[RTC List] Eureka Reporter editorial criticizes FCC "net-neutrality" decision

[Sean McLaughlin]

Eureka Reporter is way off the mark!  See my (unedited) letter to their 
editor below. 
Meanwhile, gotta love this quote from FCC Chair Kevin Martin:

"Would you be OK with the post office opening your mail, deciding they 
didn't want to bother delivering it, and hiding that fact by sending it 
back to you stamped 'address unknown - return to sender'? Or if they 
opened letters mailed to you, decided that because the mail truck is 
full sometimes, letters to you could wait, and then hid both that they 
read your letters and delayed them? Unfortunately, that is exactly what 
Comcast was doing with their subscribers' Internet traffic."


Aaron Antrim wrote:
> In an interesting twist of words, the E-R says the recent FCC decision 
> violated the principal of net-neutrality by interfering with the free 
> market.
>> A 2005 FCC policy statement outlined a set of principles meant to 
>> make sure that broadband networks are “widely deployed, open, 
>> affordable and accessible to all customers.”
>>
>> This sounds fine, so long as the FCC adheres to the “net neutrality” 
>> principle (no government interference), which is widely accepted by 
>> users and many policy-makers.
>
> http://www.eurekareporter.com/article/080802-creeping-internet-regulation
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>
>
> -------- Original Message --------
>   
> Subject: 	Creeping Editorial
> Date: 	Sun, 03 Aug 2008 13:55:45 -0700
> From: 	Sean McLaughlin <seanm707 at yahoo.com>
> To: 	editor at eurekareporter.com
>
>
>
> Dear Editor:
>
> Creepy Editorial Opposes Freedom
>
> Your Editorial today ("Creeping Internet Regulation") about the FCC
> sanctioning Comcast for blocking Internet access is terribly
> superficial, misleading and ultimately misguided. The real headline
> should read: "Unregulated Internet Provider Censors Content!"
>
> In fact, this week's "enforcement order" by the FCC is a major victory
> for those who believe in free speech and open access to uncensored and
> unfiltered information sources. The real issue here is more basic than
> so called Net Neutrality - the real issue is human freedom and the idea
> of Common Carriage.
>
> The foundation of Common Carriage policy is a basic concept: Free
> people in modern societies cannot allow special private interests to
> control access to public utilities - like streets and roads, water,
> electricity, telephone and broadband Internet - certain basic means for
> living are considered public utilities and must be available to everyone
> without discrimination.
>
> For violating Common Carriage on the Internet, the case against Comcast
> was a slam dunk. Independent tests showed Comcast systematically
> interfered with transmission of The Holy Bible, then lied about it and
> eventually cut a deal with competing interests (BitTorrent) in an
> attempt to make the issue go away.
>
> In this case, the FCC finally drew a line in the silica and took a small
> stand for Common Carriage. And your small minded editorial ("Creeping
> Internet Regulation") demonstrates why even such small steps take courage!
>
> For this courageous FCC action, all proponents of freedom - freedom of
> information, freedom of speech, and freedom of thought - should be most
> grateful.
>
> The foundations of Common Carriage policy for the Internet are clearly
> expressed in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:
> "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right
> includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek,
> receive and impart information and ideas through any media and
> regardless of frontiers." - (UN, 1948)
>
> When private Internet providers like Comcast filter, manipulate, and
> control public access to broadband communications, they need to be
> confronted for violating our basic human rights!
>
>
> Sincerely,
> Sean McLaughlin
> _______________________________________________
>
>   
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://redwoodtech.org/pipermail/list_redwoodtech.org/attachments/20080803/52a2a078/attachment.html