-------- Original Message -------- Subject: [IP] Susan Crawford on ISPs as utilities Date: Mon, 27 Aug 2012 14:35:24 -0400 From: Dave Farber <dave@farber.net> Reply-To: dave@farber.net To: ip <ip@listbox.com> ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: *Joly MacFie* Date: Monday, August 27, 2012 Subject: [OIA] Susan Crawford on ISPs as utilities To: Bruce Kushnick <oia@lists.bway.net <mailto:oia@lists.bway.net>> http://www.wired.com/business/2012/08/california-faces-an-information-state-... Fundamentally, the carriers claim that they’re “speakers” under the First Amendment – just like /The New York Times/ – and that therefore any regulation of them is unconstitutional. This is a breathtaking assertion that you will hear them repeat over and over again in the coming years. It is emphatically not true. They are utilities, like water and electricity, whose facilities were built using public assets and are subject to oversight and regulation. Both Congress and the state Legislatures have the power to tell them what to do. Without this oversight, none of the online companies in California would have been founded. The speech of three hundred million citizens in America is what’s important, not that of a handful of network owners. -- --------------------------------------------------------------- Joly MacFie 218 565 9365 <tel:218%20565%209365> Skype:punkcast WWWhatsup NYC - http://wwwhatsup.com http://pinstand.com - http://punkcast.com VP (Admin) - ISOC-NY - http://isoc-ny.org -------------------------------------------------------------- - Archives <https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/247/=now> <https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/247/14798382-eb93fc78> | Modify <https://www.listbox.com/member/?member_id=14798382&id_secret=14798382-58a8ac...> Your Subscription | Unsubscribe Now <https://www.listbox.com/unsubscribe/?member_id=14798382&id_secret=14798382-d...> [Powered by Listbox] <http://www.listbox.com>