snip

As far as the 'net goes, I can't see it ever being controlled in the
Draconian way you suggest that it will be. It is just too large,
lumbering, international and unbelievably complex to police in any way
that is at all practical.
snip

I hope and pray that you are right, but I fully expect to see forms of
taxation,
regulation, pricing structures, and monitoring that effectively end
today's
libertarian Internet.

In alt.internet.wireless Jeff Liebermann recently speculated:
"I've used the Wi-Fi hindsight example sufficiently that I've thought
about what wireless would be like in 2018. Visualize the DHS (Dept of
Homeland Security) running all communications and where you are
required to positively identify yourself before being allowed to use
the public airwaves. Meanwhile, spread spectrum bandwidth will be
auctioned by the megabyte in real time by the FCC, where user fees
have replaced spectrum auctions. SDR (software defined radio) will
have taken over, and every user can have their own protocol, optimized
for their specific application. More horror stories when I have time."


Michael

As a lurker and long-time contributor to this group Michael, you cannot have
missed that Jeff can often be a contentious poster, and takes great delight
in discussing such subject matter. You can almost see the twinkle in his eye
as you read what he says. I'm sure that he's probably following this thread,
waiting for the opportunity to jump in ... :-)

It's all very well what he says in the snippet above, and I'm sure that
there is boundless 'evidence' (on the 'net at least) to support what he is
worrying is going to happen, but in reality, it borders on conspiracy
theory. For the most part, governments haven't got the time, money,
resources or inclination to try to police or control activities of this
type, in the way Jeff envisages.

It would actually be rather easy for governments to tax internet access by
levying a charge on every user, via their ISP, who is already collecting
money from them every month. But they haven't, which has to make you ask the
question "why?".

I think that Jeff correctly summed up his post when he chose the two words
"horror" and "stories" ...

Arfa