NNSquad - Network Neutrality Squad
[ NNSquad ] Re: Wireless carriers claim it violates their "First Amendment Rights" to warn of overuse
It's quite a stretch to use the First Amendment as an argument for not informing customers. It makes as much sense as not telling a customer buying gas that the price for the second ten gallons is doubled. Indeed the disconnect between cost and price in telecommunications leads to anomalies cited. Focusing on wireless I argue that there is a indeed First Amendment issue, but not one the CTIA wants to talk about. The very idea of licensing radios goes back to the 1920's when the use of spectrum as a way of segregating signals was the best idea we had. Today with our understanding of bits and the Internet it makes no sense to segregate wired and wireless bits. As Nicholas Negroponte observed we only need to go wireless to the nearest wire or fiber and then we have essentially unlimited capacity. While I?m not a lawyer it seems obvious that if there is a policy that doesn't create scarcity then the restrictions that give carriers exclusive control over our very means of communicating are indefensible. And without such artificial scarcity the need for warnings is moot. (More in the various essays I've posted most recently http://rmf.vc/TwitTV2011a.nn) -----Original Message----- From: nnsquad-bounces+nnsquad=bobf.frankston.com@nnsquad.org [mailto:nnsquad-bounces+nnsquad=bobf.frankston.com@nnsquad.org] On Behalf Of Lauren Weinstein Sent: Saturday, January 22, 2011 15:03 To: nnsquad@nnsquad.org Subject: [ NNSquad ] Wireless carriers claim it violates their "First Amendment Rights" to warn of overuse Wireless carriers claim it violates their "First Amendment Rights" to warn of overuse http://bit.ly/h2GP6w (New York Times) "The wireless industry's trade group, C.T.I.A.-The Wireless Association, argues that the F.C.C.'s proposal "violates carriers' First Amendment protections"; it contends that compelling carriers to provide use alerts is a form of "compelled speech." Analysis: "Bull****!" --Lauren-- NNSquad Moderator