Diane Feinstein citing child pornography as a rationale for network management (slowing down internet speeds) is a slimy way of trying to cover incompetence while playing on the misfortunes of an abused group.
If that doesn't irk you, perhaps it will when your 'broadband' package suddenly slows down because the cable/phone company doesn't see the profit in delivering the service you agreed to as part of a multiyear contract.
If you can live with that, what's to stop the cable/phone company from then offering you their own 'high speed content packages'?
See where this goes? Welcome to the internet managed by your incompetent and fraudulent cable and phone company CEOs. Look forward to buying access to a cable package of 'managed' websites to get access to the one site you want?
If this seems alarmist, consider that telecomms have already fleeced you once. In the last 10 years, America taxpayers gave millions in tax breaks to ISP's but have yet to see the promised upgrades.
The Communications Workers of America (CWA) performed a 2007 study of broadband speeds in the United States and other developed countries. The synopsis: America, where the internet was invented, now lags behind other countries by a factor of 4-30 times.
According to the study, U.S. internet speeds are 2 megabits per second download and 0.371 megabits per second upload. That translates to speeds unsuitable for streaming video or large file transfers such as personal photo or video backups. Also, these are averages, so they represent the underlying capacity of the system, irrespective of management systems. Simply put, no management system will increase the 'averages' - there's no replacement for optical fiber.
In contrast, Japan averages 61 megabits per second, South Korea 45 megabits, Sweden 18 megabits, France 17 megabits. Even Canada averages seven megabits per second.
Just like healthcare, America pays more for less. South Korea spends $0.08 per 100 kilobits of bandwidth while Japan spends $0.07. The U.S. pays a robber-baron price of $0.49 per 100 kilobits a second.
If we are to see real growth it will require that Congress drops support of the 'network management' initiative that's being sponsored by the ISP lobby. Telecomms should 'light up' (turn on) the already installed 'dark' fiber - and instead darken the lobbyists office. Let America benefit from less gas spent driving for movie rentals, more e-learning, and better access to online products and services.
On a personal note, I live in a neighborhood in Colorado that is served only by wireless internet which costs $80/month for 1 megabit download speeds. There is no cable access and Qwest's telephone lines are not capable of DSL. Of the approximately 1000 homes within 1 mile, the lowest home value is $550,000 and the average is over $1 million. For some unknown reason, Qwest and Comcast refuse to upgrade or install new lines despite the pressure of this neighborhood to offer broadband internet service.
Can't telecomms see the value of investment? Given America's rank in the world, obviously not.
ISP's don't need bandwidth management, they just need real management.
Stop Feinstein and Waxman from doing the dirty work of the telecomm industry by inserting an amendment to the stimulus bill - or any future efforts.
If Waxman is truly concerned about pornography, perhaps he should look to his own constituency - which of course includes Hollywood and the less desirable parts of the movie business.