BROADBAND UPDATE - Miryam Williamson

Three items this month.  #3 is a must-read for all present and
prospective subscribers.

1.  Warwick Broadband Service (WBS) has 64 accounts, five of which are
town offices.  Three more subscribers will be added as soon as weather
permits (perhaps by the time you've read this.) To schedule a visit and
find out if your home can be served, call David Young at 544 6315.

2.  WBS is looking for one or more individuals willing to be trained as
service technicians. Qualifications are some technology background and a
willingness to climb ladders.  Trainees will work as volunteers, but
once training is completed they will be paid on a per-job basis.
Interested? Contact David Young at the town hall.

3.  WBS has heard from NBC Universal that someone is downloading,
saving, and possibly sharing its movies.

Streaming movies and TV programs -- watching them on your computer
monitor -- is OK. It's one of the pleasures of broadband.

However, saving and sharing them is a violation of US copyright law. 
(Visit www.copyright.gov, click on Copyright Basics.  You need only read
the first page.)  Subscribers to WBS sign a paper promising not to do
anything illegal on the system.

At present WBS policy is not to monitor individual subscribers' use of
the system, but it wouldn't be hard to figure out who the heavy users
are.  Saving and sharing video doesn't look like streaming. If it became
necessary to track usage to prevent the entire system from being shut
down, WBS wouldn't have much choice.

For several years, the music industry has been going after copyright
infringers.  Now the video industry is getting activated.  If you wonder
how serious this could be, take a look at this article from the July 31,
2009 Boston Globe:

BU student admits illegal downloads.  Music copyright violations could
cost him $4.5m
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/07/31/
bu_students_admission_of_illegal_downl oads_may_cost_him_45m/