A few years ago, due in part to frustration with our information environs, but also for fun, I decided not to get internet after moving to a new apartment. I didn’t have real internet for about 2 years. I did have 1GB of data per month through my phone service and used my phone or a mPCIE 4g card as an uplink for text-only internet. I restricted myself to JS-free http applications or light protocols like gopher, irc, rss, etc. I quite enjoyed my time having to be very mindful of my data usage. It forced me to fully audit all the technology on my LAN.
If this kind of legislation passes, I simply won’t pay for internet. If both ISPs and telecoms start restricting devices, then I’ll forego cell-based data as well. If public wifi spots become too restrictive, I won’t patron those spots. I’ve accumulated more offline content on my server than I could ever consume in many lifetimes, so it really isn’t a loss. Hell, it’d be an opportunity to organize it all well, and share via meshnets. Don’t tempt me with a good time, politicians. I could save money, nerd out, and cut the noise from my information environments? Sign me up!
edit: I wanted to add: I do really like having a fiber link, but the main draw is having the ability to host my own services. If that goes away due to hierarchical pricing or device/encryption restrictions, 95% of the value prop disappears. I will not be strong armed into using overly-centralized services.
A few years ago, due in part to frustration with our information environs, but also for fun, I decided not to get internet after moving to a new apartment. I didn’t have real internet for about 2 years. I did have 1GB of data per month through my phone service and used my phone or a mPCIE 4g card as an uplink for text-only internet. I restricted myself to JS-free http applications or light protocols like gopher, irc, rss, etc. I quite enjoyed my time having to be very mindful of my data usage. It forced me to fully audit all the technology on my LAN.
If this kind of legislation passes, I simply won’t pay for internet. If both ISPs and telecoms start restricting devices, then I’ll forego cell-based data as well. If public wifi spots become too restrictive, I won’t patron those spots. I’ve accumulated more offline content on my server than I could ever consume in many lifetimes, so it really isn’t a loss. Hell, it’d be an opportunity to organize it all well, and share via meshnets. Don’t tempt me with a good time, politicians. I could save money, nerd out, and cut the noise from my information environments? Sign me up!
edit: I wanted to add: I do really like having a fiber link, but the main draw is having the ability to host my own services. If that goes away due to hierarchical pricing or device/encryption restrictions, 95% of the value prop disappears. I will not be strong armed into using overly-centralized services.