Re: No One Is Going To Save You Fools

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Brett Glass <brett () lariat net>
Date: December 23, 2009 12:15:10 AM EST
To: dave () farber net, "ip" <ip () v2 listbox com>
Cc: jsq () quarterman org
Subject: Re: [IP] Re: No One Is Going To Save You Fools

At 07:43 PM 12/22/2009, John Quarterman wrote:

> Bob is right about the right's story, and that works for the right, because the right is about tribal us against them.

This isn't a "right vs. left" issue. People on the political left have every bit as much to lose -- if not more -- than 
those on the right if the Internet is regulated.

> But to win on matters like net neutrality a more inclusive story is needed, non-zero-sum, participatory, about 
> community.

No, it is not. To make an effort to "win on network neutrality" is, in fact, to participate in a tribal war -- in which 
the billion dollar content providers are attacking ISPs of all sizes (and not just large ones; it would harm small ones 
like me far more). You'd be fighting on the side of Google, and Amazon, and Microsoft. Who are far more dangerous than 
even the largest telecomm companies, because they are completely unregulated.

By supporting their cause, you would be their fool (as described in the article mentioned in the subject line above), 
manipulated by their propaganda into doing their bidding.

> Because that's what the Internet enables: participation on a scale never before seen, fueling innovation that 
> increases the size of the pie for everyone.

Unfortunately, as Dave Farber has said many a time, "network neutrality" regulation would choke off the very innovation 
which is most important to increasing the size of the pie: innovation by service providers.

> This is all relevant to net neutrality. What industry spends even more lobbying Congress than health insurers? 
> Telecoms.

And what company has far outspent the telecomms in contributions to the current administration -- giving nearly a 
billion dollars to the Obama campaign and enlisting many so-called "public interest" groups to do its bidding via large 
contributions? Google.

> Hell, we're even trying to help the telecoms!

And all telecomm companies are obviously evil. Sure.

> On the path they're on, they'll end up being like GM when NTT comes in and sells 100Mbps FTTH that actually works for 
> a reasonable price. 50 years ago Motown was the industrial leader of the world; now Detroit is a ghost town. On 
> Internet time it won't take that long for the duopoly to gut themselves and us if we let them.

There is not a duopoly, and will not be -- unless the "network neutrality" regulation you advocate is passed. If it is, 
it will destroy the small competitors which are trying to grow to compete with the telephone and cable companies, 
leaving a duopoly.

You are working against your own cause.

> So let's use the Internet to stop them.

...because we're all evil, right?

Perhaps we should use the Internet to expose the REAL truth about this matter, which is that network "neutrality" 
regulation (which is not, in fact, neutral at all) would do great harm to innovation and hence to everyone on the 
Internet except for a few large content providers.

--Brett Glass





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