Verizon and AT&T Accused of Being Threats to Democracy | Observations, Scientific American Blog Network : "Unfortunately, the stakes are higher for the U.S. than just lousy service and exorbitant bills. The current state of affairs threatens the ability of citizens to speak freely in a democracy." Perversely, speech over old-fashioned analog telephone service is far better protected than speech over the Internet, or any device (like a smart phone) that connects to the Internet. In 2002, the FCC under then-president George W. Bush decreed that the Internet wasn’t a so-called “telecommunications service,” and thus subject to federal laws protecting free speech and competition . Instead, it was an “information service,” much like a television channel. The owner of the information service determines what kind of information he would like it to host. In practice, this means that the companies that own the infrastructure—cell-phone companies and Internet ser...
