Some news on the Net Neutrality debate

Just a quick post gathering some interesting links on the net neutrality debate:

• Next Net Neutrality Steps at the CRTC (Michael Gesit)
  

• New majority loses nerve on net neutrality (Zdnet)
  

• Broadcasting regulations to govern online video? (EJC Media)

Campaigne produite par Le Dépanneur

Nous avons planifié, produit et dynamisé une campagne afin de promouvoir le "vot laïque". Le client, "Mouvement laïque et progressiste" est une organisation à but non lucrative qui rejoint 170 organisation (jeunesse, écologie, formation, etc) de base avec 17.000 membres. Comme organisation elle a comme but l’élan de la formation dans les valeurs laïques parmi la société ainsi que d’une vision moderne de l'éducation et les activités visant les jeunes.

La campagne a été axé sur une vidéo virale qui en prenant et adaptant le récit popularisé par Bertold Brecht a par but avertir des intentions de l'Église et du partie conservateurs à l'égard des sujets comme l'homosexualité, l'éducation, le droit au avortement et la monoparentalité. La vidéo oppose les éléments du discours que l'Église à utilisé avec des images de la vie quotidienne.

Comme vous le savez, le passé 9 mars ont eu lieu les élections fédérales en Espagne. L'Église catholique à été un des acteurs les plus actifs en essayant d'avoir le rôle principale et établir l'agenda du débat politique. Face à ce discours et la manque d'un acteur politique laïque, le MLP a décidé mener cette campagne.

La campagne a eu une répercussion médiatique assez important en tenant en compte qu'elle a débouté en plein période de campagne électorale.

Voici quelques impactes dans les médias:

• http://www.europapress.es/00065/20080229185459/colectivos-no-religiosos-catalanes-piden-voto-laico-contra-ofensiva-ultraconservadora-iglesia.html
• http://www.elplural.com/politica/detail.php?id=18091
• http://actualidad.terra.es/provincias/barcelona/articulo/colectivos_iglesia_no_religiosos_catalanes_2290742.htm

Voici la vidéo (en espagnol):

New site feeding the Internet Neutrality debate

A couple of weeks ago Michael Geist announced he was taking over www.neutrality.ca, a cornerstone of the Internet Neutrality debate. Now, another site is coming to town: "What is Net Neutrality?", a site enhanced the Canadian Research Alliance for Community Innovation and Networking (CRACIN). I am sure these innitiative will empower de debate and generate interesting contributions.

Is there anyone outside Canada concerned or interested in the subject? It would be reassured...

Net Neutrality questions (I)

Let's say it from the very beggining: Net Neutrality is good. Well, at least is "the least bad". But is it sacred?

The Net Neutrality debate has been developed around the pressure telcos to manage the bandwidth to maximize profit and many other reasons. Supporters of the Net Neutrality appeal to freedom and too other many arguments you may find out there (see recommended readings).

I have some questions rised up by the cultural diversity debate.

My first question would be: is there a right by States to tax audiovisual Internet sites profits to promote "national" content?

The point is: if I set up an enterprise in Canada to webcast or to sell audiovisual content through internet, I will (proudly) be obliged to pay my taxes to Canada Revenue. Whereas if I am a Canadian buying a film at amazon.com, Canada Revenue will not get a single centime from them.

And the same goes to large free-to-consume audiovisual sites. Joost or Youtube make large profits from around the world but all profits goes to the same place.

I am aware most people would argue that thanks to NN it is possible to make the same thing from anywhere else in the world so it is a free-trade and open market that might promote cultural diversity. But it is clear that the cultural domination comes from the USA audiovisual industry. So, the question is: could we implement to the Internet the same policy the CRTC applies to the Cable and Satellite industry? We could oblige Youtube to localize in Canada, so they pay the taxes they get from Canadian consumers, so we can reinvest in Canadian content, or…

Two elements to consider:

• The Net Neutrality is being undermined by the audiovisual industry through the rights management. We have recently seen the lock out of Pandora's site. But there are lots of others like Disney.com, blogtv.ca and BBC.co.uk (in the case of soccer matches, that affects me) which cannot be accessed from abroad.
• The Net Neutrality is already challenged in the gambling sector. Countries like Australia, Austria and France block internet gambling site to prevent their citizens to participate in what is a State monopole.

