IP: More on FCC's Farber tells ISPs not to do discount tracking plan

[David Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

> Date: Fri, 21 Apr 2000 13:45:53 -0400
> To: declan () well com, politech () vorlon mit edu
> From: David Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>
> Subject: Re: FC: FCC's Farber warns of regulation if ISPs do 
> discount tracking plan
> Cc: info () predictivenetworks com, lauren () vortex com, farber () cis upenn edu
>
> Declan, for the record, if you read the statement I made carefully 
> or even casually I never said the FCC will regulate  anything in 
> this space (unless the congress demands it). What I did say is 
> continued steps down such paths will end up with Governments 
> imposing regulation and with the citizens demanding it. The stream 
> that goes from the subscriber of an ISP has a lot more in it than 
> web traffic. There may indeed be voice (IP Telephony) email etc. 
> What assurance do we have that opt in works in this or any case. If 
> a single ISP controls my access to the net via my cable , for 
> example, the comment of "just say no and find another isp" may be 
> very very difficult.
>
> For the record, I am not accusing Predictivenetworks of any 
> miss-behavior. I do caution that as the industry starts down this 
> slippery path they understand that there are limits and that 
> reaching those limits may not be at all heathy for our industry.
>
> Dave (as a private citizen which by the way is what I speak as in 
> all my IP mailings)
>
> *********
>
> My response:
>
> Dave correctly points out that he warned not of FCC but "government 
> regulation." (http://www.politechbot.com/p-01099.html)
>
> My intent was to say that the FCC would be the agency responsible 
> for carrying out such regulation if the Feds decided to do it. 
> Whether the FCC has the statutory authority to enact such rules 
> without action by Congress is a question for another day. :)
>
> -Declan
>
> *********