Was im Mobilfunk die Regel ist, könnte jetzt auf Festnetzanschlüsse übertragen werden: Die Telekom plant angeblich eine Drosselung von DSL-Anschlüssen nach dem Erreichen eines bestimmten Datenvolumens. Dem Konzern scheint das nicht abwegig. [...]

Gemeint ist damit eine Drosselung der Übertragungsgeschwindigkeit von DSL- und VDSL-Anschlüssen nach Erreichen eines Inklusivvolumens, so wie man es von den Pseudo-Flatrates bei Mobilfunkanschlüssen kennt. So wie ein Smartphone beispielsweise auf 64 Kbit/s gedrosselt wird, wenn man sein Inklusivvolumen verbraucht hat, sollen demnach DSL-Anschlüsse auf 384 kbit/s gedrosselt werden. [...]

http://www.spiegel.de/netzwelt/web/telekom-erwaegt-dsl-drosselung-a-8903...

We posted one short post about a key comment from Register of Copyright, Maria Pallante, suggesting that the focus of copyright law should be on large scale piracy, rather than the teenager downloading at home. Many in our comments rightfully cheered on this line, but as the hearing is concluding it's worth pointing out that there are a number of things she's brought up that should be equally, if not more, troubling. "I've never thought that copyright inhibits innovation." [...]

Also, troubling, was that she more or less endorsed large parts of SOPA as a proper solution for going forward. [...]

There's no discussion of why or how people create -- nor is there any discussion about how the vast majority of creation today is not for direct monetary benefit anyway, and yet is still locked up by copyright law. Without examining the core issues, the overall reform process is just going to produce another, outdated and broken law.

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130320/14513122401/copyright-office-...

The family of one extraordinary Syrian man facing life in prison has appealed to the EU for diplomatic assistance.

"We need the urgent support of the European Union. This is our call to the European External Action Service, and all EU institutions, for diplomatic intervention to secure the release of Bassel Safadi. Bassel represents the ordinary man in Syria who has done extraordinary things for his country: opening up the Internet. Your immediate action can save him. Thank you," Alrifai, the victim's uncle, said in the letter. [...]

In Syria, where strict Internet censorship, backed up by surveillance tools bought from European companies, is used as a tool of repression, his work has made him a revolutionary. [...]

http://euobserver.com/foreign/119429

The French government has put forward a new plan that could enshrine net neutrality in national law. If it passes, France would become the third country in Europe (after the Netherlands and Slovenia joined the club this year—Norway, too, has a similar, but, voluntary system), to enact such a policy and the fourth in the world, after Chile. [...]

“The fact that the opinion is to only inscribe in the law a ‘principle’ without describing infractions and penalties and the place where it shall be written is what makes it toothless and probably makes the telcos not so worried,” said Jérémie Zimmerman, of La Quadrature du Net, a Paris-based activist group, in an instant message chat with Ars. [...]

“[We just want] something in the telecommunications act to say, 'restricting communications based on the sender, or receiver, or type of data is illegal, and if you do it, you’ll be sanctioned,'” he added. “Except for the security of the network and its users, or temporary and non-foreseeable congestion. That’s what we call effective protection of net neutrality.” [...]

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/03/france-could-become-worlds-th...