News for hackers. Stuff that matters.

A comment on The Internet is a public commons erected on private property. Parent comment

Re:The Internet is a public commons erected on private property by lukeschlather on Friday December 24, 2010 @01:10PM (#2037700)
Public land that has privately owned network cable on it.

Though you're right in principle; that is a small piece of what Amazon does. I was just trying to fend off the oft-repeated notion that the Internet backbone was entirely the work of private industry, and the government has no business regulating it.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:The Internet is a public commons erected on private property by tptacek on Friday December 24, 2010 @01:15PM (#2037713)
That stopped being public land when we sold the right-of-ways.

Moreover, what possible connection could there be between cable right-of-ways and the terms of service for Amazon's own servers?

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:The Internet is a public commons erected on private property by cosmicray on Friday December 24, 2010 @01:28PM (#2037740)
Some of those lands you refer to are leased for for the fiber optic conduits. Lvl3 has 12 ducts on one side of a US Highway not far from me (it also has a state highway number). Lvl3 is paying a periodic lease (probably annually) for the right to be there.
[ Parent | on HN ]