more on NYCwireless Network Neutrality Broadband Challenge

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Rahul Tongia <tongia () andrew cmu edu>
Date: November 2, 2005 4:22:18 PM EST
To: dave () farber net, ip () v2 listbox com
Subject: Re: [IP] more on NYCwireless Network Neutrality Broadband  
Challenge

My engineer brain is overwhelmed by my real-world brain.  There are  
so many grey areas here in the rules...

1) Lawful depends on not absolute (federal/constitutional) laws but  
also on consumer laws, contracts *between* firms, etc.
2) What does that say about end-to-end encryption, just to pick one  
issue?
3) "do not harm the network?"  Isn't that something subject that the  
network operator can arbitrarily decide.  P2P (esp. torrents) cause a  
lot of traffic, ergo they harm the network.  Heck, some networks are  
even built with specific traffic patterns in mind (linked to  
revenues!) so something that harms that design also harms their  
revenues, so it's definitely got to go!
4) What happens when we only have a few choices in the marketplace,  
as is increasingly happening?  "Free choice" becomes less meaningful  
when we have an oligopoly emerge.

[this is only with NYC in mind, let alone developing countries...

Rahul

************************************************************************
Rahul Tongia, Ph.D.
Systems Scientist

School of Computer Science (ISRI) / Dept. of Engineering & Public Policy
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA 15213 USA
tel: 412-268-5619
fax: 412-268-2338
email: tongia () cmu edu

--On Wednesday, November 02, 2005 4:00 PM -0500 David Farber  
<dave () farber net> wrote:

> Begin forwarded message:
>
> From: Keith Dawson <kadawson () mac com>
> Date: November 2, 2005 3:19:13 PM EST
> To: dana () nycwireless net
> Cc: dave () farber net
> Subject: Re: [IP] NYCwireless Network Neutrality Broadband Challenge
>
> Dana --
>
> > Broadband Challenge: http://www.nycwireless.net/tiki-index.php?
> > page=BroadbandChallange
>
> The four principles of Network Neutrality listed at this URL are:
>
> (1) consumers are entitled to access the lawful Internet content
>      of their choice;
>
> (2) consumers are entitled to run applications and services of their
>      choice, subject to the needs of  law enforcement;
>
> (3) consumers are entitled to connect their choice of legal devices
>      that do not harm the network; and
>
> (4) consumers are entitled to competition among network providers,
>      application and service providers, and content providers.
>
> You will not get a single one of the major broadband providers to
> sign up for this list. To the best of my knowledge, no major cable
> or DSL provider allows point (2); all expressly forbid end users
> (or "consumers" as they consider us) to run any kind of server. The
> only DSL provider I have heard of who explicitly allows customers
> to run servers, without buying a $200/mo. "business" access package,
> is Speakeasy.com. I hope they are among the first to publicly sign
> your principles. (Of course, all non-ILEC DSL suppliers such as
> Speakeasy are under a death sentence, after the FCC's recent ruling
> rolling back the DSL competition that was kicked off in the 1996
> telecom reform act.)
>
> -- Keith Dawson
>
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