Verizon had a temper tantrum over the FCC’s decision to regulate the Internet as a utility under Title II. So devastating do they think this decision that they decided to demonstrate its dire nature by publishing their missive in Morse code to demonstrate the archaic, barbaric, and onerous nature of the regulations that will be forthcoming (handy link to translation provided at bottom of document). In this warning, they predict that Internet service will collapse due to government overreach and burdensome regulation.
As one who lives in the telecommunications ghetto, courtesy Verizon, AT&T, Charter, Comcast and all the other telecommunication giants, I have to say, “How could things get any worse?”
Charter, after sending me a letter advertising their great business Internet service, sent me a snotty email explaining how I wasn’t worth their business.
AT&T’s DSL service to my house is so slow it barely qualifies as dial-up. And in spite of repeated requests for faster service, AT&T can only offer feeble excuses as to why there’s nothing they can do. But that’s not quite correct because AT&T did manage to increase my internet fees 50%.
My wireless phone provider is Trakfone because neither Verizon nor AT&T / Cingular can manage to provide a signal to my house yet still manage to charge monumental fees for service.
Both these companies have a lock on the area I’m in, based on the 1996 Telecommunication Act, preventing me from finding an alternative (so much for competition and the magic hand of the market place). So obviously the market place is all about competition, until it comes to actual competition.
The Internet is a utility, just like telephone, electricity, gas (for those that have it), water and sewer (for those that have it). Don’t believe me, just try running your business without it any more. Setting aside advertising and online sales, the ability to do research, banking and ordering of supplies online is sufficient to make the Internet a vital tool to making a business profitable.
Like the telephone at its inception, the Internet was a toy in its early days. But, also like the telephone, the Internet has grown up to become a vital communications tool. Today, there is hardly a person over the age of 10 that doesn’t have a telephone in their pocket. Today, there are few businesses that don’t make use of the Internet to some degree.
So, suck it up Verizon. The free ride is over. Now it’s time for you to provide service for all those exorbitant fees you’ve been charging. So my reply to you Verizon is:
..-. -.--.- -.--.- -.- / -.-- --- ..- / ...- . .-. .. --.. --- -. / .- -. -.. / .... --- .-. ... . / -.-- --- ..- / .-. --- -.. . / .. -. / --- -. .-.-.-
Thanks to Paul Hogarth for first making me aware of this in his posting "Verizon so upset at net neutrality they publish statement in Morse code, which no one will read".
For those who don't want to struggle to translate the Morse code, here's a link to a site that will do it for you.