[Novalug] Fwd: Save Net Neutrality

Craig Pennington cpenning@milo.org
Tue Feb 4 10:57:19 EST 2014


I already pay ${ISP} for a connection to the internet at a certain
bandwidth up and down. ${CONTENT_PROVIDER} already pays ${PEERS} in
order to connect to the internet. ${ISP} now wants to reduce the
service for which I am paying unless additional rents are payed by
${CONTENT_PROVIDER} (and I know exactly how likely ${ISP} is to reduce
my bill because they are double (or triple) dipping -- I used to work
for ${TELCO_ISP}.)

I am perfectly comfortable with the FCC declaring ISPs to be common
carriers and forcing a separation between them and content providers.
In fact, that's what the Telecommunications Act of 1996 did (at least
for telco ISPs) before it was gutted.

Why might the classification of ISPs as common carriers not happen?
Look "Regulatory Capture" up in the dictionary and you'll see pictures
of the FCC (as well as the SEC, and ... .) That is exactly why the
ISPs were not classified as common carriers in the first place.

I admit I am a bit of an idealist -- I think regulators ought to do their jobs.

Cheers,
  Craig

</delurk>

-- 
Corollary to Clarke's Third Law:
    Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.



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