[AusNOG] Happy new year / New rules for age-restricted internet and mobile content after the 20th of january 2008

[Mark Newton]

On 02/01/2008, at 7:39 PM, Adrian Chadd wrote:

> On Wed, Jan 02, 2008, Mark Newton wrote:
>>
>> On 02/01/2008, at 7:12 PM, Adrian Chadd wrote:
>>
>>> If anyone's at all interested, I'm more than happy to work with
>>> someone
>>> on building a Squid plugin to provide "AU-government-friendly" HTTP
>>> filtering support in an upcoming Squid release.
>>
>> With all due respect, Adrian, this industry shouldn't be doing  
>> anything
>> helpful to "solve" this problem without funding from the Government.
>>
>> If they want someone to work on this, they need to pay for it.  Every
>> step of the way.  Don't give them anything for free.
>
> Who said i was going to do it for free? :)
>
> The idea is to provide a platform open to the ISP(s) who wish to help
> fund/maintain it, rather than a closed box solution. I do enough
> for free as it is. :)


Again, not recommended.

Remember there's zero specifications for this yet.  Zero specification
means zero call for a solution.

There'll be a period of industry consultation (the previous Government
initiated one;  There'll surely be another from the new Government)

When consulted, ISPs should make the following comments:

   - Government has no place making decisions about network architecture
     and design.

   - That means the Government cannot mandate a one-size-fits-all  
solution.

   - Government is also constitutionally prohibited from mandating  
private
     expenditure without providing compensation.

   - Here's how much we think it'd cost to do this to _our_ network
     design standards on _our_ network architecture.

   - We will expect the Government to pay that bill, and will take High
     Court action to press the point if required.

   - There are 400-odd ISPs, each of whom will have a completely  
different
     set of network architecture and design standards, and who will
     therefore require a completely different solution with a completely
     different price tag.

   - You have no idea how expensive it'll be to do that.

   - Some constructive suggestions for cheaper policy alternatives:

      * Repurposing NetAlert to provide a family-friendly-ratings system
        that promotes ISPs who have already provided commercial clean
        feed solutions.  Reward those segments of the marketplace who
        solved your perceived problem while you were out in the
        wilderness almost a decade ago

      * Run your own god-damned filtered ISP out of the $220m budget
        already allocated to NetAlert.  Trust me, that'll be gazillions
        of dollars cheaper than paying constitutionally-mandated
        compensation to 400-odd small businesses after you ruin their
        viability.

    - We highly recommend that you don't proceed with this damn-fool
      stupid thing, but if you must proceed with it we'd appreciate it
      if you could tell us where to collect our wheelie-bin full of  
cash.

There you go -- a Nine-Point-Plan.  10% easier to understand than
the Ten-Point-Plans they usually come up with.

IIA started the ball rolling on this by aggressively promoting the
first three bulletpoints above.


   - mark



--
Mark Newton                               Email:  newton at internode.com.au 
  (W)
Network Engineer                          Email:   
newton at atdot.dotat.org  (H)
Internode Systems Pty Ltd                 Desk:   +61-8-82282999
"Network Man" - Anagram of "Mark Newton"  Mobile: +61-416-202-223