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- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -19/+163***** the telcos
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+98You see, there are these tubes...
- SoCalDissident, on 10/12/2007, -1/+86I think you answered your own question. Why pay money to develop innovations that *might* win you customers, when you can spend money to get officials to grant you guaranteed business, which you can then use to buy more officials and in turn buy yourself more business?
- iamhrh, on 10/12/2007, -2/+69Well, digg this down if ya'll think its irrelevant, but this is an email I just send to virtually everyone in my address book. I was trying to at least give them a primer to the issues at hand here, so give me some feedback maybe?
I realize that most of you I am emailing this to probably won't fully understand alot of the technical aspects of what is at stake here, but I wanted to pass this information on none the less. This is a very important issue to me, and it should be something that all of you are aware of as well. If we don't want America to wind up playing second fiddle technologically, it is imperitive that we STOP allowing the telecommunication giants from walking all over us. Did you know they have actually set up FAKE grassroots organizations to decieve the public?
The topic under debate lately in congress has been over a concept called "Net Neutrality." What this means is that internet providers (we're talking the backbone of the internet in the US: AT&T, Comcast, Verizon, SBC (Now Merged with AT&T), and Qwest) would like to begin charging extra to "guarantee" service to certain types of content providers. The primary types of internet traffic that will be the first to suffer: VoIP and IPTV.
Chances are you've at least heard of VoIP, though I doubt that most of you have heard of IPTV. In essence, these are ground-breaking changes to the way we talk with each other & the way we watch television. I'd love to go into more detail on both, but I'm going to use VoIP to explain what it is the Telcos are going to do if we let them.
VoIP is a technology that allows you to hold a telephone call over an internet connection. Why is this great? It opens up a vast number of new ways to communicate, first of all. For instance, VoIP technology is already enabling millions of businesses to allow their employees to work from home, while still being a part of the corporate phone system. Vonage provides home phone service with UNLIMITED calling to US, Canada, Mexico, and Several EU countries ... for $24.99 a month. Did I mention that it includes more calling features than your local phone provider could ever hope to offer?
Sounds wonderful, doesn't it? Oh, and did you know that your telephone service, as provided by AT&T (or whoever does your local phone service, Bellsouth or whatever) should be costing you around $0.016 a month? [Source: Techdirt]. They're scared to death that their business model is about to come crashing down, so they are kicking and screaming and screwing all of us. How?
Back to congress. Telcos are spending BILLIONS lobbying with (read: buying out) senators and representatives to prevent them from passing legislation preventing them from acting like the monopolies they are. They form decietful "grassroots" organizations that decieve those who buy it hook, line, and sinker. I'm honestly fed up. Fed up because I am unable to even PICK A DIFFERENT INTERNET PROVIDER, but the thing that burns me up most? Most of the billions that has kept these companies afloat has been STOLEN money. $2000 from the pocket of every tax-paying American (and that is a LOW estimate).
http://www.newnetworks.com/ShortSCANDALSummary.htm
I know I've rambled a little here, but this is absolutely critical to our continued success as a nation. We are now already about 10 years behind, and if we don't get our butts in gear, the generations to come won't be able to see the US as the great nation it can be.
If I can clear any questions up, or if you just want more information, please email me: iamhrh@gmail.com
Please forward this to people you know, talk to your senators & representatives, rant & rave because you just found out the same companies that rip you off every month also stole $2000 from you and are now using that stolen money to ensure that they will be able to continue screwing you in the future. - truspector, on 10/12/2007, -4/+71Why can't the telcos redirect the money they are using to buy the government to upgrade their network. Seems stupid for (Government$ -> Telcos$ -> Government$).
- numist, on 10/12/2007, -1/+56The media didnt make a hype because their content is distributed by (and they are also owned by, in a lot of cases) the telcos
- gregorrothfuss, on 10/12/2007, -8/+61a better title would have been: The $200B broadband scandal: Biggest fraud in american history
- somnus, on 10/12/2007, -42/+91I think that honour is resevered for the Iraq war.
- MioTheGreat, on 10/12/2007, -1/+39That's because we don't have the equipment in place to handle it cheaply. We're supposed to, though. That's kind of the point of the article.
- YourTechSupport, on 10/12/2007, -2/+40It'd be more cost effective to drag out everyone who votes yes for this into the street and shoot them.
