Verizon communications refuses to take steps toward filtering out pirated communications on its broadband network.
“From a business perspective, we really don’t want to assume the role of being police on the Internet,” Tauke, a former Iowa Republican congressman, said in response to a question from Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), who moderated discussion with the executive….Instead, Verizon prefers the existing legal framework established by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998, whereby service providers generally respond to requests that they take down pirated content but aren’t obligated to play copyright cop.
AT&T is looking into filtering mechanisms claiming that the transfer of pirated material on p2p networks create a considerable strain on their network. Verizon brings up a valid point to essentially say that they do not want to get in the business of being the internet police. This makes sense, if they start monitoring internet activity then, why not telephone activity as well. The media companies such as Fox, NBC and such are going to have negotiate some really sweet deals to get all the ISPs behind them. I hope it doesn’t happen though. The thought of me being ‘monitored’ has never sat well with me, regardless of the innocence of my behavior. We have an inalienable right to be secure in our homes and this is among the tools that seems to infringe upon those rights.
