http://www.nua.ie/surveys/index.cgi?f=VS&art_id=905358157&rel=true


 
  
ACLU: Cable broadband switch threatens Net freedom
Jul 11 2002: The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has warned that free speech on the Internet may be compromised because of the potential power that cable companies could wield over users. 

The report comments on the risks associated with a high number of US Internet users switching from dial-up to cable broadband services. 

The ACLU argues that with dial-up, Internet access is provided over an open telephone network which allows users freedom to access content of their own choosing. 

However, with cable broadband, Internet access rests in the hands of a few private companies who are able to control what content and services flows through the pipes.

According to the report, a company providing Internet access over a cable system has many opportunities for interfering with online activities, often in ways that are invisible to their customers.

Just as cable providers decide which services we can access on television, so the report suggests, they could also decide what content and services Internet users could view.

The ACLU claims that cable providers are under no obligation to remain a neutral pipe for content over an end-to-end Internet – and have many incentives for interfering with that connection.

The ACLU is calling on the Federal Communications Commission to act to protect the Internet’s freedom from cable monopolies by ensuring that the Net does not come under private control. 

NB The report is a PDF document. You will need Adobe Acrobat to read it.