Wouldn’t it be nice if citizens could just use Skype to talk to their senator or representative in Congress? What if journalists could interview them by Skype? Ever wonder why you can’t?
CNNMoney.com found that the problem begins with a congressional ban on peer-to-peer communications. Skype falls under that heading:
“A 2006 ban on running peer-to-peer applications behind House and Senate firewalls. Such programs allow computers to share files (remember Napster?), which could pose a security risk.
“Skype is a peer-to-peer (P2P) program, but its software is a different animal from the popular-with-pirates media swapping applications that gave the P2P field a reputation as the Internet’s Wild West. While Skype users can send files directly to others, the company says it’s impossible to share documents accidentally — as users could with file-sharing programs like LimeWire.
“Skype has fans on Capitol Hill: House Minority Leader John Boehner, R.-Ohio, and Michele Bachmann, R.-Minn., have championed the Republican-led fight to change Congress’ peer-to-peer ban. They object to using taxpayer money to rent old, expensive video-conferencing equipment when Skype offers a better and cheaper option.
“Back in April, Boehner and other Republicans sent a letter [PDF] to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and House Administration Committee Chairman Robert Brady, D-Penn., urging them to ‘make Congress more open’ with Skype.”
Some on the Hill are getting around the ban by using other available Wi-Fi networks or their mobile phone connections, rather than connections behind government-established firewalls.