I don't know that I'd call it boiler plate,<br>but you're welcome tweak the letter I<br>sent if that's helpful. Keeping in mind<br>that at most you'll get a form letter<br>back from your "representatives," and
<br>it might not even pertain to the issue<br>you wrote about, it's probably more<br>important to just send something than<br>to worry too much about the details.<br>Some aid probably just puts the e-mails<br>in to piles and sees which is higher
<br>anyway. i.e., your "representative" <br>probably never reads them.<br><br>You might also mention support for S.156,<br>which keeps states from taxing the Internet<br>for a while longer. <br><br>I'd say the goal here is to ensure that the
<br>Internet doesn't become the ad soaked <br>useless medium that TV has.<br><br>And what Comcast is doing might not <br>actually be illegal. The problem is that it<br>is effectively a monopoly in many areas.<br>It's well known that it and other large ISPs
<br>treat people in different geographic areas<br>differently depending on how much <br>competition they figure exists. This too<br>they are not very forthcoming about.<br><br> -Bob<br><br>++++++++++++++++++<br>Cable provider Comcast is already
<br>clearly violating what is called net<br>neutrality - the practice of treating<br>all Internet traffic equally. While it
<br>of course denies this, the Associated<br>Press has verified through tests that
<br>in fact Comcast is prioritizing Internet<br>traffic.<br><br>The Internet, despite some problems,<br>has proven to be overall a valuable <br>enabling technology, and positively <br>affects many segments of US business,
<br>science, and technology, in addition to<br>serving as a vast library for millions.<br>It would be unconscionable to let Comcast<br>and others to now do to the Internet what<br>has been done to radio, cable, and satellite
<br>TV. Now so laden with advertising that <br>each 30 minutes of programming can <br>contain 12 to 15 minutes of advertising,<br>rendering each medium at the least mind<br>numbing, and and the worst useless.<br><br>It was the intent of the net neutrality
<br>legislation to ensure that this does not<br>happen. By controlling traffic based on<br>content and source, Internet companies<br>will attempt to force users to upgrade to<br>premium services, much like cable and<br>
satellite TV, in order to view any content<br>without also accepting incessant advertising.<br><br>People have recognized for years now that<br>companies like AT&T, Comcast, Verizon, <br>and others should not be allowed to own
<br>the backbone fibers that route much of the<br>Internet traffic in the US. Their fears have<br>proven to be justified.<br><br>I'd ask that the welfare of the little people<br>in the US be taken in to consideration on
<br>this issue, and that Congress make more<br>permanent arrangements to ensure net <br>neutrality. The Internet is simply too <br>valuable to let happen to it what Comcast<br>apparently has in mind. The Internet should
<br>be equally available to all Americans, and<br>free of additional fees just to get back to <br>what they currently have for the most part.<br><br><br>++++++++++++++++++<br><br><p><DEFANGED_div><DEFANGED_span class="gmail_quote">On 10/21/07,
<b class="gmail_sendername">Joe Vanderstelt</b> <<a href="mailto:thisboyiscrazy@gmail.com">thisboyiscrazy@gmail.com</a>> wrote:</DEFANGED_span><blockquote class="gmail_quote" DEFANGED_style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
I'm also a Comcast customer than has been effected. I would like to<br>write a letter to Levin and Stabenow but write was never my best<br>subject. Does any have a boiler plate type letter I would use?<br><br>On 10/20/07, Bob Kline <
<a href="mailto:bob.kline@gmail.com">bob.kline@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br>> I did that yesterday. Congress has been<br>> slow to act on net neutrality legislation,<br>> making me think they are in the back<br>> pocket of the industry on this issue too.
<br>> Industry says legislation is unnecessary,<br>> which suggest it wouldn't hurt then either.<br>><br>> But it's what we can do. I'd like to see the<br>> tax payers have their own backbone fibers,
<br>> that can be used by private ISPs, but not<br>> controlled.<br>><br>> Of course the tax payers have Internet2 - not<br>> to be confused with Internet 2. A high speed<br>> Internet backbone that only gov't labs and
<br>> schools can use. It's been around for 8 years<br>> that I know of, and is supposedly a vehicle<br>> for researching high speed networks. That part<br>> I think is a crock, and doubt that it will ever be
<br>> opened up to ordinary tax payers. Too much<br>> fun the way things are... :-(<br>><br>> -Bob<br>><br>><br>><br>><br>><br>> On 10/20/07, Michael Mol <<a href="mailto:mikemol@gmail.com">
mikemol@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br>> > Both me and a friend of mine have encountered Comcast's filtering.<br>> > Since I found out that it's there, I can't help but wonder if any<br>> > given spurious RST packet came from them.
<br>> ><br>> > However, there may be a way around it, but it requires delaying action<br>> > on received RST packets to see if normal packets follow, which would<br>> > require modification of the TCP stack of the host and any NAT in
<br>> > between.<br>> ><br>> > I think I'm going to send Levin and Stabenow a couple more letters<br>> > regarding Net Neutrality.<br>><br>><br>><br>><br>> > On 10/20/07, Bob Kline <
<a href="mailto:bob.kline@gmail.com">bob.kline@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br>> > > Those of you with Comcast might be interested in this:<br>> > ><br>> > > <a href="http://machinist.salon.com/blog/2007/10/19/comcast/">
http://machinist.salon.com/blog/2007/10/19/comcast/</a><br>> > ><br>> > > For those of you that don't have Comcast, what one<br>> > > company does others might follow. Comcast has been<br>
> > > less than forthcoming about its activities, and was dug<br>> > > out by the Associated Press.<br>> > ><br>> > > The head of SBC, and later AT&T, mumbled a couple<br>> > > of years ago that he didn't see why people should be
<br>> > > able to use "his" fibers to put competitive services on.<br>> > > In that case phone service like Vonage.<br>> > ><br>> > > While companies like Comcast are trying to snow
<br>> > > Congress in to thinking there is no need for net neutrality<br>> > > legislation, clearly there is. The alternative is to let<br>> > > outfits like Comcast do for the Internet what it and
<br>> > > DirecTV have done for TV - just a sea of ads, with the not<br>> > > so subtle hint you might want to buy some premium<br>> > > services if you want to actually watch any programming.<br>
> > ><br>> > > With the Internet we might end up paying for premium<br>> > > services just to stay where we are now. Otherwise<br>> > > Comcast might just want to make your life miserable.
<br>> > > And don't forget that it is a monopoly in many of the<br>> > > areas it serves.<br>> > ><br>> > > -Bob<br>> > ><br>> > ><br>> > > _______________________________________________
<br>> > > grlug mailing list<br>> > > <a href="mailto:grlug@grlug.org">grlug@grlug.org</a><br>> > > <a href="http://shinobu.grlug.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/grlug">http://shinobu.grlug.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/grlug
</a><br>> > ><br>> ><br>> ><br>> > --<br>> > :wq<br>> > _______________________________________________<br>> > grlug mailing list<br>> > <a href="mailto:grlug@grlug.org">
grlug@grlug.org</a><br>> > <a href="http://shinobu.grlug.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/grlug">http://shinobu.grlug.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/grlug</a><br>> ><br>><br>><br>><br>><br>> _______________________________________________
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</a><br></blockquote></p><DEFANGED_div><br>