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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 culture, technology, politics, and law. Since 2000, so has the Politech web site.
Previous Politech message: "NYC Time Warner Cable sending nastygrams to free 802.11 points?" http://www.politechbot.com/p-03689.html --- To: declan@well.com Subject: Re: FC: NYC Time Warner Cable sending nastygrams to free 802.11 points? From: tomg@ipi.org Date: Wed, 26 Jun 2002 15:30:44 -0500 I think it's instructive that Rick describes his wireless device a "public access point." I run wireless access points both in my office and my home, but they are not "public" access points. I would immediately, instinctively know that to do so is wrong. When it was first pointed out to me by a friend that the default configuration of the wireless access point gave access to anyone within its range, I immediately reconfigured the access point and all workstations. I immediately, instinctively knew that it was wrong, without reading the fine print of my contract with the ISP. It is to give away something for free that someone has not paid for. It is to give my provider scores of consumers of its services while only giving them 1 paying customer. If I subscribe to a cable tv service and run wires to all the homes in my neighborhood giving them free cable, that is obviously stealing. I see no difference between that and providing a "public" access point. If someone wants to be noble and provide free, public, wireless internet access to scores of people, they should own up to what they are doing, assume all the real costs of business, and negotiate some sort of public license from their content source. THAT is noble. Stealing content and giving it away is not noble--it's Robin Hood. ************************** Tom Giovanetti President Institute for Policy Innovation (IPI) http://www.ipi.org tomg@ipi.org --- Date: Wed, 26 Jun 2002 17:30:35 -0400 To: declan@well.com From: Eric Tully <eric@tully.com> Subject: Re: FC: NYC Time Warner Cable sending nastygrams to free 802.11 points? There's no story here. It's rare that I stick up for a corporation but this guy deserved the nastygram. They don't care if he sets up a wireless LAN. They just don't want him to supply downstream parties with the Internet service that they sell him. This guy is nothing more than a cable thief. He's probably going to complain next that the All You Can Eat Buffet kicked him out for sharing his plate with 20 strangers. Redistributing Cable TV "merely" deprives the cable company of revenue but it doesn't really increase their costs. Redistributing Cable Internet service on the other hand both deprives them of revenue AND increases their costs since they have to install additional lines to accomodate the load his LAN puts on their network. He's violating his contract - Here's the world's smallest violen. - Eric --- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- Declan McCullagh's politics and technology mailing list You may redistribute this message freely if you include this notice. To subscribe to Politech: http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ Declan McCullagh's photographs are at http://www.mccullagh.org/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Like Politech? Make a donation here: http://www.politechbot.com/donate/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------