FCC and the internet

[Douglas Pollard]

    We have been recently arguing here on sounder about how bad is 
Microsoft which seems to me  like arguing how dangerous is the kitty cat 
when there is a tiger hiding in the bushes.  The Government of the 
United States has a bill in the congress called Net Neutrality.  This 
bill will let the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) get it's ugly  
swollen and deformed foot in the door to run the INTERNET as it does 
broadcast television media, radio, and every  broadcast media that is 
our  means of communication and news.  It would like to control the 
cable that supplies the INTERNET, with the excuse of forcing the supply 
of it to everyone.  What is Net Neutrality, is an opinionated e-mail a 
violation of such a doctrine??
   AS A result of FCC controls ABC, NBC, CBS or PBS will not dare to 
disagree with anything the Administration or congress says or proposes. 
  This  is the biggest danger that free software could possibly face.  
Large software companies can lobby for FCC rules by the use of swollen 
coffers that might  completely eliminate the use of free software or in 
some way control it in such a ways as to make it uncompetitive with the 
big companies.
    Is it free if you can't use it to say what you want?
    I suspect that it irritates big federal government that free 
software lies outside it's grasp to control. It is spread across the 
world.   IT cannot be controlled by the use of income tax on it's 
profits, excise tax on it's value or a tariff for it's use on the 
coming  state run INTERNET.
     Anyone who thinks this can't happen is not looking reality in the 
face. I would like for such a person to cite me an example of when in 
the last several thousand years a government has held back on 
controlling it's population  by any means available.
     With the passing of hate speach laws  and the control of the 
internet our days of being able to write a post like this one whether 
true or misguided are numbered. How long will it be until saying 
something like I am saying here will be deemed hate speech against the 
United States Government???  WE have a constitution that guarantees our 
individual rights but it is up to only us, to see to it that the 
Government does not interfere, by denying it the power to step on those 
rights.   Government control of Freedom of speech is not freedom of 
speech at all.      
    Those of you who are not US citizens but instead citizens of other 
countries should be eying there own Governments with a considerable 
amount of distrust where the Internet is concerned. There are in this 
world countries that are presently controlling it and in my opinion 
there aren't any countries whose governments are not fully capable of 
doing the same in their own interest given half a chance. 
      I feel sorry for you folks in England, the very country that gave 
us individual rights and whose teachings that endowed our founding 
fathers with the wisdom and education to write our constitution, is now 
prosecuting its own citizens for having opinions and voicing them on 
Christian verses Muslim Ideas.  Believe me I am not being smug because 
we are going down the same road.   Could this post be deemed hate mail 
in the near future when we have given up the INTERNET to Government 
control?                                                               
                  Doug