More on Dick Armey, Congress, and "Net neutrality" [econ]

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

Previous Politech message:
http://www.politechbot.com/2006/04/05/former-house-majority/


-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [Politech] Dick Armey, former House Majority Leader, takes 
aim at "Net neutrality" [econ]
Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2006 13:37:00 -0400
From: Howie Goodell <howie.goodell () gmail com>
To: Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>
References: <4433F7E7.1050802 () well com>

Hi --

(never tried to reply to this before; sure enjoy it)

Mr. Armey ignores the fact that the last mile is still a natural
oligopoly if not monopoly in most places, both since cable and phone
providers demand and get an exclusive licence from the town, and
because "network effects" (no pun) make it uneconomic to support many
duplicate sets of wiring to every business and house. Requiring
semi-monopoly local companies to connect to their competitor's
networks on an equal basis is a legitimate public good. Like the
1980's telecom reform that required Ma Bell to connect to competitors'
long-distance networks, "net neutrality" is likely to lead to much
more competition, as there will be many ISPs able to provide service
on an equal footing rather than the tyranny of one cable guy.

Howie Goodell
Doctoral Candidate, Computer Science



-------- Original Message --------
Subject: RE: [Politech] Dick Armey, former House Majority Leader, takes 
aim at "Net neutrality" [econ]
Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2006 13:32:58 -0400
From: Jonathan Wilner <jonathan () wilner co il>
To: Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>

Declan,

You probably already know this, but Armey's organization is an
"AstroTurf" grass roots organization. They've accepted corporate
contributions from SBC and Verizon & campaign not only for Net
Neutrality but also eliminating the requirements for local franchising
for video networks.

"FreedomWorks is the result of a 2004 merger between Citizens for a
Sound Economy (a conservative think tank with strong ties to major
corporations like General Electric and General Motors) and Empower
America (an organization that lobbied for tax reform, Social Security
reform, etc.).[11]   FreedomWorks is headed by former House majority
leader Dick Armey and claims to have 700,000 grassroots activists
nationwide fighting for "less government, lower taxes and more
freedom."[12]



Before the merger, Citizens for a Sound Economy boasted a long history
of Astroturf lobbying.  Slate Magazine reported in 2003 that the
majority of the organization's funding came from corporations or
corporate-backed conservative foundations, and that the group was mostly
an "extension of Armey's lobbying work [at Piper Rudnick, a D.C. law
firm]."[13]"


http://www.commoncause.org/site/pp.asp?c=dkLNK1MQIwG&b=1497377


[Two thoughts: 1. CSE is not properly called an astroturf organization; 
it's been around for decades, has hundreds of thousands of members and 
supporters, and offices in over a dozen states. 2. Also I'm not sure if 
corporate money by itself is dispositive. We ran a special report last 
week that showed how the American Library Association gets money from 
Verizon and Walgreens; CDT gets cash from AT&T, eBay, Microsoft, Google, 
etc., and so on:
http://news.com.com/Nonprofits+are+true+powerbrokers/2009-1028_3-6050711.html
A better question to ask is: Are the group's positions up for sale to 
the highest bidder? --Declan]


-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [Politech] Dick Armey, former House Majority Leader, takes 
 aim at "Net neutrality" [econ]
Date: Wed, 05 Apr 2006 07:39:46 -1000
From: George Mason <masong002 () hawaii rr com>
To: Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>
References: <4433F7E7.1050802 () well com>

What this most reminds me of is the old "Fairness Doctrine" which actually
killed political debate over the airways.    But it has much in common with
the "unintended" consequences of regulation in general.

At 07:01 AM 4/5/2006, you wrote:

>What net neutrality really does is allow the government to run all over
>basic property rights in classic, Kelo fashion. It expands regulation in
>the telecommunications arena and allows the government to dictate to
>businesses how they offer service.

[...]


A hui hou,

GM
http://www.highsurfwarning.com
http://www.highsurfwarning.blogspot.com
http://www.spotterbuddy.com
http://hawaiiweatherman.blogspot.com
DSS/DH key id: 0xD60CE0F9

Surfline: 637-RUSH







-------- Original Message --------
Subject: RE: [Politech] Dick Armey, former House Majority Leader, takes 
aim at "Net neutrality" [econ]
Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2006 13:39:07 -0400
From: Adam Goldberg <adam_g () yahoo com>
To: 'Declan McCullagh' <declan () well com>

Declan,

I sure am, glad that he, can punctuate, properly.

"What net neutrality really does is allow the government to run all over
basic property rights in classic, Kelo fashion."

Adam

Adam Goldberg
3003 Barkley Gate Ln
Fairfax, VA
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