Should the Government Regulate Net Neutrality?
Net neutrality is the principle that says all information flowing across the Internet should be treated equally. But with more people streaming data-rich video and playing online games, the Internet faces congestion concerns. Should carriers be able to sell multi-tiered access to heavy users? Should sites that generate massive traffic -- like Google and Yahoo! -- pay extra fees? The U.S. Government is examining Net Neutrality and its financial, legal and social implications. Do we need federal intervention to ensure fairness, or is this an issue for the market to work out?
I Do Understand the Argument
Topic of the Debate
Okay, so certain provisions in FCC regulations have lapsed or rather the status of broadband has changed sections of the Communications Act or whatever.
Regardless, the fact is the Save the Internet group wants to make this (and new sets of regulations) more permanent in a bill by Congress under the rubric of "Net Neutrality". As regulations and regulators are bad as you say (and I agree), and "Net Neutrality" is a bill of regulations to be passed in Congress, how is this not the very essence of the argument against Net Neutrality? This is, after all, an OV Debate between Save the Internet and Cato Institute primarily after all.
The other possibility is the "idea" of Net Neutrality, which is that, irrespective of government interference in general, should broadband providers be anything other than mere forwarders of IP packets along their networks? If that's what you're debating, that the idea of Net Neutrality is good or not in the absence of government, I don't believe that is what this OV debate is about.
As for what I think on this, I would say that there would certainly be an argument for prioritizing certain kinds of traffic over others. For instance, it would not be good for any real-time (or close approximation thereof) type of traffic (TV/movies over the Internet, or VOIP calls, etc.) to be delayed (or dropped altogether) because of some web traffic or file transfer packets got there first. As for outright blocking or slowing of competitors offerings, well, that may be a shame, but then again it *is* the providers' network. They may do it, and they will also run the risk of retaliation by their customers over it. Who knows? If more and more providers enter the fray, possibilities of completely free (to consumers anyway) broadband services might be possible, costs being paid solely by the content providers like Google (kinda like over the air TV - free, paid with ads), with pay models having a more "neutral" packet delivery. Would that happen? Maybe not, but at least it's possible without an imposed Net Neutrality, and there may be other possibilities unimaginable right now.
But, getting back to the OV debate topic as I read it, there is no reason to codify this into law, which effectively hands (more) power over the Internet to the FCC. It's plenty powerful enough already.
- strawhatguy
August 31, 2008 9:22PM
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