Politech is the oldest Internet resource devoted to politics and technology. Launched in 1994 by Declan McCullagh, the mailing list has chronicled the growing intersection of law, culture, technology, and politics. Since 2000, so has the Politech web site.

Forwarded message:

As you know, I almost never reach out to you personally with a request 
to get
involved in a debate in the U.S. Congress. However, today I feel I must.

Right now, the telephone and cable companies in control of Internet access
are trying to use their enormous political muscle to dramatically change 
the
Internet. It might be hard to believe, but lawmakers in Washington are 
seriously
debating whether consumers should be free to use the Internet as they 
want in
the future.

The phone and cable companies now control more than 95% of all Internet
access. These large corporations are spending millions of dollars to 
promote
legislation that would divide the Internet into a two-tiered system.

The top tier would be a "Pay-to-Play" high-speed toll-road restricted to 
only
the largest companies that can afford to pay high fees for preferential
access to the Net.

The bottom tier -- the slow lane -- would be what is left for everyone 
else.
If the fast lane is the information "super-highway," the slow lane will
operate more like a dirt road.

Today's Internet is an incredible open marketplace for goods, services,
information and ideas. We can't give that up. A two lane system will 
restrict
innovation because start-ups and small companies -- the companies that 
can't afford
the high fees -- will be unable to succeed, and we'll lose out on the jobs,
creativity and inspiration that come with them.

The power belongs with Internet users, not the big phone and cable 
companies.
Let's use that power to send as many messages as possible to our elected
officials in Washington. Please join me by clicking here right now to 
send a
message to your representatives in Congress before it is too late. You 
can make the
difference.

Thank you for reading this note. I hope you'll make your voice heard today.

Sincerely,

Meg Whitman
President and CEO
eBay Inc.

P.S. If you have any questions about this issue, please contact us at
government_relations@ebay.com.

Posted by Declan McCullagh on Jun 01, 2006 in category economics

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