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vilgalys

User Profile Image vilgalys
Member since : Oct-23-2009 (Verified)
1 Ideas, 2 Comments, 5 Votes

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Ideas Posted

If large ISP and web providers get their way on this, they can effectively "lock out" internet start-ups, nonprofits, and those unable to pay for premium bandwidth. Why should we hand over the internet, which was developed with public money, over to large corporations who will only inflate the costs to consumers in the same way wireless companies nickle and dime us to death with access fees? Allowing ISPs to stifle small internet businesses is a sure way to make sure Americans keep losing their jobs and that web innovation will move overseas.
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Comments Posted

vilgalys 4 months ago
dbg, what are you talking about? Net Neutrality has nothing to do with giving everyone "free internet". This is about setting a standard for internet service, in fact it's about keeping the same standard for service that we've enjoyed since the internet's creation.

If you really really like getting charged a lot of extra fees for everything you currently get for a flat-rate monthly bill, then maybe net neutrality isn't for you.

At that, and let me press this issue just for kicks, our internet is more expensive and slower than it is in other first-world countries. Simply put, this gives them a huge advantage in a global market. Countries which put in place faster, cheaper broadband are going to have more competitive companies, better educated workers, and more tech-savvy consumers. Allowing our telecoms to charge us more money isn't going to do anything to improve that situation.
vilgalys 4 months ago
This is not an issue of "market forces" it is an issue of public policy when it comes to internet bandwidth. In my area there is a choice between two companies for high-speed internet. Either Time Warner for cable, or Verizon for DSL. Both of these companies have histories showing mixed signals as far as their commitment to net neutrality. A choice between two monopolies is not a "free market" in any sense at all.

At that, the issue of net neutrality specifically is one of *reducing* regulation in that these ISPs and access providers are attempting to regulate bandwidth according to their own rules, as opposed to simply providing bandwidth regardless of its content.

An example might be Time Warner deciding to pipe through traffic from its own media empire at a faster speed than its competitors. This would not be a "market force" in any sense, it would an anti-competitive step taken by a company we've allowed a monopoly over our local cable lines, the installation of which has been subsidized by public money. This an abuse that we, as consumers should not allow and so this "regulation" which is really just a re-statement of current policies, is necessary to keep our internet access as-is.