On Tuesday, The Washington Post quoted Verizon Vice President and Deputy General Counsel John Thorne as complaining that websites like Google are getting a "free lunch" by using telecom carriers' networks. "The network builders are spending a fortune constructing and maintaining the networks that Google intends to ride on with nothing but cheap servers," Thorne was quoted as saying. "It is enjoying a free lunch that should, by any rational account, be the lunch of the facilities providers."
Thorne's comments were similar to ones made by AT&T Chief Executive Officer Ed Whitacre in November, when he complained to Business Week about companies like Google and Vonage Holdings, a VoIP provider. "Now what they would like to do is use my pipes free, but I ain't going to let them do that because we have spent this capital and we have to have a return on it," Whitacre said then.
Of course, anyone who is aware that US telcos already overcharge their customers for inferior service (compared to other nations) understand this is pure weapons-grade crapola.
"Network Neutrality" should be the law of the land, preventing greedy ISPs from blocking or degrading service, or prioritizing their own content.
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