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Cell Phones Presage Future of Non-Neutral Internet

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the 69-cent-per-minute-roaming-charge dept.

An anonymous reader writes "The US cell phone network has no network neutrality. This story on NewsForge takes a look at the obstacles to getting a third-party application running on cell phone networks, and explains why the same obstacles could ruin a non-neutral Internet." (NewsForge and Slashdot are both part of OSTG.)

1 of 155 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Outrageous! by koreth · · Score: 5, Insightful
    A company that builds a networking infrastructure that runs through public land and has government-enforced monopoly powers (e.g. most cable companies have exclusive contracts with the cities they serve, such that a second cable provider is forbidden by law to set up shop) should accept some conditions in return for the use of public resources.

    If we were talking about an actual free market with no externally imposed restrictions, I'd be right there with you. But the fact of the matter is, my cable and phone companies do not have to buy the land they dig up at will to lay cables, and my local government grants them a competition-free marketplace by legal decree. Not exactly a level playing field to begin with.