Recommended readings:

• Principles of NN (M Goldberg)
• No Tolls on The Internet, the Washington Post
• The Neutrality.ca is back (Thanks to Michael Geist)

Porno for mobile: a sure shot

The porno video content to mobile is blooming.

Last Monday Catalan TV3 broadcasted a special report on the blooming porno mobile video industry. It showed the business opportunity the mobile offers to the porno film industry. The program also rised up the lack of regulation upon this consumption of this type of content by youngsters.

(The video will be only available for free for the next few days. It is in Catalan)

What did it happen to the Yahoo! Current Network?

When redacting my previous post, I dived into the Current TV world, that i consider one of the ever best ideas on iptv. Some time after I discovered Al Gore's Current TV, I got surprised because of the Current TV - Yahoo! partnership, what was called the Yahoo! Current Network.

Current TV is an independent cable and satellite TV cable network broadcasting in the USA, UK and Ireland. Current TV programming is mainly based on content provided by users. The content providing is based on Current TV's website. Users upload their contents which allows other users to rate it. To set up the schedule, Current TV chooses between the top rated contents.

When the Yahoo! Current Network was launched it created a big buzz in the sector. Specially, because not long ago, Current TV was flirting with Google. Google and Current TV looked like the perfect non-mainstream couple. And then, the move towards Yahoo!

It seems that, as every divorced couple, they have spared parts and split their belongings and both follows its own path.

Then I read this message from Current TV:

"As of December 1, 2006, pursuant to the Contest Rules, Current TV, LLC ("Current") has TERMINATED the Yahoo! Current Launch Contests in connection with the Yahoo! Current Network ("Contest"). All Contest entrants will be notified of this termination by Current TV, LLC. All rights related to any Contest entry that Current has not optioned as of December 1, 2006 shall immediately revert to the original owner and Current shall have no rights in or to any such entry. Thank you for supporting the Yahoo! Current Network. We apologize for any inconvenience."

C-Net also echoes this split up: "Current is exploring better opportunities to distribute our content," (Current TV spokesman Alex Dolan).

I donno' if I get the full implication of the business model shift Dolan was refering to. What I see is that between Google and Current TV there is no content sharing, as it was with Yahoo, but a diffusion of Google's content.

Then, surprisingly we come accross Google Current: "Google Current airs every half hour on Current TV and provides a look at what the world is searching for on Google", updated every hour!.







I think it is a very interesting move for the iptv/audiovisual sector, and we would love to know any details you may be aware of. You are welcome to post your comments.

3alacarta VoD, a mirror for IMPlayer and BBC

3alacarta is the IPTV service of TV3 or TVCat, the Catalan public broadcaster. It was launched a couple of years ago through the CCRTV Interactiva, the Internet division of the Catalan Radio and Television Corporation (CCRTV).

Up to now the business model was based on an mixture offer of free and and pay per view content. Always on a Video on Demand scheme. It is to believe that this model was not very successful, though the website was very popular. From now on 3alacarta will show for free all content broadcasted during the last seven days.

But what is "astonishing" is that 3alacarta can be watched worlwide! (People from the BBC, are you writing it down?)

We recommend you the radio internet service from the CCRTV: ICatfm. Enjoy it before copyright nights will stop them webcasting abroad (as it has happened with Pandora).

Pandora lock out: signs of the future

Pandora has been forced to close down (http://www.pandora.com/restricted) since the music industry has alleged Pandora did not have the rights to webcast away from the US.
It is nothing new. BBC radio unplugs non-UK listners when tthey webcast a Premiership match. They only have the rights for the UK territory.
It is to believe that this practice will be increasing in the forthcoming months. I see two very important implication on that:

• a new actor comes up to the undermined net-neutrality scene: the right's holder. Up to now it was feared that internet providers or States would interfere in the traffic content.
• Next step is to shut down all internet radio and "real" radio that are webcasting their signal. In fact they all schedul and broadcast music and other content whose rights belong to a third party. In fact, in this right moment i am listening from Spain to Radio Canada which is broadcasting "Audi Coelum" by Claudio Monteverdi and featured by IAN PARTRIDGE, NIGEL ROGERS, COLIN TILNEY, EUGEN MULLER-DOMBOIS, HEINRICH HAFERLAND, THOMAS BRANDIS. Radio Canada is infringing the copyright as they are broadcasting abroad.

A new post on net-neutrality trap will be coming in the next days: Who does net neutrality really really interest?