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impact on those with physical problems Dial-up provider loses Net access amid fee dispute
From: David Farber <dave () farber net>
Date: Sun, 30 Apr 2006 16:31:22 -0400
Begin forwarded message: From: Mike Todd <Todd () iramp com> Date: April 30, 2006 4:25:22 PM EDT To: ip () v2 listbox com, dave () farber net Cc: bod () isoc-la orgSubject: Re: [IP] more on Dial-up provider loses Net access amid fee dispute
Dave and other IP list readers,I have been watching the exchange of messages on this topic and am concerned about the impact of this kind of heavy-handed action and its impact on more
of our Digital Divide affected netizens than just those who might be concerned by the cost factor.My concern is for those who have physical and other challenges that cause
them to stick with older computer technology, such as DOS and specificcomputer related hardware that interface with devices and software that have
been developed to accommodate their needs.Because this is not a "large and lucrative" market for hardware and software
developers, these folks are often faced with making due with what is available - and it has to keep on working even though the current technologies are moving on. If companies like Microsoft were truly dedicated to supporting the "accessibility community", they would not continue dropping support for"legacy" systems that may be a convenience factor for some people but are
definite barriers for others who have no way to accommodate that kind ofaction. I don't know about the general public but I know I am not really
concerned about Microsoft's ability to focus on the most profitableventures. Even Microsoft investors should have some concern for Microsoft's
public perceptions.As you can see, it is easy for me to get off track when discussing the many
facets of this category of problems. In this latest issue, phone companies, insecure in their own "legacy"problems and looking at reversing their "mistakes" regarding charging by the minute for local calls that happen to provide an internet connection, are literally cutting off the ability of a person who has the larger kinds of accessibility problems, from being able to take a trip and still be able to make an internet connection by using someone's dial-up service when they are
not in their at-home environment. At-home is where the accessibility challenged have spent much money andeffort to enable using whatever computer technology they must in order to support their at-home connections. Quite often they are faced with using
DOS (none of the "big" companies still support) and older hardware (no portable computer made in the United States provides a modem with a true UART that may be used with DOS - the only ones available for portable computers require a "win-modem" that will only work within Microsoft's supported Windows platforms). So who do the telephone companies hurt inorder to make some "last straw grabs at easy profits"? The people who are
least able to find other alternatives. It would be easy to end this note with a "shame on the phone companies" thrust but there is a better solution for everyone. How about if thetechnology companies, Microsoft included, accept a challenge to do more for
the "accessibility" sector than build a web site that focuses onaccessibility issues that is barely accessible by those affected (such as Microsoft's that does not even pass the minimal tests of accessibility that the community has provided as a help for developers). The large hardware
and software developers have the resources and could very easily extend concepts like "backward compatibility" and offer assistance to smaller companies that have developed solutions that folks in the accessibility communities have found useful, to better enable them to accommodate new hardware paradigms and new operating systems so that the accessibility community is not left in a lurch.Besides, I believe it is always better to expand a market than to implement
options that make it shrink. Mike Todd President, Mike Todd Associates - www.MikeTodd.com Supporting the Digital Coast President, Internet Society Los Angeles Chapter - www.ISOC-LA.org Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology Law Pepperdine University School of Law - mltodd () pepperdine edu Technology Expert Witness - ExpertWitness () miketodd com 310-321-5706 Office Phone 310-321-5701 Office FAX 714-893-6684 After Hours Voice 714-893-6866 After Hours FAX 714-222-3700 Cell ----- Original Message ----- From: "David Farber" <dave () farber net> To: <ip () v2 listbox com> Sent: Sunday, April 30, 2006 5:26 AM Subject: [IP] more on Dial-up provider loses Net access amid fee dispute Begin forwarded message: From: Thomas Leavitt <thomas () thomasleavitt org> Date: April 30, 2006 3:10:51 AM EDT To: dave () farber net Cc: monty () roscom com Subject: Re: Dial-up provider loses Net access amid fee dispute Dave/Monty, What changed, after fifteen-plus years under the previous model?!? The article's failure to describe the legal basis for the ruling and/or why this dispute is different and distinct, and/or the precedent setting nature of this ruling and how it differs from previous practice is very frustrating! I know plenty of small (under 5000 person) ISPs that still depend on dial up for a substantial proportion of their revenue and as a backup for DSL and for traveling customers... a ruling of this sort, especially one that renders the ISP liable (how does that work?!?), is a death knell to dial up, and will drive down adoption of the Internet for a lot of people (they'll go back to casual / intermittent use, only connect through WiFi at cafe's, etc. - I know a lot of poor people who simply won't commit to a broadband contract). What will this to do non-profit companies like LA Freenet (www.lafn.org), which my parents still use as their primary Internet access method? Thomas ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: David Farber <dave () farber net> Subject: Dial-up provider loses Net access amid fee dispute / Ruling favoring Verizon may hike price of service Date: Fri, 28 Apr 2006 20:24:10 -0400 Begin forwarded message: From: Monty Solomon <monty () roscom com> Date: April 28, 2006 6:57:20 PM EDT To: undisclosed-recipient:; Subject: Dial-up provider loses Net access amid fee dispute / Ruling favoring Verizon may hike price of service Dial-up provider loses Net access amid fee dispute Ruling favoring Verizon may hike price of service By Keith Reed, Globe Staff | April 28, 2006 Service to thousands of dial-up Internet users in Massachusetts was disrupted this week after a federal court ruled against a Quincy company in a lawsuit that could have broad impact on the cost of dial-up service. The US Court of Appeals in Boston ruled April 11 that Verizon Communications Inc. can charge per-minute fees for calls to local numbers that dial-up users need to connect to the Internet -- in much the same way that they charge for long-distance or other calls. The ruling came after Verizon sued Global NAPs Inc., a Quincy company that supplies local numbers to 28 Internet service providers for use by their dial-up customers. Verizon claims it is owed more than $65 million by Global NAPs. The court did not rule on damages, but Verizon cut off Global NAPs's access to its network, effectively shutting down Internet service for customers of dial-up providers like MegaNet of Fall River, which had to find another company to supply emergency connections for its approximately 7,500 dial-up subscribers. ... http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2006/04/28/ dial_up_provider_loses_net_access_amid_fee_dispute/ -- Thomas Leavitt <thomas () thomasleavitt org> - 831-295-3917 Godmoma's Forge, LLC - www.godmomasforge.com - Web and graphic design made spiffy - Encrypted public key at http://www.thomasleavitt.org/thomas.asc Download GnuPG (including for Windows) at http://www.gnupg.org/download/ to read .asc attachment (encrypted signature) ------------------------------------- You are subscribed as todd () iramp com To manage your subscription, go to http://v2.listbox.com/member/?listname=ipArchives at: http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting- people/
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- impact on those with physical problems Dial-up provider loses Net access amid fee dispute David Farber (Apr 30)