Information Society Watch

October 18, 2006, Robert Tait, The Guardian

In an effort to make downloading foreign music, films and television programmes more difficult, and to prevent efforts by political opposition groups to organise, the Iranian government has decided to restrict online speeds to 128 kilobytes per second and to prohibit companies from offering fast broadband packages. The government has turned down an incentive package that offers top-rate Internet technology in return for the suspension of a central component of the country's nuclear programme. Many Iranians have criticized this move, claiming that it will impede Iran's progress, and a petition has been prepared for submission to the President. However, this latest government measure falls into step with the recent confiscations of satellite dishes and the forced shutting down of a reformist newspaper.

Read full text