The Adventures of Anderson Agencies
Saturday, June 10, 2006
AP article on Net Neutrality
Net Neutrality article from the AP
The revised telecommunications bill passed the House yesterday, without decent "Net Neutrality" provisions. The issue now goes to the Senate. Hopefully, they honor their duty as Senators and spend some time really thinking about this one.
The telcos don't want a "Net Neutrality" provision because it restricts their actions, simple as that. The pro-neutrality camp is really hyping up the thought that "AT&T is going to create tollbooths on the Internet". That probably isn't true, but without the neutrality provisions in this telcom bill, it IS possible.
I find it VERY telling that both MoveOn and the Christian Coalition are fighting together to include Net Neutrality provisions. Pretty much everyone but the telco giants agrees that Net Neutrality is a very good and important thing... but the telcos have the big lobbying bucks, and wave the carrot of "lower cable bills" in front of lawmakers. It's pretty clear that these companies have NEVER lowered rates for any reason... I don't know why anyone believes they will this time. They'll just charge more to businesses for unfettered access and keep the overage.
There really is one great danger here, though. It's something no one is really talking about... but large groups of countries outside the US are pretty sick of the US controlling the Internet to a large degree, and have been rallying around creating their own internet away from the meddling of the US. Net Neutrality, I believe, is the only thing that keeps this from occuring. When the lanes are left totally neutral and wide open to anyone in any country... it's really hard to get support for creating a whole new system. But if AT&T starts charging for unfettered access... you can bet other countries will be up in arms and have plenty of fuel to secede from the current Internet. That would be DISASTROUS to e-commerce.
Here's where my mystical powers of divination come in handy... and I predict one outcome that the telcos aren't seeing. If this thing goes through without Net Neutrality provisions, and telcos start meddling with the freedom of the Internet, they will most certainly create one thing: a whole new crop of competition. Technology is getting RIDICULOUSLY inexpensive, and RIDICULOUSLY more powerful. With a mere $500k, anyone with a pulse and a screwdriver could bring completely free Internet access at crazy-high speeds to everyone in half a state (and do it wireless!). Make enough people grumpy, and this will start happening all over the place... literally putting the telcos out on their rears when it comes to high monthly fee ISP access. Not only that, but VOIP telephone and digital television will go right across that high-bandwidth access, and put their other cash cows right into the dumper.
So go ahead and keep whacking that hornet's nest AT&T/Comcast... ;)
