Sep
27
Posted on 09-27-2007 at 01:05pm
What Happens If Net Neutrality Fails
Filed Under (Ethics, Business & Development, Internet, Government & Politics) by Katherine Coble on 09-27-2007

Kevin of Lean Left highlights this story about Verizon and Naral.

Saying it had the right to block “controversial or unsavory” text messages, Verizon Wireless has rejected a request from Naral Pro-Choice America, the abortion rights group, to make Verizon’s mobile network available for a text-message program.

The other leading wireless carriers have accepted the program, which allows people to sign up for text messages from Naral by sending a message to a five-digit number known as a short code.

Text messaging is a growing political tool in the United States and a dominant one abroad, and such sign-up programs are used by many political candidates and advocacy groups to send updates to supporters.

But legal experts said private companies like Verizon probably have the legal right to decide which messages to carry. The laws that forbid common carriers from interfering with voice transmissions on ordinary phone lines do not apply to text messages.

Kevin goes further to explain what that means for the future of the Internet.

If there are no Net Neutrality rules, then this is what will eventually happen to the internet. Opinions unpopular with the handful of people who set policy at the handful of companies that control access to the Internet will decide that you aren’t allowed to go places they do not approve of.

Kleinheider is also discussing this at VV, where commenter GoldnI announces that it appears Verizon has reversed its earlier decision.

See also: TGW

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Comments

Casey on 27 September, 2007 at 2:34 pm #

Another consequence of the loss of net neutrality:

via reddit: http://reddit.com/goto?id=2rxr1


Southern Beale on 27 September, 2007 at 3:04 pm #

Well, I had a blog post about this all ready to go, but now I see it’s not necessary.

One thing the NY Times story mentioned is that apparently back in the “dark ages,” (19th Century) Western Union censored its telegraph messages, “based on the political views of people who sought to send telegrams.”

The eventual reaction to that was the common carrier rule, “which required telegraph and then phone companies to accept communications from all speakers on all topics.”

Not, it should be noted, a “conservative” telephone company competing with a “liberal” one.


Katherine Coble on 27 September, 2007 at 3:19 pm #

Casey, I love that graphic. I totally do.

Well, I had a blog post about this all ready to go, but now I see it’s not necessary.

But if you make it I can link to it.

Frankly, any idea of any corporate gateway ownership of the Internet sickens me.


Southern Beale on 27 September, 2007 at 3:49 pm #

But if you make it I can link to it.

Aw thanks, but I guess the story is about covered.


Music City Bloggers » Blog Archive » Not feeling Comcastic here in Middle Tennessee on 30 October, 2007 at 11:59 am #

[…] really time for us all to be more informed and more involved in the issue of Net Neutrality (as we’ve discussed before). Prices are only going to get higher and service and quality are only going to get […]