Limited Internet, limited freedom
Limited Internet, limited freedom
Milad Hanna
WATANI International 20 September 2009
A month ago the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (NTRA) issued a new decree compelling all Internet providers to apply the so-called fair usage policy to all ADSL subscribers in Egypt. The new policy aims at placing a ceiling on the download capacity allocated to subscribers.
The policy stirred up huge controversy and has been strongly rejected by most users, especially the young who are heavy Internet users. Appeals and protests against the decree have been intensive on some websites and blogs.
Not real
“The decision is nothing but a con”, 22-year-old Mohamed Ahmed says. “ADSL users have already replied to each single reason behind the decision, although most of them were superficial and unreal such as the claim that the young surf the Internet only for entertainment and indulgence”
Ahmed Massoud, 24, added: “We won’t keep silent and give up on our right. They have started limiting the Internet, so what will they limit next? People of my age use the Internet to work and start small businesses, as well as the countless information we can access when we are doing research or a study.”
“Strange and unreasonable” is how Maya Saïd, describes the decree. Saïd says she and her friends disapprove of the new rule and say it contradicts the signed contracts between user and company, which provide unlimited Internet use.
No Big Brother
However, Emad al-Azhari, branch manager of an Internet provider company, disagrees. “The new policy is in everyone’s interest,” he says. “It helps combat the theft of cables and misuse of the service.” The ceiling specified is 25 gigabytes for each subscriber, which, Azhari says, is quite large. Ninety-five per cent of the subscribers to his company’s services, he points out, never even approach this limit.
According to Amr Badawi, executive head of the NTRA, the new regulation was stipulated following a two-year study which revealed that the majority of users never exceeded a 25 gigabyte download capacity per month. The purpose was to halt the illegal usage of the ADSL lines.
Mr Badawi dismissed the young people’s reactions. “They thought the government was planning a conspiracy against them; which is not true,” he said. “They opposed it and demonstrated without knowing all the details. For instance, current contracts will be respected, but future contracts for Internet usage have to honour the new decree.” His comments should reassure the critics who fear the beginnings of a Big Brother policy.
Milad Hanna
WATANI International 20 September 2009
A month ago the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (NTRA) issued a new decree compelling all Internet providers to apply the so-called fair usage policy to all ADSL subscribers in Egypt. The new policy aims at placing a ceiling on the download capacity allocated to subscribers.
The policy stirred up huge controversy and has been strongly rejected by most users, especially the young who are heavy Internet users. Appeals and protests against the decree have been intensive on some websites and blogs.
Not real
“The decision is nothing but a con”, 22-year-old Mohamed Ahmed says. “ADSL users have already replied to each single reason behind the decision, although most of them were superficial and unreal such as the claim that the young surf the Internet only for entertainment and indulgence”
Ahmed Massoud, 24, added: “We won’t keep silent and give up on our right. They have started limiting the Internet, so what will they limit next? People of my age use the Internet to work and start small businesses, as well as the countless information we can access when we are doing research or a study.”
“Strange and unreasonable” is how Maya Saïd, describes the decree. Saïd says she and her friends disapprove of the new rule and say it contradicts the signed contracts between user and company, which provide unlimited Internet use.
No Big Brother
However, Emad al-Azhari, branch manager of an Internet provider company, disagrees. “The new policy is in everyone’s interest,” he says. “It helps combat the theft of cables and misuse of the service.” The ceiling specified is 25 gigabytes for each subscriber, which, Azhari says, is quite large. Ninety-five per cent of the subscribers to his company’s services, he points out, never even approach this limit.
According to Amr Badawi, executive head of the NTRA, the new regulation was stipulated following a two-year study which revealed that the majority of users never exceeded a 25 gigabyte download capacity per month. The purpose was to halt the illegal usage of the ADSL lines.
Mr Badawi dismissed the young people’s reactions. “They thought the government was planning a conspiracy against them; which is not true,” he said. “They opposed it and demonstrated without knowing all the details. For instance, current contracts will be respected, but future contracts for Internet usage have to honour the new decree.” His comments should reassure the critics who fear the beginnings of a Big Brother policy.
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