Below is the letter I wrote to the FCC this morning, 3/4/2008

Dear Sirs:

Thank you for posting online video of the February meeting at Harvard Law School. I neither work in computers, politics, networking, nor am I a business owner. I am merely a citizen concerned about free speech and expanded economic possibility for all Americans. I believe the work you are doing is one of the most important policy issues in American history and the full repercussions could not possibly be imagined by any analyst no matter how wise. I believe the work you are doing will determine whether we remain free and whether we remain economically and militarily relevant.

I believe the infrastructure of the intellectual superhighway should be like the interstate network of freeways. Like our roads, our internet should be the best in the world. Like our freeways, our internet highway should be property of the people, built and operated by the government (with occasional contracts and help by private industry,) and our internet should be without tolls (which slow traffic and discourage use.)

There needs to be fiber optic cable from the curb into every home in the USA. There need to be unlimited competition between all parties. There needs to be a level playing field for this to occur. Therefore, the internet is too important to be property of and controlled by the cable and telephone duopoly. I believe we need a government building project like our dams, bridges etc.

Furthermore I believe the use of eminent domain should be on the table. If necessary, eminent domain should be used to take control of the current infrastructure from cable and telephone. Eminent domain has been expanded in the past few years. It is now used to take property for the larger economic good of society. The wires are no longer just TV-- the wires are our town square and shopping district, churches and schools, business, science and banking. This is too important and too much power to be property of the cable and telephone companies. Besides, this companies have shown little responsibility in the past with price gouging and illegally wiretapping Americans.

The government needs to build a new network, or seize through eminent domain the current network and expand upon it. Besides, neither the cable, nor the telephone companies, invented, paid for or developed the internet. They have no right to operated it as their private property. We do not tolerate private police or fire departments. We should not tolerate a private internet.

Thank you,

Thomas