Doug Ross @ Journal

Net neutrality word search

Here's another fun game I just made up. I call it "Word search on the COPE Act and related documents". The carriers and their backers claim that the COPE act will "protect" the freedom of the Internet by enforcing the current state of net neutrality.

Before we start, let's recall the text of AT&T's anti-net-neutrality marketing site - “…[we] will not block, impair or degrade access to any legal web site, application or service, nor will we intentionally degrade the customer experience or the service delivery of content or application providers.”

Here's the salient point: why can’t all of the carriers' lobbyists, lawyers and horsemen codify that single sentence into the law of the land? Telco apologist Richard Bennett claims that 'exact language' is in the COPE act.

I'm excited. Let's start playing. Fred, please cue the Jeopardy music while we search for each of the key words...

block - 0 occurrences
filter - 0 occurrences
degrade - 0 occurrences
impair - 0 occurrences

Hmmm. I'm mystified. I would have thought I could've found at least one of those words in the COPE Act -or- the Broadband framework.

Maybe it's just my copy, though (** shakes e-Book **). I could've sworn I was called a 'shameless liar' for saying those terms were AWOL.

Handing Cisco's Service Exchange Framework to the carriers -- the same crew who hasn't created an iota of value since the premiere of Hogan’s Heroes , seems as logical as giving the keys to a Porsche Turbo and a fifth of Jose Cuervo to a 16 year-old boy.

The COPE Act, which claims to protect the current state of net neutrality, appears instead to have been authored by the telcos' attorneys for the express purpose of neutering the FCC. Hitch a ride on over to Save The Internet today and take action.