Not necessarily kill them, but simply injure them. Do it enough times they'll catch on. We paid already. - sossling, on 10/12/2007, -3/+40Replace telco friendly Senators/Congressmen like Orrin Hatch with intelligent people like Pete Ashdown (www.pashdown.org) and you might hear a political leader who can speak both intelligently and eloquently on technology.
- TheIguana, on 10/12/2007, -2/+32Typical big business, rather than actually use the money your being given to make your network better. Just use it to make your share holders happier by getting subsidizes and lowering costs. Where was the FCC and Congress when this whole fiasco was going on, you would think they would notice $200 billion disappear. Better question where the hell was the media, why were they not making a big deal of this and hyping this utter waste by businesses?
Iggy - mandarin, on 10/12/2007, -2/+29Screw Verizon.
- Strangers, on 10/12/2007, -2/+28I think he literally envisions "packets" as parcels. Someone probably explained to him that VOIP packets are too big for the tubes.
Loser >_> - kwaddell, on 10/12/2007, -2/+27Um...You obviously misread the article.
"Starting in the early 1990's, the Clinton-Gore Administration had aggressive plans to create the "National Infrastructure Initiative" to rewire ALL of America with fiber optic wiring, replacing the 100 year old copper wire. The Bell companies — SBC, Verizon, BellSouth and Qwest, claimed that they would step up to the plate and rewire homes, schools, libraries, government agencies, businesses and hospitals, etc. if they received financial incentives."
This in no way reflects poorly on the Clinton/Gore administration. In fact it seems to me that they were trying to do the right thing. (note to all the right wingers: I am not saying it is Bush Co's Fault either) the True Fault goes to the companies who were given the money and did not produce what they had promised. So... read carefully next time and stop seeing everything so blue and red. - bbatsell, on 10/12/2007, -1/+26Actually, it puts the blame on the telcos, which is exactly where the blame belongs.
- BlackCow, on 10/12/2007, -3/+28If they stole all this money from the government shouldent something happen? Like I herd that in some countries if you steal something you go to jail (this big box with bars). Yes I know a strange concept but it makes it so people dont want to steal as much. I think the government should try it.
- kalisphoenix, on 10/12/2007, -2/+26Not only cost-effective, but good clean fun. I'm down, YourTechSupport.
- haxx4, on 10/12/2007, -2/+25I have 6mb down and 384kb up from Comcast for $50/mo. Both speeds leave much to be desired as far as online gaming, bittorrent, and a home server go.
- Loonacy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+22This has got to be the highest point total for a post where 1/3 of the words are "*****".
- kubudubudubuntu, on 10/12/2007, -15/+37i got 100Mbit and im pointing and laughing at the American Internet
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+21***** AT&T as well.
- thenutty1, on 10/12/2007, -2/+20Actually, it did. Although it was over a period of time, not necessarily in a lump sum.
- quasipalm, on 10/12/2007, -4/+21Um, if you'd read the article, it isn't about the government overreaching, it's about the telco's overreaching.
If it weren't for the occasional intervention of government, you'd probably be paying for Internet access from Ma Bell for 50 cents a minute, on a Bell Labs leased machine running Bell OS. - kubudubudubuntu, on 10/12/2007, -12/+29and its for about 40$ a month i must add,,, from Sweden
- dextroz, on 10/12/2007, -10/+26because purely capitalistic markets can never think beyond their wallets when they reach a certain threshold...
- YourTechSupport, on 10/12/2007, -2/+17Damn short editing times!
I treid to write *and maim them with baseballs bats made out of thousand dollar bills* instead. I don't need another visit from idiots claiming to be with "National Security".
Yes, they said 'National Security". Idiots. - da_bradler, on 10/12/2007, -3/+18the telcos in the states are just disgusting I mean they spend more time trying to charge us more for wire that's freaking 50 years old then uping there systems, maybbe if they rebuilt the system when they were supposed too they wouldn't have these degrading networks on which service is so slow. god makes me mad I mean god dammit we need to kick these pricks out and switch to a public company I mean they spend more time lining there pockets and lobbying them making sure there is up time, god ***** dammit
- frankinla, on 10/12/2007, -1/+14Actually, part of it's those fees... they call em regulatory fees or something.... you know the ones that make your $39/mo plan into $50/mo plan.. .the government never sees the money, so it's not a tax per se. Also, part of it is the huge tax breaks they get to write off obsolete equipment... they write it off but continue to use it (circuit switches, etc).
