Netroots Net Neutrality "Lobbying" (was: Re: [asterisk-biz] Iptables rule help)

[Matthew Rubenstein]

	The House and Senate telecom committee chairs are now all Democrats
(tiny possibility that some political fluke will threaten a Democratic
Senate majority), after the Democratic takeover in last month's
elections. So the current telecom bill is dead in committee. The cableco
and telco bribes/lobbying sunk into that bill are all now on Plan B. So
there is now a chance to reboot the telecom bill to protect Net
Neutrality (equal accessibility by competitors to quality carriage
regardless of content). Write a short, polite *paper* letter to your
House/Senate reps, especially if they're on/chairing a telecom committee
mentioning "Net Neutrality" and whatever other familiar (to them)
buzzwords with which you agree.

	The next Congress probably won't pass any but a really temporary
stopgap telecom bill, instead concentrating on "cleaning up" from the
last (Republican) Congress, and "setting up" for the next (they hope
Democratic) presidential election in late 2008. So there's 2 years to
convince our reps that freedom and commerce, not monopoly, depend on
equitable access to networks. After that, it'll be too late. For a
decade, maybe a lifetime, probably a career.

More info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search?search=us+congress
+telecommunications+committee&go=Go

http://www.eff.org/cgi/search-proxy.py?q=%28%22net+neutrality%22+OR+%
22network+neutrality%27+OR+%22internet+neutrality%22%29&sa=Search+EFF


On Fri, 2006-12-15 at 14:31 -0600, Mike Hammett wrote:
> I thought some ISPs got fined for blocking VoIP traffic.
>  
>  
> ----
> Mike Hammett
> Intelligent Computing Solutions
> http://www.ics-il.com
>  
>  
>         ----- Original Message ----- 
>         From: Michael Jerris 
>         To: Commercial and Business-Oriented Asterisk Discussion 
>         Sent: Friday, December 15, 2006 2:09 PM
>         Subject: RE: [asterisk-biz] Iptables rule help
>         
>         
>         Legal or not ( it is not federally illegal at this point, it
>         may be in some states ) isp’s in the USA most definitely do
>         block and degrade sip traffic.
>         
>          
>         
>         This is a good point to note for those in the US, the telecom
>         bill is still stuck in conference committee, time to call your
>         senators and congressmen and tell them how important it is to
>         have net neutrality legislation included in that bill.
>         
>          
>         
>         The key players in Washington are:
>         
>         Two committees have primary jurisdiction over media policy and
>         will write the first drafts of any new Telecom Act: the House
>         Energy & Commerce Committee and the Senate Committee on
>         Comerce, Science and Transportation.
>         
>         Key members shaping the Telecom Act in the House include
>         Chairman Joe Barton (R-Texas), ranking member Rep. John
>         Dingell (D-Mich.), Telecommunications and Internet Subcomittee
>         Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) and Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.).
>         
>         In the Senate, any telecom legislation must cross the desk of
>         Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska). The ranking Democrat is Sen.
>         Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii). Other Senators likely involved in
>         drafting the new Telecom Act will include Sens. John Ensign
>         (R-Nev.), John McCain (R-Ariz.), Gordon Smith (R-Ore.),
>         Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), John Kerry (D-Mass.), Byron Dorgan
>         (D-N.D.), Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) and John Rockefeller
>         (D-W.Va.).
>         
>         (this information extracted from:
>         http://www.freepress.net/telecom/=players#Congress)
>         
>         Much of this can and will change in January with the entrance
>         of the democratic control of the house and senate, it is still
>         unclear if this will or will not get resolved before then.
>         
>         Some links for your reading pleasure:
>         
>          
>         
>         http://www.freepress.net/telecom/
>         
>         http://saveaccess.org/node/96
>         
>         http://www.benton.org/index.php?q=node/1882
>         
>          
>         
>          
>         
>         Mike
>         
>          
>         
>          
>         
>                                        
>         ______________________________________________________________
>         From: asterisk-biz-bounces at lists.digium.com
>         [mailto:asterisk-biz-bounces at lists.digium.com] On Behalf Of
>         Mike Hammett
>         Sent: Friday, December 15, 2006 2:28 PM
>         To: Commercial and Business-Oriented Asterisk Discussion
>         Subject: Re: [asterisk-biz] Iptables rule help
>         
>         
>          
>         
>         Not a technical answer, but what country are you in?  Your ISP
>         can't block SIP in the USA.
>         
>         
>          
>         
>         
>          
>         
>         
>         
>         ______________________________________________________________
>         
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-- 

(C) Matthew Rubenstein