Yesterday, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski announced his new proposed rules for network neutrality and plans to formally codify “network neutrality” into federal regulations. Sean P Aune, who co-hosted CobWEBs Daily Edition last night with me, was daring to hope but preparing for disappointment.
It’s a massive undertaking to ensure a network neutral Internet the way Genachowski proposes, but rather than arguing on the grounds of expense, the broadband and infrastructure industry argues against it on the grounds that it limits innovation.
This is a particularly amusing argument, given how little innovation in infrastructure America has seen as compared to some of it’s European and Asian neighbors.
My concerns with the lawful enforcement of Network Neutrality have something to do with innovation, and a lot more to do with my reticence to see more governmental oversight and interference with private business. My stance, which I made a compelling argument on the show for, was that we needed more competition, not more oversight.
Governmental regulation and interference will act to reduce the chances we’ll ever see true competition in the infrastructure provision business in the US, which locks us in with the restrictive and frankly anti-innovative likes of Comcast, AT&T and Verizon.
Listen to the short podcast to hear my points and Sean’s counter-points.
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