[Fsfe-uk] BBC News partnership with Microsoft

[Simon Morris]

Hello,

The BBC has announced today a partnership with Microsoft to deliver "Web
2.0" (Whatever that means) content services to the public.

This concerns me greatly:

 * The fee paying public that finance the BBCs operations do not *all*
use Microsoft technology. However we are facing the prospect of
non-Windows using visitors to the BBC site experiencing a reduced level
of content delivery or potentially no service.

 * If BBC online content is only available to Microsoft licence paying
visitors this has an effect on the less privileged members of British
society. I use GNU/Linux because it is a social and technology choice.
People who live a lot closer to the poverty line than I do may use a
Free operating system as a necessity. They should not be excluded from
the educational and social benefits of the BBC websites

 * The content that ultimately is being paid for by the BBC licence
payers is about to be locked away in a closed and proprietary format
controlled by a foreign mega-corporation. This is worrying and is also
contrary to the BBCs stated intention to open up their content.

I would like the FSFE to respond to this news quickly and get a dialogue
open with the BBC.

Can we expand on the points above, introduce new points to make and
thrash out an open letter we can send.

Thanks

~sm