Could Washington shut down the Internet?

You know, like the Egyptian government did during the riots? Probably, if it wanted to, but there’d be an enormous economic and political cost:

“The next few decades will likely be a contest in which the outcome depends on who is exaggerating more: those proclaiming the potential of new technologies, or those proclaiming the power of governments to constrain them.”

So said the Instapundit, in a law review paper five years ago. Worth a read. Download is free.

Plus, ways to fight back, from dial-up (shutting down the whole phone system is harder, even for a government), to shortwave radio.