On Jun 23, 8:40 am, billytheclam gmail.com> wrote:

Me thinks that Time Warner also might be making money from the news
services which it is "recommending" to its subscribers. There are
bigger issues at stake here. I am not in any way condoning "child
pornography" or pedophiles. But, as already stated, the majority of
news groups have nothing to do with those topics. I am not a
conspiracy theory nut. I do find it interesting though that in aqn
election year with much at stake, removing access to news groups can
be looked at as stacking the deck. The Time Warner FAQ pertaining to
removal of access to the news groups gives the reason as being ""due
to low subscriber usage." Countless newspaper articles, news group
posts, web sites, forums, etc., DO NOT use that phrase as the reason
for Time Warner/Roadrunner removing news group access. I found COURT
TV and its web site an ecceptionally good educational tool for truly
learning all about the mechanics of the U.S. judicial system. Many
others did as well. With the knowledge gained, people began to
question, and suggest changes, especially after the Phil Spector
trial
and the now infamous juror #10. Ted Turner purchased COURT TV, and
changed the format, which now allocates very little time for actual
live court coverage, or intelligent conversation about the legal
system. The new short amount of time devoted to trials and legal
issues does not allow for education, or debate about the system. The
message boards are now drastically reduced, and are well monitored,
deleting, or moving, any conversations which might give people pause
to THINK. If the previous COURT TV message boards were any
indication
as to the number of viewers, ratings must have been higher than ever
during the Phil Spector trial. So, I can only think that Ted Turner
had an ulterior motive for purchasing COURT TV, and then changing the
format so now only a few posts about how jury selection needs to be
revamped to avoid another Phil Spector/Juror #10 debacle slip by the
people who are monitoring the posts. The above about COURT TV might
not seem pertinent to this thread. But, I see it as low profile
censorship. When it was discovered that Bush lied in order to invade
Iraq, that should have been the top news story on all of the major
television networks. Instead, it was a 20 second aside. This low
profile censorship, has led to the dumbing of Americans, who if they
were kept informed, and sometimes the Usenet groups were the only
places to get important factual information, or discuss what is
really
going on in the world today, and who is really responsible for middle
class Americans having to go to food banks. Clinton was impeached
for
having consentual sex with an adult female. When Clinton left
office,
the U.S. treasury had a large surplus. Bush lied to a scared post
9/11
American public for his own personal agenda of getting us into Iraq.
The cost of that war, plus the large checks that were sent to the top
10%% income earners/companies, have created a huge treasury deficit.
Let us not forget that Bush and his friends are oil people, and have
had a financial windfall from the escalating oil prices which have
been caused by his policies. I would call that a conflict of
interest, and more of an impeachable offence than Clinton's liasons
with Monica. What saddens me the most is that Bush has single-
handedly made the U.S. less of a world power. Again, this might all
seem OT for this thread. But, I am trying to make the point that the
news groups are integral for sharing information, thoughts, and
ideas. Whether or not someone agrees with what I write, is not as
important as my RIGHT as an American to free speech. Okay, now
please
read what I wrote to Time Warner/Roadrunner in the response box at
their FAQ page about the reason for discontinuing news group access:

http://help.rr.com/HMSFaqs/e_newsgroups_termination.aspx

(The chart on the page already shows an overwhelming majority of
negative feedback to the FAQ. Keep in mind that Time Warner/
Roadrunner discontinued news group access this morning. When
subscribers try to access their news groups as the day progresses,
Time Warner/Roadrunner will be made aware of the consequences of what
they have done. Hmm, Hawaiian Telcom DSL, faster than Roadrunner,
especially on uploads, $18.99 a month, and news group access with a
maximum of 20 GB in downloads monthly... Though larger Time Warner/
Roadrunner markets on the mainland might weather the storm better,
Oceanic cannot afford to lose 20%% to 30%% of its subscribers who use
news groups, or lose potential subscribers who use news groups. The
Hawaiian Telcom DSL $18.99 a month alternative will be very
attractive
to people struggling with high gas prices, who do not want to, or
cannot afford to pay $12.99 monthly extra to a 3rd party news group
service on top of the already high price of Roadrunner....)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
(My Post to Time Warner/Roadrunner)

As a long time subscriber, I am incensed, and am doing research to
find another ISP. I spend 1/3 of my Internet time using the news
groups. Will you lower my bill by 1/3? Our local DSL provider has
just lowered rates to about 1/2 the cost of your service, AND has
increased its speed, so now it is indistinguishable from RR. How
nice
of you to suggest that in these bad economic times that I spend even
more money to get a service which I have been receiving for free from
RR for years. I do not appreciate being taken for a fool. The RR
FAQ's reason for the discontinuing of access to the news groups as
being "due to low subscriber usage," contradicts countless web sites,
blogs, and forums, which give a significantly different reason for RR
removing news group access. Americans are very sensitive about 1st
amendment rights. True, RR is not "required" to furnish news groups.
But, by precedent, access to news groups has been included in RR
subscriptions for the many years that I have been subscribing to RR.
Removing access to the news groups now is being viewed by many as a
form of censorship, AND receiving less service for the same
subscription price. Looking at the big picture, can RR afford to
lose
a large number of subscribers who depend on news groups the way that
I
do, or who are against what appears to be yet another form of
censorship. Even if my local DSL provider, with its new fast speed,
should decide not to offer news groups, and I would have to pay to
subscribe to a premium 3rd party news group service, the cost would
still be much less than what I am paying for RR. Will RR soon decide
to filter web sites that it deems inappropriate? I also find it
ironic that Gov. Arnold Swarzenegger, an ex-womanizer, ex-user of
illegal steroids, and who has, when it suited his career aspirations,
posed for full frontal nude pictures in the media, should be in the
forefront of Internet morality issues. As I previously wrote, this
issue is by no means over. Too many people, like myself, depend on
the news groups, and NOT for "child pornography." RR has greatly
misjudged how Americans will react when someone treads on their 1st
amendment rights. This misstep by RR, and the prodigious amount of
negative feedback that I have been reading on the Internet, coupled
with the faltering economy, might just be the catalyst that will send
RR the way of AOL. At the very least , instead of using the usual
automated statement "We value you as a customer," on the day RR
removes subscriber access to the news groups, and then informing
subscribers that they have the option to access the news groups by
paying a 3rd party news service for what was until recently included
with an RR subscription, now seems trite and insincere. RR should
have really proved just how much it does value its customers by
reducing its subscription cost by an amount that would equate with
the
cost of paying for a 3rd party news service...

Topher