[governance] Internet as a commons/ public good

[Kerry Brown]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: governance-request at lists.igcaucus.org [mailto:governance-
> request at lists.igcaucus.org] On Behalf Of Roland Perry
> Sent: April-20-13 8:00 AM
> To: governance at lists.igcaucus.org
> Subject: Re: [governance] Internet as a commons/ public good
> 
> In message <20130420141642.16370658 at quill.bollow.ch>, at 14:16:42 on Sat,
> 20 Apr 2013, Norbert Bollow <nb at bollow.ch> writes
> >> "The Internet is a communications medium that allows communications
> >> between endpoints with all endpoints being equal in their potential
> >> to communicate with all other endpoints."
> >
> >One may nitpick about details like measures that force consumer PCs to
> >send mail via their ISP's mailserver rather than running an MTA that
> >will connect directly to port 25 on the recipient's mailserver, but
> >apart that kind of thing, this IMO describes one of the meanings of the
> >term "Internet" quite well.
> 
> I have at least one [mobile] ISP in the UK that will only let me send SMTP[1]
> email on port 587, for example.
> 
> Should we be concerned at my inequality when it comes to sending SMTP
> email *at all* on port 25 (through that ISP)?
> 

As long as the potential of communication is there the fact that the particular network you are connected to chooses to block some types of communication is a decision that the managers of the network have a right to make. You can still send the email to any other endpoint on the Internet that will accept it. You just have to use a different method. This can't be conflated with the issue where some networks block some endpoints from communicating with other endpoints by any method. That is a human rights issue that isn't limited to the Internet.

Kerry Brown


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