Death of Free Internet is Imminent

[aztec]

This may be news to some of you:

Death of Free Internet is Imminent
Canada Will Become Test Case

by Kevin Parkinson

July 20, 2008

...

However, when there are potential profits open to a corporation, the needs of society don't count. Take the recent case in Canada with the behemoths, Telus and Rogers rolling out a charge for text messaging without any warning to the public. It was an arrogant and risky move for the telecommunications giants because it backfired. People actually used Internet technology to deliver a loud and clear message to these companies and that was to scrap the extra charge. The people used the power of the Internet against the big boys and the little guys won.


However, the issue of text messaging is just a tiny blip on the radar screens of Telus and another company, Bell Canada, the two largest Internet Service Providers (ISP'S) in Canada. Our country is being used as a test case to drastically change the delivery of Internet service forever. The change will be so radical that it has the potential to send us back to the horse and buggy days of information sharing and access.

In the upcoming weeks watch for a report in Time Magazine that will attempt to smooth over the rough edges of a diabolical plot by Bell Canada and Telus, to begin charging per site fees on most Internet sites. The plan is to convert the Internet into a cable-like system, where customers sign up for specific web sites, and then pay to visit sites beyond a cutoff point.

From my browsing (on the currently free Internet) I have discovered that the 'demise' of the free Internet is slated for 2010 in Canada, and two years later around the world. Canada is seen a good choice to implement such shameful and sinister changes, since Canadians are viewed as being laissez fair, politically uninformed and an easy target. The corporate marauders will iron out the wrinkles in Canada and then spring the new, castrated version of the Internet on the rest of the world, probably with little fanfare, except for some dire warnings about the 'evil' of the Internet (free) and the CEO's spouting about 'safety and security'. These buzzwords usually work pretty well.

What will the Internet look like in Canada in 2010? I suspect that the ISP's will provide a "package" program as companies like Cogeco currently do. Customers will pay for a series of websites as they do now for their television stations. Television stations will be available on-line as part of these packages, which will make the networks happy since they have lost much of the younger market which are surfing and chatting on their computers in the evening. However, as is the case with cable television now, if you choose something that is not part of the package, you know what happens. You pay extra.

And this is where the Internet (free) as we know it will suffer almost immediate, economic strangulation. Thousands and thousands of Internet sites will not be part of the package so users will have to pay extra to visit those sites! In just an hour or two it is possible to easily visit 20-30 sites or more while looking for information. Just imagine how high these costs will be.

At present, the world condemns China because that country restricts certain websites. "They are undemocratic; they are removing people's freedom; they don't respect individual rights; they are censoring information,” are some of the comments we hear. But what Bell Canada and Telus have planned for Canadians is much worse than that. They are planning the death of the Internet (free) as we know it, and I expect they'll be hardly a whimper from Canadians. It's all part of the corporate plan for a New World Order and virtually a masterstroke that will lead to the creation of billions and billions of dollars of corporate profit at the expense of the working and middle classes.

There are so many other implications as a result of these changes, far too many to elaborate on here. Be aware that we will all lose our privacy because all websites will be tracked as part of the billing procedure, and we will be literally cut off from 90% of the information that we can access today. The little guys on the Net will fall likes flies; Bloggers and small website operators will die a quick death because people will not pay to go to their sites and read their pages.

...

http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=9627

[[XC] 2long4u]

Boo!

[Scubar]

Would never happen so no need to worry.

[Linchpin]

That's the biggest load of nonsense I've read this month, just another guy trying to make people panic I'd say.

[cadaveca]

Not Fake. Welcome to the New World Order, where we control what you see and hear...if not by restictions that limit your freedom, then by monetary means. Software is already developed, almost ready to implement.

[Swatrecon_]

pfft, Canadians.

[cadaveca]

Yeah, we made 911, and were the test market for broadband, things like this always end up here first.

[aztec]

Would never happen so no need to worry.

ORLY? It has ALREADY happened:

"...Telus and Rogers rolling out a charge for text messaging without any warning to the public."

...but it didn't work the first time, so they're going to push it again:

"...In the upcoming weeks watch for a report in Time Magazine that will attempt to smooth over the rough edges of a diabolical plot by Bell Canada and Telus, to begin charging per site fees on most Internet sites. The plan is to convert the Internet into a cable-like system, where customers sign up for specific web sites, and then pay to visit sites beyond a cutoff point...."

And they'll keep on pushing it, with fear-mongering excuses like "security" and "we gotta stop the turrrurrrists", the catch-all's they've used since 9/11 to take away our rights.

They're already spying on our e-mails, phone calls, and with every website you hit a record is kept by the US gov't. Ask AT&T and Verizon. Well don't bother, because they damned sure won't tell ya.

Of course you don't hear much about it from the corporate TV news, since their job is to keep you info-tained and misinformed (ie: lied to).

[twilyth]

Internet commerce pulls in a lot of money for a lot of big companies so shopping should still be free - at least until the feds decide to tax it. How do you spell VAT?

[fallwind]

since Canadians are viewed as being laissez fair, politically uninformed and an easy target.

