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<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">Last month I had made a
posting on the plan of FCC to provide free broadband</font><font
color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span
style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;"></span></font><font
face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"> to all in the US
(<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://lists.cpsr.org/lists/arc/governance/2008-12/msg00011.html">http://lists.cpsr.org/lists/arc/governance/2008-12/msg00011.html</a>). One
controversial aspect of that plan was that FCC had intended to
'filter' the net. There is now an announcement that this provision to
filter is being dropped (see article below my mail)<br>
</font><font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><br>
At this time, the Indian Parliament is also considering an 'right to
education bill', the essential feature of which is a guarantee from the
State that every child will be able
to go to school. This is beyond the 'right to go to school' which
suggests
that those with resources can. Even 60 years after independence,
millions of Indian children do not go to school, or drop out of school,
and not being able to afford primary schooling is an important cause.
And ensuring all children do go to school is an imperative for any
society that claims to respect human rights ... after all,
illiterate/ignorant children and adults are not likely to be even aware
of many of their rights or of others .. (for more on this read John
Dewey on democracy and education)<br>
<br>
Likewise, if increasingly in todays world, access to the internet can
be considered an essential part of ones learning and development, then
its equitable access (meaning that it be available to ALL, not only to
those who can afford it) is essential to ensuring an inclusive and
rights oriented information society ... And the FCC's plans are
perhaps even more relevant and required in the rest of the world.<br>
</font><br>
<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">In response to my earlier
posting, Milton had expressed a fear that "</font><font color="navy"
face="Arial" size="2"><span
style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">And PLEASE
note that this is a CENSORED
internet, which is precisely what some of us fear will be the price of
government-provided “internet for all.” . </span></font><font
face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">Well ... the plan has been revised
to keep the free internet access
plan minus the filtering aspect.... so I hope the objection to the
provision of 'free internet for all' is no longer applicable... </font><font
face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">And if even free market
fundamentalists (not intended as a pejorative term) agree public
provisioning of education on
non-market terms is essential to a democratic society, especially in
developing
country contexts, then we should accept its extrapolation to the
internet </font>as a logical extension.<br>
<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><br>
regards,<br>
Guru<br>
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/telecom/regulation/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=NLGSGEISUTUCCQSNDLRSKH0CJUNN2JVN?articleID=212700227&cid=tab_art_tele">http://www.informationweek.com/news/telecom/regulation/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=NLGSGEISUTUCCQSNDLRSKH0CJUNN2JVN?articleID=212700227&cid=tab_art_tele</a><br>
<br>
FCC Could Drop Filtering For Free Internet Plan<br>
<br>
In hopes of getting free wireless broadband passed before he's
replaced, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said the winner of the AWS-3
spectrum wouldn't have to filter adult content.<br>
<br>
By Marin Perez<br>
InformationWeek<br>
December 30, 2008 12:59 PM<br>
<br>
The Federal Communications Commission's goal of universal Internet
access may have new life as Chairman Kevin Martin said he has revised
his proposal for free wireless broadband.<br>
<br>
Martin has endorsed auctioning off the Advanced Wireless Services-3
band with the winner having to dedicate 25% of the spectrum to provide
free Internet access. Much to the chagrin of civil liberties groups,
Martin's plan required the winner to provide a filter for pornographic
or other inappropriate material.<br>
<br>
The chairman has retooled the plan, though, and said he's dropping the
filtering requirement.<br>
<br>
"A lot of public-interest advocates have said they would support this,
but we're concerned about the filter," Martin told Ars Technica. "Well,
now there's an item in front of the commissioners and it no longer has
the filter. And I've already voted for it without the filter now. So,
it's already got one vote."<br>
<br>
The free wireless broadband plan was originally scheduled to be voted
on earlier this month, but Martin canceled the vote after facing
pressure from politicians and telecoms. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va.,
and Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., urged Martin to drop the free Internet
proposal in order for the FCC to focus on the upcoming switchover to
digital television signals.<br>
<br>
The telecoms and ISPs have never been a fan of this proposal, and
T-Mobile in particular has expressed concern that the free Internet
would interfere with its service on the nearby AWS-1 spectrum. The CTIA
has also said the business model for free Internet is doomed to fail,
pointing to the collapse of municipal Wi-Fi ventures.<br>
<br>
Startup M2Z Networks is a major proponent of the free Internet plan,
and it said the wireless telecoms are just afraid of competition. The
company said the business model would differ from defunct ad-based free
services like NetZero by partnering with search companies to utilize
location-based information for targeted, relevant ads. Additionally,
since the FCC would require a minimum connection speed of only 768
Kbps, the AWS-3 spectrum winner could also offer a premium service at a
faster connection.<br>
<br>
Martin, who will likely be replaced by the incoming Obama
administration, may get another crack at the free Internet plan at the
next Open Commission meeting Jan. 15. That meeting's agenda has not
been set yet, but Martin said the January meeting typically just
reports on the status of the industry</font><br>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
Gurumurthy Kasinathan
IT for Change
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.ITforChange.net">www.ITforChange.net</a>
Bridging Development Realities and Technological Possibilities
Tel:98454 37730
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://ITforChange.net">http://ITforChange.net</a>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://India.IS-Watch.net">http://India.IS-Watch.net</a>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://IS-Watch.net">http://IS-Watch.net</a>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://content-commons.in">http://content-commons.in</a>
*IT for Change is an NGO in Special Consultative Status with United Nations’ Economic and Social Council*
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