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March 29, 2006
CERN Spikes Skype
Given the volume of the demands for network neutrality, especially in the context of Voice over the Internet Protocol (VoIP), there has been a surprising lack of coverage of a decision by the European Center for Nuclear Research, known by its French initials as CERN, to ban Skype from its network.
CERN, as every ’Net geek knows, invented the World Wide Web. Based in Geneva, this physics laboratory has done much to institutionalize the democratic and decentralized way the Internet operates. We are all better for it.
So when CERN takes issue with Skype, whose disruptive business model and cyberpunkish founders elevated the company to the modern pantheon of übercool Internet start-ups, it gives pause.
As reported by Bruno Giussani in Wednesday’s Wall Street Journal, CERN has deep reservations about the way Skype service usurps the processing resources of user PCs in the routing and switching of phone calls. Plus, CERN says Skype violates its own computing rules by bypassing firewall protections.
CERN, Giussani reports, is not the only organization to ban Skype, but it certainly is the most visible and, in terms of ’Net culture, the most significant and hardest to dismiss.
CERN’s decision is a facet of the larger debate of network neutrality. Among the worries of the network neutrality set is that, if not enforced, carriers who control broadband access, namely the telephone and cable companies, may block or prevent access to VoIP services, like Skype. This was attempted only once (and not against Skype) by a small rural phone company, which was promptly chastised by the FCC and forced to stop.
Yet CERN itself, by its own actions, suggest there may be legitimate reasons to block certain services out of concern for the affect they have on their own computers and network integrity. The Skype business model is built on the notion of using computers it does not own as “supernodes” to support the VoIP service it sells. “Not with our computers, you don’t!” CERN said.
CERN, remember, is one of the “good guys.” That it chose to block Skype speaks volumes about the real debate behind network neutrality, which has little to do with blocking web sites and everything to do with whether conventions about open, cooperative Internet should change when parties wish to use them for private profit.
Used to be that a “disruptive” Internet business model was just that – it used the Internet to drive out costs, compress and globalize supply chains, and take advantage of open access and architecture. Today, it’s in danger of devolving into “what’s mine is mine and what’s yours is mine.”
Skype makes money by hijacking computers. At first its founders thought its service would demand so little processing that it would hardly be noticed. They were wrong. Google, Yahoo and Microsoft have made no secret that they aim to profit from hogging bandwidth owned by others, yet take umbrage at demands that they pay the cost of managing and partitioning this bandwidth.
Let the record note that it was not AT&T, Comcast, Verizon or Cox – those demons of the techie set—that were among the first to aggressively defend ownership of their corner of the World Wide Web, but CERN, the Web’s very creator.
Posted by steve.titch at March 29, 2006 05:33 PM
I feel like an empty room, but eh. Nothing seems worth doing. I haven't gotten much done today.
Comment by: Sten84347 at January 27, 2007 09:08 PM
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I just don't have much to say these days, but so it goes. Today was a total loss. I guess it doesn't bother me.
Comment by: Sten7499 at January 28, 2007 04:38 AM
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I haven't been up to anything these days. So it goes. I can't be bothered with anything these days.
Comment by: Sten52981 at January 28, 2007 06:34 PM
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I've just been hanging out not getting anything done. What can I say? I've basically been doing nothing worth mentioning, but pfft. Not that it matters. Pretty much nothing exciting happening to speak of. I haven't been up to much these days.
Comment by: Sten20244 at January 28, 2007 07:58 PM
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Not much on my mind lately. My life's been completely boring these days. I've just been hanging out not getting anything done. So it goes.
Comment by: Sten51839 at January 29, 2007 03:32 PM
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I've just been staying at home waiting for something to happen, but I don't care. Basically nothing seems worth thinking about. I can't be bothered with anything recently.
Comment by: Sten71777 at January 29, 2007 06:44 PM
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I just don't have much to say these days, but so it goes. Today was a total loss. I guess it doesn't bother me.
Comment by: Sten10707 at January 30, 2007 07:43 AM
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I've just been staying at home not getting anything done. I've basically been doing nothing worth mentioning. My life's been pretty unremarkable these days. Eh.
Comment by: Sten6979 at January 31, 2007 09:35 AM
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My mind is like a bunch of nothing, but I guess it doesn't bother me. I haven't been up to anything recently. I've pretty much been doing nothing to speak of.
Comment by: Sten17750 at February 1, 2007 12:29 PM
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I've more or less been doing nothing worth mentioning, but eh. My life's been really bland today. I don't care. I've just been letting everything happen without me these days. That's how it is.
Comment by: Sten71648 at February 1, 2007 05:18 PM
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Not much on my mind. I don't care. I've just been letting everything happen without me , but shrug. Whatever. I feel like a void.
Comment by: Sten24486 at February 2, 2007 02:06 AM
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I feel like a complete blank, but I don't care. Pfft. I've pretty much been doing nothing worth mentioning.
Comment by: Sten12784 at February 2, 2007 04:46 PM
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I've just been hanging out not getting anything done. What can I say? I've basically been doing nothing worth mentioning, but pfft. Not that it matters. Pretty much nothing exciting happening to speak of. I haven't been up to much these days.
Comment by: Sten93855 at February 3, 2007 12:27 AM
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Not much on my mind right now, but it's not important. I've just been letting everything happen without me. I just don't have anything to say right now.
Comment by: Sten36120 at February 3, 2007 11:17 AM
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Not much on my mind these days, but what can I say? It's not important. I just don't have much to say lately. I've just been letting everything pass me by recently, but eh.
Comment by: Sten24437 at February 4, 2007 02:14 AM
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I feel like a complete blank, but I don't care. Pfft. I've pretty much been doing nothing worth mentioning.
Comment by: Sten16061 at February 5, 2007 06:56 AM
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I feel like an empty room, but eh. Nothing seems worth doing. I haven't gotten much done today.
Comment by: Sten18986 at February 5, 2007 09:54 AM
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I've just been staying at home not getting anything done. I've basically been doing nothing worth mentioning. My life's been pretty unremarkable these days. Eh.
Comment by: Sten4126 at February 5, 2007 04:30 PM
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I feel like an empty room, but eh. Nothing seems worth doing. I haven't gotten much done today.
Comment by: Sten90287 at February 5, 2007 10:43 PM
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I haven't been up to anything today. I can't be bothered with anything recently. Nothing seems worth thinking about. I haven't gotten anything done recently, but oh well. Not much noteworthy going on worth mentioning.
Comment by: Sten35757 at February 6, 2007 03:29 AM
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Not much on my mind right now, but it's not important. I've just been letting everything happen without me. I just don't have anything to say right now.
Comment by: Sten38868 at February 6, 2007 07:58 AM
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