Buying the Internet, $1 million at a time

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http://alternet.org/blogs/themix/35538

 

 

 

Buying the Internet, $1 million at a time

Posted by Deanna Zandt at 6:20 AM on April 27, 2006.

 

 

 

How telcos are influencing Congress with charitable donations to take

over your Internet.

 

Oh, AT & T and your wacky antics -- what with re-routing your circuits

to pass through a government-run spy box, and now this? Donating $1

million to a community center that's sponsored by a congressman on the

House Energy and Commerce Committee... who knew you could be so

flagrant, so blatant?

 

Yesterday, the House committee voted against Network Neutrality (PEEK

has more on the vote); via TechSearch's Networking and Telecom blog,

we learn that AT & T donated a whopping million dollars to this

community center that was created by Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.), whom

the Chicago Sun-Times calls " a key player " on telecommunications

legislation. Know why he's a key player? Rush is the only Democrat to

sponsor the 'Communications Opportunity Promotion and Enhancement Act

of 2006.' He has been working with committee chair Rep. Joe Barton

(R-Texas) to promote the 'Barton-Rush' bill. " Great.

 

The grant from AT & T's charitable arm was doled out way back in 2004,

but you can't tell me that a million dollars going straight to a

charitable cause that you started isn't going to influence your

thoughts on communications and technology.

 

A CNet News.com article gives two excellent reasons why Network

Neutrality (see what that actually means here; or watch this video) is

critical to maintaining the Internet as-is, and not selling it off to

the major providers. First:

 

" Did the Bells create the Internet? Did the cable companies create

the Internet? " asked Rep. Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat and

sponsor of the amendment. " The answer is no. The Internet was built on

a different model, a public interest model, funded by American taxpayers. "

 

Exactly. And from the other side:

 

t will only be economically feasible to invest in higher-speed

links if some bandwidth can be reserved for paid content. In an

interview with CNET News.com, for instance, Verizon Chief Technology

Officer Mark Wegleitner said movie-quality video could be delivered to

DSL rs if the copyright owner would pay.

So independent artists and filmmakers who can't afford to pay the

telecoms, or at least influence them with deep-pocket incentives, have

no say in how their content reaches audiences. Currently, it's a

fairly level playing field, and with services like YouTube, OurMedia

and others, it's getting easier all the time for content creators to

get their work out there.

When you've got groups from Gun Owners of America to MoveOn teaming up

with big corporations like Microsoft, Intel, Amazon.com and Google,

that should send a message saying loud and clear that Network

Neutrailty is critically important to the future of the Internet. The

bill is headed up the food chain next week; call your representatives

and tell them to support Network Neutrality. Then head over to

SaveTheInternet.com to find out more.

Deanna Zandt is a contributing editor at AlterNet.

It's a One Party Congress Up There

Posted by: NoPCZone on Apr 27, 2006 1:28 PM

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