Argentine Government Orders Major ISP To Close

Doctor Jonas writes "Argentine ISP Fibertel has been barred from continuing operations because of the dissolution of their status as a company after they were absorbed by Cablevisión of Argentina, now part of media conglomerate Grupo Clarín. The Minister of Planning, Julio de Vido, announced the measure, and said it was Grupo Clarín's own doing by having shut down the Fibertel company and turning it into a commercial brand, and that ISP licenses are not transferable after acquisitions from one company to the other. The Argentine opposition said the move was another attack on Grupo Clarín's standing and another part of the feud between them and President Cristina Fernández and her husband, former president Nestor Kirchner. Cablevisión has promised to go to the courts to overturn the decision, and the opposition seeks to protect Fibertel's continuing operations through a bill in Congress. More than a million households and businesses would need to change ISPs in merely 90 days, possibly strengthening the internet provisioning dominance of both Telefónica (subsidiary of the Spanish Telefonica) and Telecom."

Re:News For Nerds

[keeboo]

Well, I'm not from Argentina and the news are interesting to me.
If you're not interested, just jump to the next news. No need to be an ass.

Re:News For Nerds

[Runaway1956]

Well - it doesn't say "Your rights online IN AMERICA", does it? It looks to me that some country is diddling around with their citizens rights to get online with the company of their choice. Rights. Online. OK, maybe it has little to do with YOUR rights, but then, who the hell are YOU?

Re:So what?

[kwanbis]

Weird how this same government approved the merger they are trying to stop now. Yes, it was former president Nestor Kirchner the one who approved the merger. Now, somehow Cristina Kirchner, the ex president wife suddenly realizes is a bad merge. Strange, isn't it?

Re:News For Nerds

[Galestar]

Just because it doesn't have any effect on you doesn't mean it doesn't affect anyone, say, in Argentina. Although most /. readers may be anti-corporate, the idea that a government can just hand-wave and shutdown a major ISP is somewhat unsettling. Even though this doesn't affect me personally, I would still consider this a "rights" issue - as in the right to choose one's ISP, without the government interfering and saying who can and who can't be an ISP.

Re:News For Nerds

[Cantus]

He's just playing a character: the ignorant American. I'm from a country south of the border and I'm not the least bit offended by him. I actually thought it was funny. Lighten up!

Re:News For Nerds

[mangu]

Can anybody or the editors explain the relevance to "my rights online" of this story, or why it would be considered news for nerds?

It's about "rights" because one of the corporations involved, Grupo Clarín, is a media company that has an editorial policy that opposes the current government of Argentina.

It's not a business decision, it's a political decision, and a frightening one.