AT&T begins charging a fee on all online purchases made by subscribers! (A fictional news article as a tool for discussing Net Neutrality)

February 20, 2013, Bedminster, NJ - AT&T announced last week that it would start imposing a $7 service charge on all online internet purchases made by its subscribers using the "open internet". In a bold move, predicted to be emulated by the other major internet service providers, AT&T has taken the lead in combating what they deemed the "freeloader internet merchants". An AT&T spokesperson was quoted as saying "It is time that we begin to be properly compensated for the use of our network and our infrastructure by these merchants that do not pay AT&T any fees yet have free access to the buying power of our millions of consumers!"

The swell of criticism has been rising steadily from consumer groups across the country who call this move by AT&T nothing short of censorship monopolistic. "This is nothing more than a sleazy move by AT&T to bully thousands of internet merchants into paying them ridiculous 'access' fees. They were unable to make a business case with merchants to join their 'so-called Mall', so instead they concoct a plan to get their fees through the back-door!" - said a spokesperson for the consumer group Free-the-Internet.

When confronted with the strong criticism, AT&T was quick to point out that "Subscribers can easily avoid the extra fees by making their purchases via the new AT&T Net Online Mall, which is host to dozens of 'approved' merchants and thousands of quality products."

AT&T executives even hinted that online video access was next on their list of target websites since those websites often contain high-bandwidth files that "clog the AT&T network without paying their way". The major broadcasters refused to comment on whether or not they are in talks with AT&T for access to their subscriber base.

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Ok, so this is NOT a real news story - at least not yet!

Since I misled you on the headline of this post, let me propose a different headline:

Why Net-Neutrality is the most important civil rights issue of our time!

Everyone that uses the Internet for anything on their computer (or any other device) needs to be aware of a VERY important fight developing quietly in the halls of our policy makers' offices (at all levels.)

Consider the following.

Back in the fall of 2007 Comcast was caught in its implementation of a technique to "shape" the traffic of its subscribers to prevent certain things as peer-to-peer file sharing (in this case Bit-Torrent) - arguing they had a right to do so to protect the quality of their network. This is despite the fact that subscribers receive "unlimited use" accounts. Well, apparently, these unlimited use accounts are unlimited as long as a subscriber does not download "the wrong file" or "use it too much"! By the way, when caught, the FCC held a hearing or two and as of March 10, 2008 had still not taken any action against Comcast.

For several years now, the Recording Industry (via its industry association the RIAA) has been coming down hard on colleges and universities insisting that they do more to curtail file sharing by students - blatantly making the incorrect assumption that the only thing students ever share is pirated music. On their own website, the RIAA says "We believe that university leaders have a responsibility to acknowledge campus piracy, to take steps to prevent the theft from occurring in the first place..." It's just a matter of time before the RIAA makes these very arguments with the major Internet Service Providers.

Earlier this year, major papers reported that the likes of the MPAA and RIAA have been discussing with AT&T and other large service providers how to begin "carrying out digital fingerprinting techniques on the network level" in order to "detect" the transmission of infringing copyrighted materials on their networks. What's the problem? AT&T and the other majors are actually LISTENING AND CONSIDERING these plans to "inspect and filter" traffic from their subscribers!

Are you outraged yet? You should be!

Now, I am not about "free" or "pirating music" or "pirating videos or pictures" or any of that! I am not one of those people that think that everything should be shared at no cost. Artists, studios, authors, photographers and other folks generating interesting content should have a way to be compensated. There is a lot of great content out there!

Furthermore, I think businesses need to make money. I understand that. However, they must also have smart business models that match the marketplace they are in! They must be able to adapt and compete to a changing consumer and a changing marketplace. If you don't change well, you disappear as a business. That's capitalism. That's a FREE market!

However, the Internet is NOT a business (at least not "on its own"). It is a communication channel. The most powerful communication medium that has ever come to be. Yes, there are many business ventures that can (and will) benefit from the Internet. If we think about it that way, perhaps we could call the Internet a Marketplace. The most dynamic and largest one ever! And just like in any marketplace, the businesses adapt and compete for eyeballs and wallets.

Internet service providers should be simply providers - not traffic cops. They are conduits to this marketplace who should have no stake in one "business" versus "another". When you call a friend on the phone, there should be no one listening to make sure you don't say the wrong thing or, god forbid, play a copyrighted song to your friend! The phone company is not listening to you to "make sure" you don't do the wrong thing!

Similarly, no one needs to be looking at my Internet traffic. I don't need anyone's help to "do the right thing". I already do just that!

Here's some news to the RIAA and MPAA - I buy my music, I rent (even buy) my videos. I watch TV shows on the sites of those networks that have had the foresight to make their shows available to me. I am NOT ripping anyone off online!

But I digress...

The minute we allow the service providers to have a stake in what you do on the Internet, then get ready for them to manipulate their own network in their favor (big surprise). Then get ready for HUGE business to capitalize and explode the marketplace to their favor as well - slowly inching out the very interactivity that has made the Internet so powerful.

If we allow this to happen, the Internet will become the next television. When was the last time you broadcast your family videos over the TV? You are reading this post because I can publish it on an "open Internet". On a closed system (like the Television networks) I could not broadcast this very same message.

So, speak up and contact your legislators. Tell them "Net Neutrality is important to me."

Checkout the following sites for more information:
http://www.savetheinternet.com/
http://www.openinternetcoalition.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXkUahWnpTY

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References:
Is Comcast's BitTorrent filtering violating the law? (http://www.cnet.com/8301-13739_1-9769645-46.html)

Comcast really does block BitTorrent traffic after all (http://www.news.com/8301-13578_3-9800629-38.html)

EFF study confirms Comcast's BitTorrent interference (http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20071128-eff-study-reveals-evidence-of-comcasts-bittorrent-interference.html)

Comcast Continues to Blow Smoke (http://www.savetheinternet.com/blog/2008/04/01/comcast-continues-to-blow-smoke/)

CAUGHT: Comcast paying to push public out of Internet debate
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYGtNmmb2y0&feature=user)

RIAA FAQ - For Students doing Reports (http://www.riaa.com/faq.php)

AT&T and Other I.S.P.’s May Be Getting Ready to Filter (http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/08/att-and-other-isps-may-be-getting-ready-to-filter/)

FCC chair "ready to act" against Comcast -- so what is he waiting for? (http://valleywag.com/366190/fcc-chair-ready-to-act-against-comcast-++-so-what-is-he-waiting-for)