> Can major broadband providers decide to ignore the > dropped routes and send traffic along? IIRC, each router makes it's own decisions. Take the following

> Can major broadband providers decide to ignore the > dropped routes and send traffic along? IIRC, each router makes it's own decisions. Take the following route: A - B - C - Syria Assuming that there are no published routes to Syria, if node A tries to send a packet to Syria, the only node that can force a packet onto the Syrian routers is node C. If node B decides to ignore the lack of a published route and forwards the packet to node C, then node C will just drop it (possibly sending an error response back). Even if the node C forces data over the Syrian connection, the Syrian routers won't act on it. This is my understanding of how it works. > How are they stopping satellite access? Presumably very few Syrians have satellite access. If they are from a Syrian provider, then it's pretty easy to cut them off. If they are with a foreign provider, not so much. On the other hand, if you were in Syria when they Internet was shutdown, you would probably be very secretive about your foreign satellite access. If only because men with guns might have something to say about it. > How are they stopping cellular based access? Presumably because the state can go to the cell providers and shut them down. What is Syria's cellular data infrastructure like? > Is there any form of TCP over Ham radio? There are ways of getting Internet over HAM radio, but this probably runs up against the same friction as a foreign satellite connection. Especially since the equipment would be more conspicuous. > TCP over laser? Really? > USB over carrier pigeon (seriously)? USB is a client-server protocol. It probably wouldn't do too well over a carrier pigeon. > What are the bare bones options here for getting data in and > out and where is that closest point of access? Probably a directional antenna pointed over the border to a line-of-sight receiving station.