Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Internet Caps In Kuwait

I cant say much more than what's been said by Marzouq & Caffeinated on this issue, except that I'm as disgusted with this entire affair as they are, and probably even more so. i wont' get into my own activities, or how they're all rendered useless by the capping and the new FAP's, except that, for the money I'm paying, I'm being ripped off, and this ripoff is being sanctioned by the MOC.

I will also say that this state of affairs will not go on for long. Eventually, the government will capitulate, the ISP's will eventually grow up and face their responsibilities, and we will eventually be able to finally have affordable, price-perfect internet services in Kuwait.

I have to believe that it'll happen, because everything else that even closely resembling 'fun' in Kuwait has been eroded.

Think about it; How may places in Kuwait can you go to that have live entertainment? Have you been to a 'realy artistic' live play recently? One that doesn't include court jesters like Tariq Al Ali or Dawood Hussein who think that the concept of 'comedy' is putting on an accent & insulting fellow actors on stage?!

How many movies did you watch without having entire characters cut off from the movies by the censorship? How many outdoor activities could you participate in without suffocating from the weather? How many clubs can you go to before you become so bored with them that you'll eventually buy a pair of weights & train in the comfort of your own home? How many sporting clubs can you go to and excel in without having some sort of  'wasta' to propel you above  the rest?

And finally, how many GB's can you afford to download before the MOC & ISP's throttle your connection down to a trickle, and what can you actually do with them, especially in light of HD multimedia and cloud-based computing?

The world is contemplating the ushering in of Web 3.0 while Kuwait's Policy-makers don't even know what a BBS does! And while more and more people go online and discover the 'net for what it really is - a medium for quality entertainment for the entire family, and a treasure trove of wealth for businesses - the MOC is forcing the ISP's to place high subscription prices for FAP'ped services that are more criminal than anything else!

Change will have to come, and it'll come from Kuwait's internet users rather than the useless MP's, some of whom think that the 'net is just another derivation of "Playboy Magazine"!

People are already acting. Kuwaitful has a post with links to certain grassroots activities that one can participate it, and an Anti Bandwidth Cap Alliance is already up & gathering storm. More is needed, however, and it'll have to come sooner or later.

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