[IP] Net Neutrality and the eBay Community: A Call to Action from Meg
Begin forwarded message:
From: Bob Schmidt <schmidt@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: May 30, 2006 10:09:08 PM EDT
To: dave@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Net Neutrality and the eBay Community: A Call to Action from
Meg
Dave, for IP if you wish.
Apparently, eBay is calling on its members to write to Congress about
net neutrality... presumably to benefit its own backbone deficient
Skype phone company subsidiary. Personally, I'm still trying to
figure out who are the good guys and the bad guys on this issue and
how far down toward consumers the two tiers will flow vs. being
strictly a wholesaler/reseller issue between backbone owners and ISPs/
web hosts.
This email presumably to all U.S. eBay members, arrived tonight.
It links to: http://www.ebaymainstreet.com/
DomainKey-Signature: s=main; d=reply3.ebay.com; c=nofws; q=dns;
b=qh4/0PF9izZD6evk4Sh/nvYyTxUNsXP/pKofeogav/
kzAdt16kRB2WqvF8jSBxd2pe9iyMUq/5m8yUt3fqE/6OwrRIJMHdjdrS5NTLpJqY8/
m3ZDAtuCloX+f4GmJ2HF;
From: "Meg Whitman" <eBay-US@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Reply-to: eBay-US.1296143.63932.0@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To: XXXXX@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: A Letter to XXXXXX from eBay CEO, Meg Whitman
Date: Tue, 30 May 2006 16:24:45 -0700
X-Mailer: Kana Connect 6
eBay sent this message to Bob Schmidt ( ebayidXXXXX).
Your registered name is included to show this message originated from
eBay.
[graphic image header snipped. Reads: It's Our Net]
Net Neutrality and the eBay Community: A Call to Action
Dear XXXXX,
As you know, I almost never reach out to you personally with a
request to get involved in a debate in the U.S. Congress. However,
today I feel I must.
Right now, the telephone and cable companies in control of Internet
access are trying to use their enormous political muscle to
dramatically change the Internet. It might be hard to believe, but
lawmakers in Washington are seriously debating whether consumers
should be free to use the Internet as they want in the future.
The phone and cable companies now control more than 95% of all
Internet access. These large corporations are spending millions of
dollars to promote legislation that would divide the Internet into a
two-tiered system.
The top tier would be a "Pay-to-Play" high-speed toll-road restricted
to only the largest companies that can afford to pay high fees for
preferential access to the Net.
The bottom tier -- the slow lane -- would be what is left for
everyone else. If the fast lane is the information "super-highway,"
the slow lane will operate more like a dirt road.
Today's Internet is an incredible open marketplace for goods,
services, information and ideas. We can't give that up. A two lane
system will restrict innovation because start-ups and small companies
-- the companies that can't afford the high fees -- will be unable to
succeed, and we'll lose out on the jobs, creativity and inspiration
that come with them.
The power belongs with Internet users, not the big phone and cable
companies. Let's use that power to send as many messages as possible
to our elected officials in Washington. Please join me by clicking
here right now to send a message to your representatives in Congress
before it is too late. You can make the difference.
Thank you for reading this note. I hope you'll make your voice heard
today.
Sincerely,
Meg Whitman
President and CEO
eBay Inc.
Bob Schmidt
President
Provider Marketing Group
Orlando, Florida
www.provider.com
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