« When everything happens at once...! | Main | LebowskiFest » Note about network neutralityI just posted a response to comments about the net neutrality issue following my recent post at WorldChanging.com. I'm repeating what I posted here because I think it's an important point: The real issue here is about vision: what is the Internet for? Many of us have begun to see it as a kind of public utility equally available to all - abundantly available. Some would like to see it primarily as a conduit for content that is relatively scarce, therefore expensive. We now have an enforced, artificial scarcity of broadband service, which is why it tends to be expensive. In other countries, people are paying the equivalent of twenty bucks for service that's ten times fatter/faster. Network operators here, especially incumbent telcos who are losing voice service to VOIP technology, want to remain profitable and to maximize their profits. If they find the most obvious way to do so is to control and constrain the Internet, they'll do it - not because they're evil people, but because their charge is to maximize profit. The two ways suggested to keep them in check are market forces and legislation. The reason legislation seems necessary is that the telcos, formerly part of a monopoly, still think like a monopoly, and use effective and expensive lobbying to stifle competiton. jon posted this at 9:12 AM |
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