Cisco Systems & Government Regulation
Cisco Systems, Inc. is the global leader in providing networking products for the Internet. The company refers to itself as a "networking solutions" provider to connect people, computing devices, and computer networks, which allows "people to access or transfer information without regard to differences in time, place or type of computer system." Any type of regulation that inhibits the functioning of the Internet is viewed by Cisco Systems as detrimental to both the concept of the Internet and to the best interests of the company.
Within the context of providing networking products for the Internet, Cisco Systems is very much concerned with e-commerce. Cisco Systems not only manufactures and markets networking products for the Internet, the company also sells these products to its customers over the Internet. Thus, Cisco systems both facilitates and uses e-commerce via the Internet. Cisco Systems adamantly opposes any government regulation, such as taxing Internet traffic, that would impinge on the efficiency and growth of e-commerce.
Cisco Systems and the industry providing networking equipment for the Internet are affected by government regulation and are on alert for any threat of such legislation. The federal Communications Decency Act was enacted as a law that was intended to regulate the use of the Internet by censoring the type of information that could be transmitted over the Internet. Both Cisco Systems and the industry vehemently opposed this law. Fortunately, the United States Supreme Court overturned the law on constitutional grounds.
Other laws and proposed laws also have caused concern for both Cisco Systems and the industry. Both the Congress and several states are considering laws to protect individual privacy on the Internet. Both Cisco and the industry oppose such a law, holding that the industry can be more effective through self-regulation. Another l...