AT&T is going to start policing its network to prevent the distribution of materials it considers to violate copyright. (Um, Fair Use?) It’s doing this so it can strike special deals with content companies to offer their products exclusively.

Putting a cop in the middle of the network and making available content not accessible by other networks means that if the AT&T says it’s offering Internet connectivity, it’s lying. The Internet is a set of protocols that ensure that bits will be moved across networks (inter-networking) without giving special privileges or control to the carriers.

And forget the definitional violation. This is a big step toward turning the Internet into cable TV — a proprietary network that makes money by selling its users content. [Tags: net_neutrality att berkman copyright copyleft digital_rights]

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