net Neutrality
By Joe Hodnicki
Law.com reports on the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s new software that can tell you whether your internet browsing issues are due to intentional ISP interference. More info on EFF’s Test Your ISP project here. The San Francisco-based …

Google’s not feeling the love from the state of California on net neutrality
By Scott Cleland
Two prominent Californians that matter recently did not side with home state Google on Google’s pet policy crusade — net neutrality. Awwwww. I feel bad for Google… Barrons reports in “Arnold drops net neutrality” that…

Net Neutrality: “Won’t be fooled again!”
By Charles Knight
The phone companies say “the sky is falling,” the Net is degrading. Actually, it’s getting better all the time! Net Neutrality means the same treatment of every “packet” of data regardless of who is sending it, why, or to whom. …

Google Is Bluffing – Not Serious About Buying Airwaves?
By Ron Schenone
I Like This Google Rumor; Google – Writing The Rules For Its Own Net Neutrality; Google + Earthlink = GLink; Google – Adds Google Maps Australia. Google Confirms Intention to Bid in Wireless Airwaves Auction; TiVo Use Might End …

(Internet Protocol + Ethernet Transport) x QoS – (The Public Internet / Net Neutrality) = Enterprise Peering
TMCnet – USA
The Net Neutrality debate actually throws fuel on the fire of the Internet versus private IP networks. The concept of a virtual private network, or VPN, …

Book Deal – Net Neutrality
By wu
Its the “Net Neutrality book,” roughly, but with much more to it than just the last 5 years. At its most ambitious its a book on the whole point of US Media & Communications policy – There are many exciting things about Knopf: but one…

Great new analogy why Net neutrality is an irrational policy in a new The Hill editorial
By Scott Cleland
Daniel Ballon who wrote a great editorial on net neutrality for The Hill newspaper: “Net neutrality punishes everyone for Comcast’s actions.” He recounts a great analogy about how “neutral” networks on Black Monday, the stock market…

Q & A with Marvin Ammori, General Counsel of Free Press
Berkman Center intern Yvette Wohn recently caught up with Marvin, who shared his thoughts on media reform and regulation, net neutrality, and the future of the internet. Q. Why did you choose to work for Free Press? …

Reinforce digital levees before the Exaflood hits
Hollywood Reporter – United States
Suddenly, the whole concept of net neutrality starts to seem like a bad idea. On a theoretical level, it seems unfair to penalize giants like Google just …

Telecom leader says government should avoid Web regulation
Kentucky.com – Lexington,KY,USA
UStelecom CEO Walter B. McCormick Jr. described the idea of “net neutrality” – the principle that Internet traffic be treated equally by carriers – as a set …

Providers question ‘neutral net’
BBC News – UK
“Net neutrality is an issue no ISP can escape. We’re convinced that demand for bandwidth driven by innovative applications will always outstrip the physical …

Post from: EveryJoe

Net Neutrality Links 12-08-2007

“Federal communications regulators on Tuesday denied a petition by Verizon Communications Inc. that was seeking relief from government rules over how much it charges rival phone companies to access its network in six cities.

The Federal Communications Commission said “the current evidence of competition does not satisfy” its standard with any of Verizon’s requests.”

So… why do people like Scott Cleland continue to insist the opposite is true?

There seem to be additional, contradictory statements;

‘Tom Tauke, Verizon executive vice president for public affairs, policy and communications, said in a statement “If the FCC had approved these petitions, it would have permitted Verizon to provide network facilities at commercial rates,” he said. “Instead, the commission missed an opportunity to promote and encourage facilities-based competition by continuing to require one of the network providers in these markets to sell unbundled facilities at government-mandated, subsidized prices.”‘

‘Rep. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., chair of the House telecommunications and Internet subcommittee, said in a statement that he has “vigorously argued against granting this petition because it would have led to a dramatic reduction in innovation and a hike in the prices consumers pay for both traditional telecommunications and broadband services.”‘

Isn’t it amazing how two intelligent men can disagree so sharply? Bet one has more to lose… :)

Post from: EveryJoe

Ample Competition? The FCC Thinks Not