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Originally Posted by B_Maverick
Hmmm...trying to turn the internet into cable TV. That's a bit disconcerting. I suppose, though that as long as I have options on how to connect to the internet, I can get around any filtering that cox tries to impose.
In a way, this would be like reverting back to AOL before they actually had a web browser. I think the marketplace has shown that unrestricted access is preferable to AOL filtered content.
I guess the real question is...how many people are going to switch to sattelite, or opt for the "unrestricted access" option?
From a corporate standpoint this concept makes sense...why not restrict access, and then charge more for less restrictions. This is obviously how cable tv works.
There is one big difference that might stop this from happening...Most people don't give a crap what is playing on channel 929. Their viewing is pretty much self-limited to a few channels and shows. On the other hand, when I search for something on google, I don't want to see narrowly filtered results. I want to see every website that has information on Ben Franklin...or Dam Building...or The Great Wall of China.
Hopefully the marketplace will never let this happen. The market seems to want less restrictions...not more.
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The marketplace wants freedom, equal access and no restrictions. corporations and the governments that they control would love to segregate the internet, break it up into a land of virtual toll roads where everyone deposits a quarter at every network boundary they encounter.
Freedom wont protect itself, it needs someone to protect it. The same is true with the marketplace. You mark my words, if this is allowed to go through, I dare say it will be one of the most significant moments in history you or I will live through. It will mark the exact moment in time that the human race begins its long journey back into the stone ages.