The two-tiered Internet
 

Here is a short article discussing the formal announcemments by Bell South and AT&T about creating an extra fast bandwidth channel, for extra cost, and their plans to charge content providers more to be on it - as well as extra costs for consumers; though no announcement has been made as to how much extra they want to charge for it. Here is an article discussing today's fight on the issue before Congress.

fuck that.

AOL want to start charging per email sent. that is ball suckage

Yahoo is also going to start charging per e-mail. While it is voluntary for now, it seems that is the model the Internet companies want to force us into.

Here is another article on the subject of an Internet fast lane. Here is an excerpt from the article as to the legality of blocking web sites from rivals and others:

"The emerging competition raises the fear that phone companies could block access to rivals' websites. A prohibition against such a practice was lifted when the Federal Communications Commission deregulated phone-company broadband services last year.

As a condition for approval of the SBC-AT&T and Verizon-MCI mergers, those companies must refrain from blocking access to websites for two years. Phone companies say they would never impede such access, and telecom-reform bills in Congress would outlaw the practice."

While these companies have a 2 year limit, other phone companies still have one - unless Congress acts.

Man this is pathetic...