Mulling over Joe Bruchis to Steve Asher 20 Oct 2006

>If telecoms and massive cable corporations have their way, it may not
>be long before I am dusting off the old BBS software and once again
>surfing over ancient copper telephone lines. "There's a battle going
>on for control of the Internet, and if consumers don't watch out
>they're going to be playing second modem to the captains of industry,"
>writes Bloomberg. "The black hats are worn by a handful of media
>conglomerates who hope to build a two-tiered Internet, with the
>fastest tier going at premium prices. Everyone else will surf at
>reduced speeds, which can be the fast track to Net oblivion."

 JB> I couldn't agree with you more.  I looked around at the way things
 JB> are headed and got a warm feeling.  The internet will die as we
 JB> know it, which means the dial-up neighborhood BBS will be spreading
 JB> the words of truth now being spread on the net.

That was Kurt Nimmo, but the thrust of the article is interesting for
die-hard sysops. I don't know which is the worse threat to users of 
the Internet; governments that seek to ban access to sites and information 
- China, Vietnam, Iran etc, or those that introduce restrictive access and 
licence arrangements for commercial gain. Germany is to charge a monthly 
licence fee for any computer or mobile phone that is capable of receiving 
radio and TV broadcasts; the UN would like to tax broadband connections 
to bridge the so-called "digital divide" etc - the thin end of the wedge
for global taxation of all sorts of goods & services.

 JB> I can't wait!

Have modem, will handshake!

 JB> ___ SBBSecho 2.11-Win32
 JB>  - Origin: Vertrauen - vert.synchro.net (1:103/705)

Appropriate for a piece on Synchronet. :)

Cheers, Steve..

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