(no subject)

[plutherus]

Last week, congress voted down network neutrality. This is an issue cared about by almost nobody, but with some possibly long-reaching implications. Network neutrality is the idea that your ISP can't discriminate amongst the data it carries. They can charge you for bandwidth, but they can't block or delay traffic because of content. Why is this important? Well, here's an editorial from last year describing what just happened. Put another way, I use Skype as my home phone. I currently pay $38.00/year for it. Comcast, my ISP, has their own VOIP service, which they're bringing to my neighborhood starting next week. They charge $39.95/month for it (and that's the special introductory price!) How can they compete? Simple. It is now legal for them to delay Skype's signal. They still can't legally block it, but just a second or so latency would be enough to render it unuseable. There's been rumours that they've already been doing this in areas where their own VOIP is available. They deny doing it, of course, but they did just lobby congress to make it legal. I guess I'll find out next week.

In other news, Rush Limbaugh got caught will illegal drugs again. OK, so it was just Viagra this time, not painkillers, but it was a prescription that he had intentionally kept off-book by not using his own name, in direct violation of his parole, which stipulates no more doctor shopping. A normal person would be thrown into jail for many years for this (or for life, if Rush had gotten the laws he advocated :). Any bets?

And, in other news, in today's SPAM, in addition to ads for Canadian meds, more deposed Nigerian officials offering me money, and products to make my "penis and/or breasts LARGER!" (It's the "and/or" that I love in that one), I got one offering "see my pictures I'm young and sweet and roll dice" - my god, somebody's trying to sell porn of women playing Dungeons and Dragons! I predict *somebody's* gonna make a lot of money!

Comments

[thiebes.livejournal.com]

Last week, congress voted down network neutrality.

Uh... they did?

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/6/27/231713/997

Or do you mean the House only? I thought this issue was still up in the air.

[casfic.livejournal.com]

I care about it, but what the hell do I know, I'm just a European, I mean we're trying to fine Microsoft!

[thiebes.livejournal.com]

Ron Wyden is threatening filibuster:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/6/28/20337/0262