Ok this isn't really political... well only partially... because the laws as they are now, allow companies like verizon to set terms for internet use that are completely against the whole idea of the internet in the first place.
The markey internet bill does not directly address the problem of ISPs deciding what people can and cannot do, while connected to the internet.
It would be as if the road pavers could decide what people were allowed to carry in their cars. ridiculous. but that's how it is today.
I was slightly curious, so i ambled on over to the verizon fios web page, and after the page was open for a few minutes, a chat window opened up all by itself. i figured, ok... if they're going to follow me around their web page, while i browse, with paid employees, like in some kind of expensive clothing store, i may as well have a chat.
Chat Information
We are routing you to a chat representative. Thank you for contacting Verizon. Your average wait time is 2 seconds.
Chat Information
You are now chatting with 'Gian'
Gian: Hello. Thank you for visiting our Verizon chat service. How can I help you set up your new service and save with a Verizon bundle?
you: hi. my fastest cable speed is optimum ultra, with 15mbit upload, and 101mbit download. your fastest is only 50mbps downlaod, although the upload is 25% faster, at 20mbit.... i read in the ny times a few months ago that a verizon tech told the times that they could increase our speeds to 400mbit up/down without any additional cost to verizon, but they "didn't want to" at this time... so why should i get slower service from verizon?
Gian: I will be happy to help you with that.
Gian: Cable service logs customers onto a shared bandwidth connection, the more subscribers who log on, the slower the service will become. FiOS is dedicated from the end-user to the Central Office, so that you get consistency.
you: i have tested my service constantly for years
you: it is consistently fast
Gian: Our Internet service is not slow it is a dedicated connection service.
you: i have never had a slow down
you: your service is half the speed for the same price
Gian: I understand that.
you: why should i go slower?
Gian: Cable service is great for the first user who logs on because cable modems are on a shared bandwidth, the more subscribers who log on, the slower service will become. FiOS is dedicated from the end-user to the Central Office, so the FiOS user is limited only by the speed of their requested connection.
you: ok you already pasted that to me. but it doesn't pan out that way and has never panned out that way. my speeds are consistently fast.
Gian: You will get 1st month free with a router worth $139.99 also free.
you: ok but my max speed will be 1/2
you: i don't see why i should slow down to a guaranteed speed of 1/2 what i have now for the same price
you: do you block ports? port 80? port 25?
you: can i run a server on my pc?
you: mail server? dns server? http server? ftp server?
Gian: Port 80 is not blocked.
you: are any ports blocked for upstream traffic from my pc?
you: do i get a dedicated static ip#? ipv4? ipv6?
Gian: Yes you will get it.
you: i will get a static ip#?
Gian: You will get a dynamic IP sorry for that info.
you: so can i run any of the servers i mentioned above?
you: oh ok. dynamic ip. ew.
you: what about running my own web/mail/dns/ftp/game servers?
Gian: Yes you will be able to do that.
you: are there any limitations in the TOS to prevent me from running my own servers?
Gian: You will get that info from the technician or you can call up the locl Verizon office to get the technical details.
you: hm so you can't tell me whether or not i can run those servers?
you: section 14.5 (j) of your terms of service says, "(j) to damage the name or reputation of Verizon, its parent, affiliates and subsidiaries, or any third parties" are you guys kidding? you want to limit my freedom of speech?
Gian: I am sorry but I am a sales representative you can get better information from the technical guy.
you: section 3.7.5 clearly says
you: 3.7.5 You may not use the Broadband Service to host any type of server personal or commercial in nature.
you: see that completely eliminates verizon from the running
you: if you can't run a server on your computer, you are not really a citizen of the internet
you: you are a nothing
you: it completely violates the whole idea of the internet to prevent users from running their own servers
you: i can't possibly ever subscibe to a service that tries to tell me what i can and cannot do, say, or communicate to others.
you: i'm sorry
Gian: I am extremely sorry for that but I do not want to make any false commitments to you.
you: ok.
you: i think verizon has a lot of growing up to do.
you: thanks for your time. i'm sorry to have wasted it.
Gian: I am sorry for the inconvenience caused to you.
Gian: Is there anything else I can help you with?
you: no thanks. good night
Gian: Please I am sorry again for the inconvenience you suffered.
you: no problem. not your fault that you work for an giant evil monster
Gian: Shall I provide you the number for the Local Business office.
you: heh no thanks.
Gian: It was my pleasure to assist you today. If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact us again. Thank you for choosing Verizon. Have a nice day.