Spam (was Re: [oclug] rogers EUA)

[Ross Jordan]

> 
> > On Thu, 21 Mar 2002, Brad Barnett wrote:
> > 
> > [snip]
> > > > And if a federally-enacted law said that ISP's could deny you the
> > > > right to run servers on residential broadband lines?  How's that
> > > > much different?
> > 
> > > Actually, it's quite different [from making spam illegal].
> > 
> > How so?  It's just preventing abuse (by someone's standards of "abuse")
> > of Internet infrastructure.
> 
> Ah, but we're taking about regulated ISPs here.  When it comes to
> regulating spam and the state of the ISP as a pipe, they are different.
> 
> As I said previously, one is a freedom of speech issue.  The other isn't. 
> What is it you are really asking?  After all, I'm not talking about
> legislation that "makes servers legal".  I'm talking about legislation
> that takes rights away from the ISP for content management, and places
> them firmly on the user's shoulders.
> 
> You can still run a "warez" server and go to jail for illegally running
> one.  How's that for illegal servers?  On the other hand, running a telnet
> server wouldn't result in the end of your internet connection.
> 
I think this debate has probably gone on far enough, but I'll
add my thoughts anyways.

Brad, it seems that you are really arguing capitalism vs.
socialism here. You are unsatisfied with the service
of most isps (well two large ones really). A majority of people
are in fact happy with the service provided by the big ISPs (this
is demonstrated by the ISP customers voting-through-wallet). You
on the other hand are not happy with the service. Furthermore, you
are annoyed that the ISPs' customers, by majority vote have chosen
to accept the service. Instead of letting market forces decide,
you want the government to legislate what you feel an ISP should
provide. I personally don't think legislation is the way; most
technological laws from parliament are very flawed. 

-Ross

-- 
	"Whenever a copyright law is to be made or altered, 
	 then the idiots assemble."
	 				-Mark Twain