Don't Believe What They Say

A new site has popped up concerning the ongoing battle centering around the internet. However, unlink all the one's that I have linked and showed to you, this one does NOTsupport neutrality. Over at HandsOffTheInternet, they state:

Hands Off The Internet is a nationwide coalition of Internet users united together in the belief that the Net's phenomenal growth over the past decade stems from the ability of entrepreneurs to expand consumer choices and opportunities without worrying about government regulation.We believe consumers across America see the results of this "hands off"approach - through such benefits as expanded distance education opportunities, improved access and speed to almost any information,on-line commerce, and an easier and inexpensive way to communicate with family and colleagues.

Okay, so they consider Net Neutrality as a form of government regulation. And if you look at there little cartoon clip, you could see that they are painting this as an attempt by the content providers as a way to make millions of dollars while passing the cost on to the consumers, and that net neutrality will be over-regulation of the net and hurt consumers. Well, they may sound very scary. I mean, who wants government always getting in the way? Well, according to this article bangordailynews.com, Network Neutrality has always been regulated. Now, as much as I am a proponent for a neutral internet, I am also an advocate of doing your own research. As far as I know, I am not aware of Network Neutrality being an amendment law. I am aware of former FCC chairman Micheal Powell implemented a set of standards for the broadband access to the internet in 2004 due to examples of discrimination that were cropping up during that time. Where endangered network neutrality is the revision of these standards by current FCC Chairman Kevin Martin that made discrimination very weak compared to the old standards. I am still looking for any proof of regulation for discrimination and if any of you can provide me with a answer then please e-mail or leave a message.

Even if the internet was never regulated, it was not because of the lack of government control. It was more to do the huge number of competitors during the start of it. With so many competitors, neutrality did not need to become a law, as any provider who would discriminate services and protocols would be tossed away by consumers for one that was neutral. However, with the passing of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the telecoms's preceded to buy each other out, in effect creating a duopoly in network providers. According to HandsOffTheInternet, regulation is still not necessary. The truth is that we may no longer have a choice. The idea of letting the market run itself is reserved for markets that are almost perfectly competitive, where the supply and demand is out of control of a single group and instead is controlled by the market itself. However, under a duopoly or monopoly, these rules no longer apply. The suppliers of a duopoly or monopoly ARE the market. As Tim Wu pointed out in his original essay on Network Neutrality, the network providers no longer have a incentive to keeping networks neutral. Since they face no competition that would keep them honest, nor any regulations, they are free to do with the internet as they please and that is much worse then having government regulate simple provisions that we have gone by for the past 26 years whether it was law or not.

Secondly, the statement that content providers will make millions while passing the cost on to the consumers is nuts! I still for the life of me don't know why this argument is still being used. Maybe it is true that the more you say a lie the more you believe it. The fact of the matter is that content providers must pay for the bandwidth cost, and they pay A LOT for it. Read this article from Forbes about the cost of bandwidth that they have been wadding through.

And if that doesn't convince you that what their sprouting is lies and misguidance, just check out who their contributors are. Yep, thats right. The same network providers who want to close the internet! So sad I tell you, so sad.....