As seen at talentzoo.com
In this world of over-politically-correct hype, how could there be discrimination against anyone or anything? I mean, we’ve got laws everywhere and watchdog groups to make sure they’re being followed. So what’s left?
Internet users.
Awfully big group, you say. Isn’t that most of America?
I’d have to agree with you there, but it’s happening, nonetheless. It’s a little issue most people call Net Neutrality.
Okay, pal. You need to check Snopes.com. That issue was decided a while back, remember? The government made a law that told those big Internet providers that they couldn’t discriminate against any specific website. Case solved. Except that it’s not.
It seems that politicians are moving to repeal the FCC’s net neutrality regulations. On Tuesday, the House Commerce Committee voted to overturn the recently enacted legislation. And while it would seem that I’m on one side of the political spectrum, I’ll freely tell you that I sit right in the middle of the road. What I want to know is, why would anyone be against it…at least until there’s some sort of impact one way or the other? After all, the issue was decided.
I’d normally stand in the middle of such a public and politically-charged forum, but I just can’t do it. Not now. Not this time. Not with SXSW kicking off and all. And speaking of SXSW, Senator Al Franken (Still sounds weird to us SNL fans) kicked off a plethora of panels at the show on this very topic.
So where do I stand? Not with any politician, that’s for sure. As a content and strategy guy, I’m on the side of content providers. That means I’m on the side of anything that makes for a more robust Internet. To me, the ability to enter the this industry, as an equal player, is what makes content on the web incredibly rich. Without that kind of completely open market, the barrier to entry gets higher and the bigger players begin to control the gateway, even if it’s unintentional. That would attack the heart of the web’s entrepreneurial spirit, which, in my estimation, would be bad.
The reality behind net neutrality is that repealing it would only leave one winner: Internet Providers. And while they have every right to make money in a fair marketplace, anything that would make it unfair…would be a very bad thing.
So what’s left? Well, maybe there’s a middle ground somewhere. Can the big companies like AT&T and Verizon create a tiered Internet usage pricing system without singling out certain content providers? I think so, but I also think they can do it with Net Neutrality laws in place. The important thing, as in free speech, is to remove the morality of the issue. The ability to speak freely has always been amoral. If you still think I’m politically motivated, remind yourself of the recent Supreme Court decision in favor of that church in Florida. Free speech, no matter how disgusting, is still free speech.
The Web has its own rules for restricting content. We can all make our judgments about it, but let’s leave that to the consumer to decide. As long as the IPs can make money, I can’t see why it would be necessary to suck more money from them. In the end, the biggest losers will be content providers and those who have yet to enter the market. Who knows if today’s rules will block tomorrow’s Google.