How do you spell G-R-E-E-D ?

Arguments that ISPs should be able to charge Web
services who are *not* their customers for "premium" access to those ISPs' customers will lead us into an impenetrable quagmire ripe with abuse. Just imagine the ISP meetings regarding what the "standard" access capabilities should be, as opposed to the so-called "premium" service levels:


"OK then boys, we've got it settled. If they don't pay our premium, they get 300 bps effective access per IP connection.
That's our new standard connection rate for those deadbeats.
Ha! That'll leave plenty of bandwidth for our porn video offerings! Man, I love this business -- Ma Bell never had it better. Hand me another cigar, will ya'?"


Seriously, if the ISPs are allowed to start charging non-customers in the manner they envision, it will be only the first step in their long-term dream of establishing those walled gardens that the ARPANET-Internet evolution so inconveniently postponed for them.


By the way, note how the mainstream media has already switched to calling SBC by their new name of AT&T, even though SBC's public rebranding effort has only just begun (mentioning that AT&T has joined with SBC).


But we can all go ahead and call any of these firms by whatever names we choose and it won't really matter, 'cause it won't change the spelling of G-R-E-E-D.

Lauren Weinstein