NET102 Internet Access

Power operates in many ways on the Internet, let’s take one example, that of Internet access, to discuss power (no more than half a page).
We are invited to discuss the possible limits to Internet access this week with these 3 questions to focus on:
1.Are there limits to when, what (sites), how much, and where you access the Internet?
The internet in Australia currently is restricted by speed. And if you live in regional Australia, like myself, access to ADSL internet can prove to be difficult. The property I current reside in can not get ADSL at all. And I am in the Newcastle area in NSW. I constantly hear about people in the Hunter Valley area having all sorts of trouble getting ADSL internet access… Telstra running out of ports for the area your in… This county is monopolised by one telecommunications structure (where all other telco companies use infrastructure supplied by Telstra). The country waits on the Julia Gillard Government to pull through with their NBN and hope that this will shed some more speed to regional Australia… and also bring the price down too…
But also recently there has been the discussion of censoring the internet in Australia. I have heard from many people how this is going to set Australia back in the Western World of business.
The proposed “Clean Feed” that the Federal Government of Australia has been “pushing forward with a plan to force Internet Service Providers [ISPs] to censor the Internet for all Australians.” (http://nocleanfeed.com/) The category list that they are planning to censor include the following (and much more):
1) euthanasia,
2) controversial movies such as ‘Ken Park’ and ‘Baise-moi’,
3) games that are designed for people over 16 years of age.
4) child sexual abuse material…
For more info on the facts on the EFA Filtering plan can be found at http://nocleanfeed.com/learn.html
Is this policy just a way for the Government to control it’s people? Or will it protect your children from the big bad world? I don’t think that this filtering will fix the problems, but create new ones where they will be limiting Australian Business growth. When I rely on the internet to run my business, I really don’t want something to be introduced that can affect my ability to run my business and make money.
2.How can you transgress those limits and what are the possible consequences?
With the “Clean Feed” I can see how people would want some kind of censorship on Child Pornography, Bomb making and even terrorist websites. But who will be monitoring these sites? Who is the one that classifieds websites that are to be censored? What if a legitimate website is banned? How do companies overcome these issues?
A way to over come these issues would be, if this EFA filtering plan comes into effect, to make sure your websites do not contain any of the censored classifications and to monitor their websites constantly. But that would only work for websites maintained within Australian shores. Many overseas companies would not abide with Australian censorship laws, then this could interfere with business’ everyday practises.
3.Is it possible to lose your access and what are the ways this might happen?
Of course it’s possible to lose internet access. All it takes is one natural disaster, a while storm, or the fact you didn’t pay your bill, you lose your access.
If you only have a desktop computer, you are limited to where you can get access. If you lose you access in your home, it’s not easy to pack up your computer and move to a place where you can get internet access again.
Consider the access of people in other places and positions after you have thought about your own access. Does access vary?
In Australia, access varies greatly. I have lived in Sydney and Newcastle and the difference in the internet service is huge. In Sydney you can get any type of internet plan you wish… from naked ADSL, to wireless to super turbo ADSL 2+. Where I currently live, I can’t get ADSL and have to make do with wireless internet which drops out and slows down during peak usage hours.
Then compare Australia to other countries. A friend of mine lives in Germany and they pay very little for their internet access and it is faster than the speeds she had experienced in Sydney. But then she was working in the USA and the internet speeds there were phenomenal. With one click and your file is downloaded. Oh to have that internet access here… I will keep dreaming.