Jolly Roger

Corporate Takeover of the Internet

This latest act of "deregulation" will put an end to independent ISP’s, and allow a few phone and cable companies to control everyone’s internet access. The big ISP’s are already doing this. The corporate takeover of the internet will mean the end of alternative news, dissident websites, and the free exchange of information. The only websites you’ll be allowed to visit are ones that are trying to take your money. If you haven’t already done so, please download and save as much 9-11, vote fraud, and illegal war evidence as you can, because you will probably soon lose access to these websites. Prepare to take all activism off the internet. Everyone needs to begin organizing local activism groups in their community now.

Thank you. – Jolly Roger

Anything written by "Jolly Roger" is the property of the resistance movement, and the author hereby gives permission
to anyone who so desires to post, copy, print, distribute, or forward this letter as they see fit. – JR

FCC Scraps Rules Protecting DSL Competition
Cable and Telephone Internet Providers
Now Effectively Deregulated

August 5, 2005
The Federal Communications Commission has approved new rules that, in effect, release local telephone companies from sharing their DSL facilities with independent providers. The heavily-lobbied decision is supposed to create "parity" between the phone companies and their cable TV competitors.

The action follows a June Supreme Court decision that gave cable companies exclusive use of their Internet circuits. Telephone companies said the decision put them at a competitive disadvantage and the FCC promised it would quickly remedy the situation.

It did, but only after negotiations that stretched in the wee hour this morning. The four FCC commissioners expressed concern about consumers being denied a choice of DSL providers but agreed that DSL lines should be treated as an "information service" rather than as a telecommunications service.

Telecommunications services are regulated; information services are not. The Supreme Court decision essentially held that cable TV was an information service.

Today's decision means that Verizon, SBC, BellSouth and Qwest will have much greater clout in negotiating with the likes of Covad, Earthlink and others who provide DSL service over lines they lease from the telephone companies. Until now, the telephone companies have been required to lease space on their circuits at a discounted rate.

In a nod to consumer choice, the commission required that existing agreements remain in effect for one year as a "transition period." The commissioners also agreed to study what kind of rules should be adopted in the future to protect consumers.

Some consumer groups have argued that, once they are unregulated, the cable TV and telephone companies will be free to block customers' access to sites and services they consider competitive -- such as movies-on-demand offered by someone other than a cable company or Internet telephone service offered by someone other than a telephone company.

±July28'05 The Price of Apathy

± ???? 911 Silence