Petition: Don't Let Verizon Kill Free WiFi!

[grahamhgreen]

PETITION TO VERIZON: We call on ISPs like Verizon not to pursue punitive action against businesses that provide free WiFi by slowing down or eliminating their Internet access. Help keep the Internet as free and as open as possible -- revise your "six strikes" plan now!



We have the details on how various Internet Service Providers plan to implement their anti-infringement "six strikes" plans -- and it's not good.

AT&T's plan is to block access to frequently visited sites. Time Warner will constantly redirect you to a landing page. Verizon will plans to reduce connection speeds to the snail pace of 256kbps.

What do all of them have in common? None of them actually let you get up to six strikes -- and all of them have the potential, even as they claim they're not "cutting people off" from the Internet, to make free WiFi almost nonexistent.

Verizon has confirmed that its "six strikes" plan will apply to businesses, not just personal accounts. That means the cafe down the street may end up with essentially unusable WiFi if even one customer abuses the system -- and even terminate their accounts entirely.

We can't let that happen. A free and open Internet is one of the most important tools a democracy can have -- and as long as ISPs like Verizon plan to battle copyright infringement by slowing down or eliminating business's Internet access, that tool will be in jeopardy. Will you join us in urging Verizon not to bow to copyright holders at the expense of their customers?

Sign Here: http://act.watchdog.net/petitions/2278


Thanks!

[RKP5637]

1. These monopolies should be broken up. Also, private enterprise is incapable of running

these operations. Most of this should be placed under federal control and run as a national utility.

[grahamhgreen]

3. Free internet access for all Americans should be the norm. We have libraries, we need internet, too!

[RKP5637]

8. Exactly!!! It should be a given rather that these parasitic corporations ripping

off everyone they can.

[Hayabusa]

10. Amen!

Really, the state of internet access in America is embarassing. Hell, I'm still posting using 56k (which is why I had to chuckle at the "snail's pace" remarked earlier in the thread)

[HiPointDem]

9. +1.

[Old and In the Way]

11. The telecommunication infrastructure should be nationalized. It's an important component of

our national defense. I don't want a corporation dictating what or how much bandwidth will cost. I'd gladly pay a far reduced cost direct to the USG to maintain open access to the internet. Let the telecoms compete on content and devices.

[leftyohiolib]

2. "abuses the system" what do they mean by abuse - how does one abuse free wifi?

[grahamhgreen]

6. Example, ATT:

“In an effort to assist content owners with combating on-line piracy, AT&T will be sending alert e-mails to customers who are identified as having been downloading copyrighted content without authorization from the copyright owner.”

So if someone at a coffee shop D/L's something ATT deems copyright infringement (note: if it is a crime it should be adjucicated by courts, not by decree of a corporation), they can cut off all of the coffee shop patrons internet access by throttling the D/L spped to the coffee shop. Of course what they really want is for anyone who wants access to the internet to have to pay them individually.

[leftyohiolib]

7. thanks grahamgreen

[Egalitarian Thug]

4. K&R&What RKP5637 wrote. n/t

[nick of time]

5. Signed.

Can't let this happen, many people rely on free wifi.