Split the information superhighway

[David Farber <farber () central cis upenn edu>]

The San Francisco Examiner
Editorial, Sunday November 14


Split the information superhighway
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It's not who owns the future electronic thoroughfare, but who
controls the public's access to its 500-channel bandwidth
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Regulators eying the emerging blueprint for the information superhighway
shouldn't worry that firms building the electronic road will be too
powerful, squeezing out traffic and driving up tolls.  Instead, their
concern ought to be providing open access to the lanes on which electrons
will soon be zipping along at the speed of light.  There's an easy way to
do this:  Split the highway in two.


Give half its 500-lane bandwidth to the road builder (it doesn't
matter if it's a Baby Bell, a cable company, a giant born of a telecom
megamerger or Joe the butcher).


Keep the other 250 lanes as a common carrier.  This is the section of
road the regulators should patrol--not for content but to make sure
everyone has a fair chance of getting on the highway.


Vehicles on the fiber-optic highway (often described as having a
bandwidth of "500 channels," although there could be thousands)
will include TV programs, movies, videophone service, interactive
games, electronic mail, banking and stock picking.


The new age of megamergers creates fear and trembling about monopoly
takeover of the information superhighway, even before it's built.  The
primitive competitive model envisions at least two wires runnning
into each home--one from the cable TV company, one from the phone
company.


In reality, it doesn't matter if each home has one or 50 fiber-optic links,
the roadbed of the information superhighway.  In fact, one connection means
faster construction of the network and cheaper service.


Pacific Bell announced last week that it would build a $16 billion
information superhighway in California, completing more than half of it by
the turn of the century.  In return for building and operating the
highway, PacBell should get lanes to call its own.  The rest should be a
freeway, regulated only to ensure open access and use of common technical
standards.


Tele-Communications, Inc and Bell Atlantic can merge all they want, but no
one should be allowed to control everything that moves on the superhighway.
If that happens, TCI Chairman John Malone will dictate what you can and
cannot watch.


A closed highway is the real danger.  Anyone who controls all onramps and
exits can restrict choice, inflate price and diminish service.  Competition
keeps turnpike operators honest and protects free speech.


A median strip separating its 500 lanes is the only police force the
information superhighway needs.