[ NNSquad ] Re: Civil Rights Groups Wants P2P Throttling to Preserve Rights (or something like that)

[Sean Donelan <sean@donelan.com>]

On Fri, 7 Mar 2008, Vint Cerf wrote:
> the issue is whether I am using Brett's email services or not, as I see it. 
> He is right to resist abuse of email relays. He is also right to limit total 
> consumption. but I am not comfortable with the idea that he could inspect my 
> packet content and decide on the basis of protocol or content what I can 
> send.

But isn't that exactly why there is an Internet - Network of networks.  If 
both the ARPANET and the MILNET had to agree on every (or even most) 
network policy, they never would.  Isn't that part of the reason why they 
split into two "networks" and created the Internet.  If the MILNET wanted 
to inspect the packet content or decide not to allow some protocols on the 
MILNET network, they could without consulting or needing an agreement 
with the ARPANET network.  And likewise, couldn't the ARPANET decide on
different policies from the MILNET.

Fast forward to today with hundreds of thousands of networks, almost none
of them having the same network policies around the world. I may not like
some network policies, and other networks may not like my policies. Why is 
that a bad thing?  Although you may believe your policies are good 
and should apply world-wide, there are probably other people who think 
their policies are just as good and should apply world-wide. The problem
with trying to tell other people how to run their networks, is someday 
someone is probably going to try to tell you how to run your network.

 [ By and large the operators of private networks who only use those
   networks themselves (e.g., to access the Internet) are quite
   reasonably free to set whatever policies they wish.  However, as
   soon as those networks are made available for public access to
   the broader Internet (especially but not limited to commercial
   availability), they enter a more complex public policy context.

   If there were a vigorously competitive ISP market in the U.S. in
   most areas, some of these issues might be significantly
   mitigated.  But most people have few broadband choices here at
   best (some have none), and this contributes to the view that
   those entities who offer commercial Internet access services to
   the public -- as the gatekeepers of the Net -- should be held to
   some set of policy standards in this regard.

              -- Lauren Weinstein
                 NNSquad Moderator ]