Basically, we're getting hosed. They are charging us for new equipment they aren't putting in place, and getting a tax break to obsolete equipment they keep using. Gotta luv competition, though... if you're a US Senator that is. Competition for vote just keeps pushing those donations higher and higher! - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+14Good thing someone was wise enough to post it again, i didnt see it the first time.
- alandd, on 10/12/2007, -2/+14"$200 billion dollars to build up the Internet's infrastructure"
I have seen reference to this expenditure of tax monies many times in these net neutrality discussions. I have not found a source reference to where this number comes from or what the conditions were specified for it to be spent. Can someone point to a reference to the law or source of this number please?
(Not trolling. Just not wanting to wade through oodles of google results.) - fozzie, on 10/12/2007, -1/+13"Shut up little guy! I am allowed to swindle because I lobby!"
Sincerely,
Insert your favorite telco here. - tastypastry, on 10/12/2007, -4/+16This is about taking away your freedom of speech.
- jholdaway, on 10/12/2007, -0/+12Goodbye to all the 7 bucks a month to my 5 websites with 400Gb transfer and 15GB Diskspace... hello half the bandwidth, double the cost and only one website! /cry
- FatHed, on 10/12/2007, -2/+14"online gaming" requires very little bandwidth, you bigger issue there is latency, which will be worse once they QOS the net.
- elnerdo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10Orwell? But Orwell was in the 40's.. ( 48 ).
Maybe you're thinking of Huxley? (Brave New World; You should read it). His was actually about capitalism getting too out of hand (Actually appropriate for this article) than government becoming too out of hand ( well, actually, the corporations basically became the government.. ) - OBKenobi, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11[quote]Typical big business, rather than actually use the money your being given to make your network better. Just use it to make your share holders happier by getting subsidizes and lowering costs.[/quote]
With those shareholders many times being the same people who passed off the funds to them in the first place.
They imprison drug dealers, but these white collar crooks get away with embezzling billions in taxes annually.
America is not only not a true Democracy, it's not even truly Capitalist. How is giving billions in tax revenue to protected monopolies any different than a socialist government? Oh yes, that's right. In a socialist government, you actually get some kind of service out of it. Americans get what? They get screwed! - kubudubudubuntu, on 10/12/2007, -3/+13@johnlewin, its that such a big country with the biggest economy in the world cant handle fiber optics deployment
- diggnatious, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10Given that US companies (and government) control many of the root DNS servers and peering points, it will affect international traffic.
- GLucas, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9I suppose that's why it says "Korea and Japan have 40-100 Mbps at cheap prices"
- Overlord, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9It will never be enough. These companies don't care about improving things, they only care about money. They probably owe us 10 gigabits a second by now for how much money they have gotten from many sources including federal and local governments. They simply will delay things as long as possible to keep making as much money as possible. It's amazing how far they will go to make more money without improving anything.
- deadbaby, on 10/12/2007, -4/+13As if we needed more proof that we've lost all control of our government... here it is.
- macgabriel87, on 10/12/2007, -2/+10the telcos dont allow bandwidth to websites that talk about the sources
- elephantdog, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9Haha! The idea someone from the FBI, NSA, etc. would follow up a worthless comment on digg! If they do, yes, they are ***** idiots- people vent here, the terrorists are all over on Slashdot pretending to be nice.
- helikopter, on 10/12/2007, -2/+10ehh. nevermind. i would have talked but i noticed you're just another person fishing for ways to strike down clinton/gore... some feeble attempt to rationalize bush's presence in office or something.
- repi, on 10/12/2007, -3/+11I get 100/100 mbit aswell, for about $30 a month here in Stockholm, Sweden. Oh the joy :)
- Langford, on 10/12/2007, -6/+14There shoud be an investigation, ending in lots of jailtime for some rich @#$%^&*.
- lazyguy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7Time to start our own goddamn country.
- cwalk, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7I am shocked and disgusted by the waste of taxpayer’s dollars and overall harm to the US economy.
- therernospoons, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7Telcos are right up there with electric companies and are the biggest monopoly since standard oil. What they do when they think they are at a loss is to go cry to the Feds, thereby jacking up our rates to compensate for their "losses," which in reality their losses are just a myth.
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