[governance] Re: Comcast Blocks Some Internet Traffic

[carlos a. afonso]

People, I do not want to take your time on this, but let me clarify my
points quickly, irrespective of loose terminology usage (my fault!).

My point is: every packet (I am talking about content packets, not the
control packets and similar automatically generated in the
handshaking/authentication/transation processes) is initiated by a
human user who is sending a content to a destination (I am not worried
about what happens to the packet at every router it passes through) --
this human user is what I call the "driver" (OK, I should just call
her/him a sender). The point is: like a car in a highway, this packet is
the responsibility of that "driver" or sender. It is not the
responsibility of the carrier, or the ISP this sender used to generate
and dispatch it.

If "the system" interferes in any way **which is not in the
connectivity contract with the sender** in this packet (by retarding it,
manipulating it in such a way that the flow affects the result expected
by the user -- like a smooth voip call), this "system" (the backbone
operator, the ISP handling connectivity and authentication at either
end) is violating net neutrality principles. 

In a highway, it would be much like a highway operator deciding that a
blue Beetle can pass but a red one cannot. Or that a car carrying
certain goods cannot go through it -- in other words, in this case the
operator takes over the role which is reserved to law enforcement
authorities.

Now, exactly this is what systematically happens in Internet traffic
today. Packets are manipulated, blocked, discarded, retarded and so on
at the will of the backbone operators and/or ISPs (somethings both are
the same entity).

The rest is technical preciousism (I am not sure there is this word in
English) which confuses/downplays a central political-economic, even
ethical question.

Content packets are the responsibility of the senders (my special kind
of "driver") and every content packet should be treated equally by the
"system". It is not their business to peek their nose into our packets!
All they can do is to keep our bandwidth usage within the limits of our
contract. All they should do is to ensure that any of our packets get
to their destination as safely, efficiently and surely as possible.

I rest my case... :)

frt rgds

--c.a.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Carlos A. Afonso
http://tapuia.blog.br
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


-----Original Message-----
From: Karl Auerbach <karl at cavebear.com>
To: "carlos a. afonso" <ca at rits.org.br>
Cc: Milton L Mueller <mueller at syr.edu>, Stephane Bortzmeyer
<bortzmeyer at internatif.org>
Date: Thu, 25 Oct 2007 20:37:13 -0700
Subject: Re: [governance] Re: Comcast Blocks Some Internet Traffic

> carlos a. afonso wrote:
> > Milton, they should not "handle" packets. The carriers should just
> let
> > them pass, like cars in a highway... :)
> 
> One has to be very careful with words in these contexts.
> 
> For example, every IP router has to modify packet headers (decrement 
> TTL).  And some IP options require additional processing at each hop.
> 
> In addition, routers sometimes have to chop a big IP packet into
> fragments.
> 
> So if someone were to write a law that said "no change in packets by 
> carriers" that law would be out of step with the reality of the way
> the 
> net works.
> 
> 		--karl--
> 
> 


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