Is Net Neutrality A Trojan Horse For Bad Copyright Law?
Tech bloggers, Internet rights advocates, copyfighters,and fair use supporters have been beating the drum for months now on the dangers of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), a massive updating of global policy regarding piracy, copyright laws, and the like that could have dire consequences for the Internet as we know it. Much of ACTA has been completely hidden from the public — the negotiations have been secret, the documents classified, the information locked down and only obtained through leaks and hearsay. What we have learned has been distressing — if implemented, ACTA would force U.S. Internet service providers (ISPs) into the role of copyright cop, enforcing a “three strikes” strategy against users accused of downloading “illegal” content, and extending the Digital Millenium Copyright Act beyond the borders of the U.S., turning the EU into our unwilling partners in crime. Here’s a great rundown of opposition to ACTA from across the Internet, as well as a video lecture from BoingBoing detailing how dangerous it is. (Warning: It’s pretty technical and wonky, but I have faith you guys can follow along.)
Meanwhile, a few days ago, several consumer groups wrote the FCC and asked them for clarification on a statement made by the FCC’s Julius Knapp, who said that even with net neutrality as the law of the land, it would be okay for ISPs to prioritize voice and video traffic over other kinds under the heading of “reasonable network management.” This is odd, given that it’s a looser interpretation of the rules than was the case under former commission chief Kevin Martin — a die-hard friend of the telecom industry who nevertheless voted to penalize Comcast for violating the principles of a free Internet when it blocked access to BitTorrent. Current chairman Julius Genachowski has been all smiles and cheer about the importance of net neutrality and has promised to protect it — so where does this come from?
Let’s start with the obvious. Consider how much money Hollywood and big entertainment companies feed to the Democratic party. However, it’s not nearly as much as that donated by big telecom companies, such as all-time heavyweight champ AT&T. If money talks and bullshit runs the mile, you would think that ISPs–which have repeatedly rejected the role of “content cop”–would have more of a say. So why play along with this?
Remember, though, that content companies are getting into the online video arena big time. Comcast is in talks to buy NBC, and may help turn Hulu into a for-pay service. Realizing that the future of TV is on the Internet, it would behoove many of these old media titans to get their video–and revenue–streams prioritized in the traffic flow, so as to prevent upstarts like Netflix from reaching the viewer first, be it via direct stream, XBox, PS3, etc. If big dogs like AT&T are willing to police the Internets in exchange for getting favorable access to content from movie and television studios, it must seem to them like a pretty fair deal, guaranteeing that other players will soon fall into line.
Plus, it’s not like companies such as AT&T and Verizon aren’t already in the business of spying on citizens illegally–er, make that retroactively legally–thanks to the help of an all-too-willing Bush (and now Obama) White House:
“This case isn’t over yet — there’s still more information about the extensive lobbying campaign by the telecoms that helped them get immunity last year,” said EFF Senior Staff Attorney Kurt Opsahl. “The government continues to hide important documents from the public.”
Sound familiar? It should. This is the same game the current administration is playing with ACTA–keeping information vital to the public hidden from sight, while negotiating policies that could directly impact on thousands of people. You might not be consciously bothered by a wiretap on your phone, but when you suddenly lose your Internet access for a year due to downloading something you didn’t know was copyrighted, or when your laptop or iPhone get confiscated and searched at the border–and possibly never returned–you’ll get bothered very, very fast.
Don’t let any government or corporation undermine the free Internet and your right to use it as you see fit.
