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The Case Against Net Neutrality

Posted by samzenpus on from the who-needs-equality dept.

jeek writes "While I certainly don't agree with it, this article tries to make the case that Net Neutrality may actually be bad for America. From the article: 'If the government regulates net neutrality, policies for internet access are set by one entity: the FCC. However, if the government stays out, each company will set its own policies. If you don’t like the FCC’s policies, you are stuck with them unless you leave the United States. If you don’t like your internet service provider’s policies, you can simply switch to another one. So which model sounds better to you?'"

5 of 702 comments (clear)

  1. Switch to another one...? by The+MAZZTer · · Score: 4, Informative

    Wasn't the main problem that there are still few ISP choices in a lot of places? At least, based on numerous anecdotes I hear.

    1. Re:Switch to another one...? by nine-times · · Score: 5, Informative

      I live in NYC and ultimately I have 4 options:

      1) Time Warner Cable
      2) dialup
      3) cell phone data plans (expensive, slow, and capped)
      4) don't use the Internet

      That's in one of the biggest/densest cities in the world.

  2. Some of us don't have many options here by MakinBacon · · Score: 3, Informative

    If you don’t like your internet service provider’s policies, you can simply switch to another one.

    Not quite. For most Americans, there aren't more than a couple of ISPs available (excluding Satellite and ye olde dialup modem), so you really can't. Where I live, the only available broadband has been Verizon DSL, from 2003 up until 2010, so if they had decided to start throttling bandwidth to unapproved sites, I would've been screwed.

  3. Re:The case against government... by shadowofwind · · Score: 3, Informative

    You're joking, right? Hard to tell here sometimes.

    When the coal industry self-regulates, all coal mines are operated under horrible operating conditions, so your only choice is still the manure farm. The self-regulation model only works if the mines are run by perfectly market-rational individuals, and if there are no practical entry barriers to starting new mining companies. Neither is the case.

  4. Re:Choices by s73v3r · · Score: 4, Informative

    Congratulations. You are an anomaly. The vast majority of people have access to only one or two ISPs. http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/03/national-broadband-plan-arrives-quoting-shakespeare.ars