I know many disagree, but I don't think Comcast messing with p2p downloads and a few carriers throttling Netflix speeds justifies getting the federal government involved, with all the oh-so-hilarious unintended consequences that usually come with it.
The above goes double when you consider the executive branch's first instincts here - instead of crafting something specific, let's just throw Title II at it. Have you read Title II? It's horrifying! But don't worry, they'll use 'forbearance' to just not apply the horrifying parts. We can trust them, after all - who has more restraint and self-control than the federal government?
Here's the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which modifies Title II: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-104publ104/pdf/PLAW-104pub...
Got to warn you, it's not light reading.
I haven't been able to find something that explains Title II in a relatively neutral fashion. In short, proponents of classifying broadband as a Title II utility say "the FCC can ignore and not enforce the onerous portions not related to net neutrality", while opponents say "the FCC can ignore and not enforce the onerous portions not related to net neutrality, but there's no guarantee that they will, and that's a lot of power to hand over to the government for the indefinite future."
Does the conflict of interest between streaming video and cable tv have any legal effects? Maybe anti-trust laws?
Ultimately, power given to the government is seldom taken back. I prefer the dangers of our current system to giving the government more power.
I don't think I would mind a universe where there are lots of providers, some of whom are net-neutral and some of whom aren't.
On the other hand, that kind of universe presents some troubling social issues (only those who can afford a neutral internet will have access to it).
Basically, a decent market would make the whole issue go away.
> On the other hand, that kind of universe presents some troubling social issues (only those who can afford a neutral internet will have access to it).
Um, if you want the best service, you pay for it. That's reality. Internet service is not unlimited. Anything that isn't unlimited is subject to supply and demand. That's why costs vary. So, I don't think that scenario qualifies as a social issue.
