Net Neutrality
The recent issue of InfoWorld (July 10, 2006) features net neutrality on its cover, and in a series of articles. One, "Battle Lines Drawn Over Net Neutrality" sums up the issue and the players.I've been sitting out during this debate for some time. At first, I did so because I wasn't sure I really understood the issue. Shortly after, once I figured that out, I stayed put as I believe there is merit in both sides. After due consideration, however, I've decided to finally cast my vote - which is, that we don't need rules for net neutrality. At least, we don't need them today.
I believe the fears of the players like Amazon and Google have possible future validity, but they aren't true today. And, as we all know, legislators can't really dictate a desired result. All they can do is either punish "bad," or undesired behavior and reward "good," or desired behavior. And with all the competing interests at play, the process is at best cumbersome, with little finesse, and at worst disastrous. Given the money and lobbyists at work on this issue, and you have a recipe for rules that none of the companies involved nor the public would find palatable.
And so, I think it is best to let events transpire uninhibited by legislation. If truly destructive behavior does begin to appear, then Congress can address it and do so in a more surgical manner. At the same time, we unleash the market to do what it does best, which is innovate.
If the telcos and cable operators want to offer higher speed, specialized offerings that command premium pricing, let them do so. Will there be the opportunity to indulge in some "channeling" that allows for favortism? Absolutely. Will the owners of the pipes indulge in that behavior? Most likely. However, I'm not yet convinced that is automatically a bad thing, which is the argument raised by Google, Amazon, and others.
In the meantime, the best thing for those really worried about what might happen is to concentrate on making your web presence, whatever that might be, as compelling as possible for your target audience. That stands a better chance of keeping you intact and growing as innovation roils the Internet than any other action.
posted by Craig @ 1:56 PM
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