I went to a Verizon Wireless store and tested a netbook with built-in Verizon 3G access. I successfully queried an OpenDNS server using the “nslookup” command proving that Verizon Wireless was not blocking access to OpenDNS. I also bought a 2-year contract with free MiFi device and tested it on my own computer from home and OpenDNS still works perfectly fine.So what is Ulevitch complaining about? According to Ou, the bigger threat and alternative to OpenDNS is Google DNS which is a faster DNS service. "So it’s Google that Mr. Ulevitch should be concerned about and not some imaginary blocking at Verizon Wireless."
Moral of the story: Never assume that one perspective reveals the truth.
Who is telling the truth here? Is there a way to test the assumption behind OpenDNS claims without going to Verizon and seeing if you can log on to OpenDNS? In other words, why believe George Ou and Digital Society?
In other net neutrality news, Level 3 Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: LVLT) announced on Nov. 11 that "it has been selected to serve as a primary content delivery network (CDN) provider for Netflix, Inc. to support the company’s streaming functionality and to support storage for the entire Netflix library of content." Then, a week later, Comcast informed Level 3 that it would, for the first time, charge Level 3 a fee to reach Comcast’s customers who had requested any content carried by Level 3. Read on...
Hi Dr. Suzie,
ReplyDeleteLaura from OpenDNS here. Thanks for covering the issue -- it's a complicated one. David was speaking freely in the interview he did with the Washington Post. As it turns out, Verizon wireless is not blocking OpenDNS today, but it certainly has in the past. That said, Sprint Wireless is actively blocking OpenDNS, so the issue is still pertinent.
Hope that helps clarify things a little!