Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Favouring free markets over net neutrality
Canadian Press is reporting that the Conservative government is favouring a free market approach to the internet, avoiding government intervention that could damage businesses that offer Internet access.
Michael Geist is quoted in the article saying:
The fear-mongerers who profess to want to Save the Internet tend to forget that use of the internet flourished only after its control was liberated from the tight control by government and universities.
Let freedom reign.
Technorati Tags:
net neutrality, Maxime Bernier, Industry Canada
Documents obtained by The Canadian Press indicate that Industry Minister Maxime Bernier, who has previously declared a "consumer first" approach, is carefully heeding the arguments of large telecommunications companies like Videotron and Telus against so-called Net neutrality legislation.The implication by the tone of that sentence seems to be that the Minister's views are in conflict with a "Consumer First" policy. I think that free markets tend to favour consumers. Think about how consumer friendly milk marketing is for us.
Michael Geist is quoted in the article saying:
These documents reveal that in Canada, the industry minister and his policy people appear unlikely to provide Canadian Internet users with similar protections to those being offered in the United StatesActually, I would say that Minister Bernier and his people have recognized that the success of the internet has been when government has stayed clear. Internet for the masses has been driven by profit - for applications developers, content owners and infrastructure builders. All three together.
The fear-mongerers who profess to want to Save the Internet tend to forget that use of the internet flourished only after its control was liberated from the tight control by government and universities.
Let freedom reign.
Technorati Tags:
net neutrality, Maxime Bernier, Industry Canada
Posted by Mark Goldberg @ 2/06/2007 08:40:00 PM 
Comments:
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Net Neutrality will become a houshold name once people encounter problems surfing the net. Most people right now don't understand the internet enough to be bothered to care. I personally don't believe that Net Neutrality will be a problem, since most companies will react swiftly to negative press once they start imposing slow downs.
I believe the worry should not be whether it's specifically the government or the military or big companies controlling the internet, but that any kind of monopoly can be effectively exerted upon it. Creation of a two-tiered system is exactly the kind of introduction to a monopoly that we must be careful in allowing in the first place. Same as with health care, a two-tiered system should only be enacted if it can be shown how BOTH tiers will benefit from the displacement of one set of traffic to another "preferred" standard. Simply creating another class system for the more-priviledged to profit by is something I thought most people agreed was not the ideal since the days of the Magna Carta. If it can be shown to benefit regular subscribers as well, then I guess I'm all for it. As it stands, it just sounds like my packets will continually get bumped to the back of the line because someone decided they needed a way to make more money out of thin air. Brilliant.
Posted by 
: 5:50 PM, February 09, 2007
: 5:50 PM, February 09, 2007
I believe the worry should not be whether it's specifically the government or the military or big companies controlling the internet, but that any kind of monopoly can be effectively exerted upon it. Creation of a two-tiered system is exactly the kind of introduction to a monopoly that we must be careful in allowing in the first place. Same as with health care, a two-tiered system should only be enacted if it can be shown how BOTH tiers will benefit from the displacement of one set of traffic to another "preferred" standard. Simply creating another class system for the more-priviledged to profit by is something I thought most people agreed was not the ideal since the days of the Magna Carta. If it can be shown to benefit regular subscribers as well, then I guess I'm all for it. As it stands, it just sounds like my packets will continually get bumped to the back of the line because someone decided they needed a way to make more money out of thin air. Brilliant.
Posted by : 5:51 PM, February 09, 2007
: 5:51 PM, February 09, 2007
"...it just sounds like my packets will continually get bumped to the back of the line..."
Gee, you know what, buddy? They already are. So are mine, and I don't care. For email, a fraction of a second delay doesn't matter.
For TV it does. I want the right to receive TV so I can tell the local cable monopoly where to go.
Canada has a great opportunity to score one over their neighbors in the USA: if US Congress votes for "Neutrality" that's One Slow Lane for everyone - they're welcome to it!
Network diversity, please.
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Gee, you know what, buddy? They already are. So are mine, and I don't care. For email, a fraction of a second delay doesn't matter.
For TV it does. I want the right to receive TV so I can tell the local cable monopoly where to go.
Canada has a great opportunity to score one over their neighbors in the USA: if US Congress votes for "Neutrality" that's One Slow Lane for everyone - they're welcome to it!
Network diversity, please.
Posted by : 1:58 PM, February 18, 2007
: 1:58 PM, February 18, 2007 << Home
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