SBC Owns the Internet

One of my favorite sites on the net, an internet / technology "news" site called Techdirt, has an article you should check out entitled:

SBC: We Own the Internet, So Google Should Pay Up

While I'm not sure about their credibility (though most things don't seem unreasonable (in this incredibly unreasonable world)), and they offer their opinions sometimes a little too much, it's usually good for some off-the-mainstream-path tech news, if not a few good laughs. I will say, however, that they usually do make some very good points.

Anyway, this article talks about how SBC thinks that it has the right (or enough influence, or control over the internet) to charge websites for giving their subscribers access to their sites. For example, Google owes SBC some money for allowing SBC customers access to Google. What they are forgetting (as the article so states) is that without access to some of these sites, people will be less likely to subscribe to SBC internet. Also, if these internet site companies band together and refuse to pay up, SBC's version of the internet will be less valuable than others. Another thing to note is that with internet service becoming more of a oligopoly, the big players have more control over the internet. But the fact remains that without websites like Google, Yahoo, Club de la Musica, etc, SBC might not even want to be an internet company.

Anyway, check out the article, and you should also check out Techdirt from time to time.