Fake Net Neutrality: Like Letting Enron Write the Electricity Rules

[Donnachaidh]

http://my.firedoglake.com/scarecrow/2010/12/21/fake-net-neutrality-what-does-corporate-capture-look-like/

David Dayen’s post this a.m. summarizes concerns about the apparent regulatory capture of the Federal Communications Commission, which is about to issue new rules to undermine internet open access, aka, “net neutrality.” NYT coverage is here.

I’ll leave to Tim Karr and others to describe the technical features and sell outs that have allowed the Western World’s Worst internet/broadband structure to become slower, more expensive and more discriminatory than services in other countries. Senator Al Franken gave an excellent speech, worth watching on the full range of policy issues.

It may help to have an analogous framework on how to think about what corporate capture of the internet and broadband service means, not just in terms of speed and coverage but in terms of content and pricing. It’s not just that our service is slower and we face monopoly pricing, it’s that a tiny handful of corporations are seizing control of what we’ll be allowed to watch and read.

Suppose that President Eisenhower had proposed we build an interstate highway system, but we’d allow only three or four large corporations to carve up and own all the main interconnections, determine the tolls and decide who got to drive on them during which hours. The corporations could also decide where the on/off ramps were, which communities they did or didn’t serve, where the routes went, depending on which provided better tax breaks.

And suppose these same companies owned a couple of auto companies, and they could decide whether cars and trucks made by their affiliate companies got better access, more lanes, higher speeds and lower tolls than cars/trucks sold by competitors.


More at the link ---

[RandomThoughts]

1. Remember also that corporations have used other 'influence'

To stifle free media, to try and control legislation, in many profit making activities that do not add anything to society, in bad economic policy to create profit for a few, and not the most people.


I don't think government should control the Internet, but neither should private sector governance, since if you look at much of the pattern of profit first, it not only tries to generate profit, but tries to remove or suppress anything that does not think in profit first thoughts.


As an example, regardless of any personal opinion on the Wikileaks guy, or his actions. What would MasterCard or Visa or Paypal have done if they controlled the internet when he leaked.


Would you be able to see the information and think on it?