Trouble with the internets

If you're having trouble with your internet connection today, there's a big reason for it. A dispute over pricing between the world's two major providers has resulted in roadblocks across the net's infrastructure. The pricing dispute is between Level 3 Communications of Colorado and Cogent Communications of DC.

From the Boston Globe:

Although the scale of the disruption is unclear, the incident may offer more fodder for those who believe the Internet should be regulated by an international agency, such as the United Nations. Scientists in the United States invented the Internet, and the computers that oversee the network are still controlled by the US Department of Commerce, which favors a hands-off approach. But governments worldwide have launched a campaign to put the Internet under international control. American officials have resisted the idea, saying that UN oversight would introduce undue government interference and the threat of data censorship by authoritarian states like China.

In the meantime, read a book.