Uh huh...I'm Canadian and I'd disconnect my service permanently if I had this forced on me. But this article is complete BS. Yeah Rogers and Telus are big in Canada but the're not the only game in town. They'd be bankrupt overnight if they tried to implement this.

[tiro_uspsss]

Canada is seen a good choice to implement such shameful and sinister changes, since Canadians are viewed as being laissez fair, politically uninformed and an easy target

what a crock of - thats Australia they are talking about - we are the guinea pig of the 1st world countries - example: Ebay/PayPal policy change to force buyers/sellers to *only* use PP as payment method

And this is where the Internet (free) as we know it will suffer almost immediate, economic strangulation. Thousands and thousands of Internet sites will not be part of the package so users will have to pay extra to visit those sites! In just an hour or two it is possible to easily visit 20-30 sites or more while looking for information. Just imagine how high these costs will be

this overall 'free internet will die' will never ever happen; & that ^ is why - so many sites will have 'extra charge' etc etc, it'll be an easy oppotunity for other ISPs/new ISPs to offer the same ol' 'free internet'
EOD

[One_Hertz]

Well, they would have to get EVERYONE on board with this at the same time, otherwise the smaller ISPs that would not be enforcing this are just going to get all the customers...

[Sparky]

A couple issues I see:

The internet is so vast, so huge compared to TV, how the heck would you decide and regulate which sites are included in the package and which aren't? With TV there is a pretty low limit really to what is available, so it isn't hard to package it. But the internet is practically infinite.

However, just sitting back and saying "meh it won't happen" can come back and bite you. How many times has it happened before, where people think an issue will never come to fruition but then it actually does? Part of me wouldn't put it past some of these guys to do that.

Now, like tiro_uspsss said, the "big boys" could try it but then all the small guys who don't could become absurdly popular and the big guys find themselves out in the cold. It would be a mighty big risk for them to try such a thing as it could easily blow up in their faces.

I'm not going to write this off as total nonsense, because it seems these days anything is possible when it comes to limitations and extra charges and such crap. But I'm not going to accept it right off the bat either. It is really absurd tbh, and I've heard of this kind of thing for a couple years now.

[cadaveca]

Doesn't matter. smaller ISPs in Canada go through larger ones, merely bill customers. Service agreement currently in place already allows for ISPs to do so. You don't pay for an actual connection to a website, you pay for conenction to the internet, which is provided. DNS/Navigation is up to you, and they simply need to re-work DNS, and it's done. Site is blocked if your account does not have permission to view, and hence the mention of them adding charges for incoming text msgs on phones(you are charged on in-coming bandwidth, I suppose), and them outright banning non-agreeing union websites.

I actually hope it happens sooner rather than later, so it can get killed in court. Anyway, it's pay-per-view for larger sites, like CNN, Yahoo, MSN, Google, and will allow them to bring web surfing to Cable subscribers, and close the gap between internet/TV services, as video-on-demand becomes more of a reality.

[aztec]

If enough politicians get on board with it (greased by their corporate pals), they can shove a bill down your throats before you know it. Look at the recent telecom bill that both Reps & Dems passed in the US, against the popular opinion of their constituents. Obama voted for it too when before he said he would filibuster. That bill gives immunity to telecoms that broke the law spying on citizens at Bush admin's behest.

You guys think this type of chit won't happen, and I'm telling you a lot already has. Wake up.

[STEvil]

Class action lawsuit for restriction of freedom of speech and restriction of freedom of information.

[aztec]

Class action lawsuit for restriction of freedom of speech and restriction of freedom of information.

Good if the presiding judge would agree with the plaintiffs. It's just as likely to find a judge that would let the telecoms win.

[Wiggy McShades]

If there were 2 big companies in an area that are competing like where I live would'nt one just not go with this plan and therefore get ALL the customers in that area? Capitalism FTW?

[ThugsRook]

the internet script-kiddies would bring down internet2 within minutes, itll never get off the ground.

and to be honest, i really wanna see that

[STEvil]

Good if the presiding judge would agree with the plaintiffs. It's just as likely to find a judge that would let the telecoms win.

Make the point to the judge that the basic (or even premium) packages might come with the local/national (as in your country's) news provider but visiting an exterior news provider could be restricted due to monetary means like mentioned in the afore mentioned post. (edit - left out half a sentence lol).

Same goes for just about anything information related as well as internet based classes.

I'm sure there would be built in ways to get around some of the things ($2/site unlimited use?) but the end effect remains the same: unless you have the money to throw around your available information would become limited to what the ISP's give you for free.

What about IM clients? IRC? What happens if you have to F5 a site a bunch of times? How about netsplits? What if someone puts a virus on your PC? What about "Dimes" and other related projects?

[just a noob]

if this actully happens, i know so many people would just drop their isp's, but my question is, how long could this go on, i mean their pockets can't be that deep, can they? but i know one thing for a fact, i would drop my isp as soon as this happened

[STEvil]

Pirate internet through wifi would go nuts.

[stangracin2]

wait theres free internet somewhere

*GOES AND LOOKS FOR FREE INTERNET*

[strange|ife]

every geek in The usa would stand up and march against this.

i know i would.

[Serpentarius]

the internet is far too big to be controlled by anyone, anybody or even UN