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**128shot** · February 7th, 06:28 PM

Quote:

The End of the Internet?
By Jeff Chester The Nation Wednesday 01 February 2006

The nation's largest telephone and cable companies are crafting an alarming set of strategies that would transform the free, open and nondiscriminatory Internet of today to a privately run and branded service that would charge a fee for virtually everything we do online.

Verizon, Comcast, Bell South and other communications giants are developing strategies that would track and store information on our every move in cyberspace in a vast data-collection and marketing system, the scope of which could rival the National Security Agency. According to white papers now being circulated in the cable, telephone and telecommunications industries, those with the deepest pockets - corporations, special-interest groups and major advertisers - would get preferred treatment. Content from these providers would have first priority on our computer and television screens, while information seen as undesirable, such as peer-to-peer communications, could be relegated to a slow lane or simply shut out.

Under the plans they are considering, all of us - from content providers to individual users - would pay more to surf online, stream videos or even send e-mail. Industry planners are mulling new subscription plans that would further limit the online experience, establishing "platinum," "gold" and "silver" levels of Internet access that would set limits on the number of downloads, media streams or even e-mail messages that could be sent or received.

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060213/chester

It is?!

It seems like a matter of time really.

**TonyD** · February 7th, 06:30 PM

No. This cannot happen. If it does it goes against everything right and good in the world. I will not stand for it.

**bobide** · February 7th, 06:31 PM

won't work.

all it takes is 1 person with some insight and money to continue the internet we know today and he'll get all the buisness of everyone smart enough to not sell out and switch over.

**mLuH** · February 7th, 06:31 PM

**** that

**TonyD** · February 7th, 06:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobide

won't work.

all it takes is 1 person with some insight and money to continue the internet we know today and he'll get all the buisness of everyone smart enough to not sell out and switch over.

The Open Source community would outrage. This seems entirely too unrealistic for me to buy into, though.

**kant_think** · February 7th, 06:40 PM

I'd cry.

**bobide** · February 7th, 06:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TonyD246

The Open Source community would outrage. This seems entirely too unrealistic for me to buy into, though.

i wouldn't put it past those industries to be thinking of such a plan. But they know that they will never truely get it to work, as you mentioned the open source people would not allow it. Hell i can forsee linux's user agreement being modified so that the core version (the one that is freeware, which all the other ones that companys have cooked up themselves draw from) would not be allowed to run on servers that are hooked up to that net. Granted there would then be a shift to whatever microsoft is providing.

**Ryan_Page** · February 7th, 06:41 PM

It will never happen.

**128shot** · February 7th, 06:59 PM

Don't see why it wouldn't work per say.

I think something like this is envitable..

though it reminds me of an unrelated idea that makes sense.

http://www.howstuffworks.com/penny-per-page.htm

**Zues** · February 7th, 07:05 PM

Like others have already said all it takes is one guy who says "hey ill let you use it whenever you want and do whatever you want on it for .50$ a year!"

and even though it may not seem like much.... that will be one rich ass man

**kant_think** · February 7th, 07:10 PM

It'll never work, the public schools won't pay for it.

**Ja289** · February 7th, 07:15 PM

just because a corporation will try to do it doesnt mean the government can't stop them. think of it in the same way as FM radio, its almost the same thing if you tihnk about it.

***Dooms*** · February 7th, 07:24 PM

No, this is the end of the internet:

"End of Internet"

**mLuH** · February 7th, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by doomsday

No, this is the end of the internet:

"End of Internet"

lol wtf?

**b_heald** · February 7th, 07:42 PM

how can they do that? they cant, pure and simply
just think how the internet works
its just a bunch of computers linked together, so how could companies make you pay for something thats not even theirs? Right now you are just playing to connect to everything. If they did do this, you would see a second "underground" internet form of just people hosting their own sites on their networks.
You shouldnt believe everything you read on the internet, such as girls wont flock to you (unlike you might think from some videos) and not all chicks do it (like some videos)

**TonyD** · February 7th, 08:31 PM

I thought of the exact same thing. They will never be able to control the free will and motivation of individual people.

**Smitty** · February 7th, 08:43 PM

Yeah as soon as it started a new underground net would appear and thats where you'll find my Corona sippin ass.

Quote:

Originally Posted by doomsday

No, this is the end of the internet:

"End of Internet"

Nice
Thats funny in a Douglas Adams sort of way.

**b_heald** · February 7th, 09:03 PM

that internet would be a P2P/freeweb/nothing illegal/awesomeness

**big_balla** · February 7th, 09:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kant_think

I'd cry.

4char

**Spudchucker** · February 7th, 10:34 PM

when tv first came out, there were no commercials, and people flipped when commercials started airing. now we dont even think twice about it.

i dont think anything like this would ever go through, but if it does, we'll get used to it, or resort to free underground internet stuff like limewire or whatever