A Slashdot post this weekend pointed out that AT&T's new Terms of Service give the company the right to terminate or suspend your account for any conduct that "tends to damage the name or reputation of AT&T, or its parents, affiliates and subsidiaries."

Whatever framework this is placed in (net neutrality, common carrier, freedom of speech/information, etc.) it seems that the telcos are simply displaying more and more acts daily of their utter disregard for the interests of the consumer after using our public rights-of-way and building many of these networks with our tax dollars. We have seen compliant illegal wire-tapping, blatant content censorship, and just last week a foray into blocking text messages with "controversial" or "unsavory" content.

Information communication should not fall under the same "market forces" that determine the availability of consumer commodities. We must continue to challenge these acts by the cable/telephone duopoly - as they have showed repeated failures to act in the consumer's best interest. We need to increase community control of Internet and communications infrastructure. We need competition in the broadband market.

Don't let these actions go unnoticed...