New Developments In Realm Of P2P, Both Strange And Scary

The latest bits of news to emerge from the mess surrounding P2P file sharing are quite incredible. So much so that we simply couldn’t resist sharing them with you.

One involves a surprising play by an anti-Net-neutrality party against a particular ISP’s unsavory actions. Another has to do with the RIAA and its seriously disturbing efforts to put into law – vicariously through American legislators, of course – a higher education bill (you may view the corresponding PDF here) that will give the recording industry alliance the option to exercise power over the distribution of federal financial aid to universities and colleges based on the efforts (or lack thereof) of said educational institutions to halt peer-to-peer traffic on their networks and market legal alternatives to their respective student bodies.

Now, clearly the second development trumps the first in terms of its implications, so we’ll start things off with the story #1 (if only to butter you up), which appears to pit seemingly like-minded entities against one another. With both entities standing opposite the pro-Net-neutrality parade, the news of the dispute is very intriguing indeed.

Telco-backed Group Sides Against Telco

Nate Anderson of Ars Technica reported yesterday afternoon the discovery of a letter sent by Hands off the Internet, “a telco-backed group opposed to government network neutrality regulations,” to FCC Chairman Kevin Martin essentially offering their support for an investigation into alleged BitTorrent blocking by Comcast, a US-based Internet service provider. Yes, that’s right, a group aligned with the interests of major telcos, siding against a major telco.

Surprised? Count us among the amazed as well. Of course, if you look at the facts and scrutinize the basic mantra of “third-party” Net neutrality proponents, it’s evident that, logically speaking, they would indeed opposite outright measures to block digital traffic moving to and fro various points on the Web. Rather, they purport to promote prioritization, and ensure that those deemed operators of bandwidth-intensive applications and services be charged more for their usage than those entities that stream far fewer bits per second/minute/hour/day/month/year.

Nonetheless, it’s quite astonishing that a group such as Hands off the Internet (if one didn’t know any better, one could assume that an advocacy bloc with such a name were more “neutral” than not) would turn against its own, as it were. But alas, it has - though one might wonder whether HOTI considers consumer groups’ request for Comcast to be fined $195,000 for ever consumer affected by BitTorrent blocks legitimate or not. Personally, I’d be rather dumbfounded if they were to second such a motion.

The Higher Education Bill

That said, let’s move on to the second item of this P2P double-whammy, involving a higher education bill (meaning it’s yet to be put into law).

Spanning a total 750 pages in length (BizOrigin’s Sunny Kalara states that the most relevant points of controversy can be found at Sections 487 and 494) the bill “to amend and extend the Higher Education Act of 1965” is slated to enforce a proposition to stop university-based P2P traffic by way of a deeply troubling penal system. That penal system, rather simply, involves stifling or halting completely the transfer of federal financial aid to uncooperative parties.

In short, any institution of higher education found not playing by the RIAA’s rules, either through outright refusal or otherwise, could very well be shorted on aid payments. Which could spell insurmountable trouble for those institutions.

Never (at least I presume so) has a university been threatened with such a measure. Yes, the American higher-education-oriented financial aid system is a fluid one, involving malleable figures. But never has the entire university complex of the country had to face such a hurdle. What’s more, universities themselves haven’t even yet been dealt a verdict holding them directly responsible for the illicit actions of their students. Not such a vast national scale, anyway.

Something tells me this bill won’t be pushed through to law very easily, if at all. Perhaps if its proponent(s) (the RIAA) manages to maintain a good deal of silence over the matter throughout the legislative process, and somehow keeps it from the eyes of some particularly loud whistleblowers on Capitol Hill, it could, maybe see the light of day as official legal decree. But that’s highly unlikely. Call me a naysayer, or call me too hopeful. I just don’t see it happen. At least as it’s presently written.

Want to stop the stupidity from moving further along in Washington? Let your congressmen and/or congresswomen know where you stand. Want to dish your feelings right this very moment for all to see? Share your comments below!