On January 25 The Federal Communications Commission held a rare public hearing regarding their investigations into internet companies like Comcast, AT&T, and Verizon, who have been repeatedly caught blocking and spying on their customer’s internet activities. Hundreds of concerned citizens arrived to speak out on the importance of an open Internet, but were outdone by the corporate giants who had paid seat fillers to take their place. Comcast later admitted paying people to stack the room in their favor.
The Cambridge hearing is part of the FCC’s ongoing investigation into Comcast’s blocking of Internet traffic. But there’s much more at stake. We are at a critical juncture, where it will be decided whether we have a closed Internet controlled by a small handful of giant corporations, or an open Internet controlled by the people who use it. Comcast wants the former — to dictate which Web sites and services go fast, slow or don’t load at all. And they’re backed by the other would-be gatekeepers at AT&T, Verizon and Time Warner. (full article on SavetheInternet.com)
A Review of Manuel De Landa, A Thousand Years of Nonlinear History New York: Zone Books, 1997.
by Geoffrey Winthrop-Young
(From electronic book review, Jan 1, 1999)
