We all knew it was coming, congress is set to amend/rewrite the 1996 Telecommunications Act. The immediate reaction from all us net geeks when this topic raises its ugly head is to collectively say... Heck no!
Consider what is happening; Verizon, AT&T and others are mulling over new fees for service on their networks and could "prioritize" content based on their own definitions. Such as streaming video or their "preferred" content. What they really mean is, pay them X amount and *poof* you are now preferred content. The internet would then be "filtered" depending on which provider you use. Sounds bad right? Yah it's bad.
Certain providers are claiming the worry over content freedom to be a non-issue. They argue that without the ability to charge more they won't be able to afford expansion of broadband networks. It all stinks! Nothing other than a Washington lobbyists attempt to garner government funding for additional infrastructure.
While part of me hates that this is being considered, the fact is, there are but a few telecom companies that support and build internet infrastructure. In this context, some kind of regulation is needed to protect everyone. Being at the mercy of the FCC however is a topic for another day.
For those that love boring government docs here is the link to new bill....http://i.n.com.com/pdf/ne/2006/comm_bill.pdf
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