FCC backs two tiered internet Customer pays twice is ok by usBy Nick Farrell: Friday 24 March 2006, 06:49[Blocked Ads][Blocked Ads]THE FCC has decided to back a plan by AT&T which will mean that sites like Google which have heavy traffic will have to pay when comms companies send them customers.Under the AT&T plan, the likes of Google will have to pay a fee or suffer from throttled traffic. It will mean the end of a free and open internet and mean that the comms companies will be able to charge their customers twice for the same service.While many would have hoped that the FCC would step in to prevent what some have called ‘online extortion’ the watchdog has given its support to the move. FCC Chief Kevin Martin told the TelecomNext show that he supports such a "tiered" Internet.He said that telcos should be allowed to charge web sites whatever they want if those sites want adequate bandwidth.However, Martin did say that telcos and other ISPs should not be allowed to limit services or bandwidth, or charge sites extra fees. So, in other words, the telcos can charge more for a faster service but cannot downgrade a customer to a slower service if they do not pay up.This is all very well if Internet speeds stay the same. But if technology, or extra cabling leads to a speed increase, companies that do not pay up could be left in a slow lane in the long term.The FCC move will enable telcos to build a superfast net and charge a bomb for people to use it.
US might dump net neutrality Bill favours telecosBy Nick Farrell: Friday 07 April 2006, 08:07 A BILL WHICH is to be placed before the US Congress will enable telecoms companies to charge for people to visit high traffic sites.When the he Communications Opportunity, Promotion and Enhancement Act bill was first drafted it said that Broadband providers would not be allowed to block internet access. However,thanks to lobbying from the telecoms companies, that has been replaced and a clause which will allow the FCC to set the rules.The FCC has made it clear that it sees nothing wrong with the telecoms companies setting up two tier internets and charging big user sites, like Google, to send visitors its way.Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, eBay, Amazon.com, Skype and some advocacy groups have been pressing Congress for strict laws requiring Net neutrality, and had been hoping that bill would allow this.Last week, Verizon Communications and AT&T have back tracked from their original statements that they would set up a net for those who would pay for it and a net for those who would not.Instead they said they would invest in special pipes to provide video service.Of course if the law is changed by congress there is nothing to stop them changing their minds.
Microsoft helped write Oklahoma computer law Knock, knock. Who's there?By Nick Farrell: Monday 10 April 2006, 06:48THE GOOD people of Oklahoma asked Microsoft to help the State write a new law banning spyware, and the results are amazing.Apparently the state was so impressed with Vole’s work on the law it plans to bring it before its government for debate under the fairly harmless title "Computer Spyware Protection Act House" Bill 2083.The law is amazing, not only because it is probably the first written overtly by a major company without bothering with the tedious problem of lobbying, but because… well it is written by Microsoft, what do you think could go wrong?Under the law, people could be fined a million dollars for using viruses or surreptitious computer techniques to break into someone’s computer without that person’s knowledge and acceptance. OK so far.Now because Microsoft knows that it sometimes need to get information from their users for upgrades, it has put in a clause to allow software companies to do this. Basically the Vole law demands that a software company licence agreement tells you the sort of data they are taking.The problem is that if you agree, you give the company you bought upgradable software the freedom to come onto your computer for "detection or prevention of the unauthorized use of or fraudulent or other illegal activities in connection with a network, service, or computer software, including scanning for and removing computer software prescribed under this act." In other words if you install Vista, Microsoft can come in, snoop around your computer see if you are doing anything illegal and delete it.Vole can also read your email.
