» Republicans Move to Block Network Neutrality
Just hours after Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski proposed expanding the network neutrality authority of the agency Sept. 21, Senate Republicans moved to block the initiative. Using an appropriations bill as a vehicle, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison introduced an amendment that would deny the FCC any funds for developing or implementing new Internet regulations.
gbattle sez:
This is simply a policy maneuver promulgated by GOP Luddites parroting words whispered to them by the likes of Comcast, Time Warner, Cablevision, Verizon, etc.. So, if the broadband/cable provider industry really wants to preserve the right to block, ration, govern and monitor internet activity on an a la carte basis, by all means, don’t be hypocrites and extend that privilege to everyone across all your services: Give your customers the choice of cable on an a la carte basis, such that I pay for only that which I use.
Open up the choice wide and let the free market decide.
- If customers are going to pay for all-you-can-eat cable or broadband, it should include full On-Demand access to every channel, DVR’d remotely and cached for say 60 days - if I want to watch 20 shows all broadcast at the same time in succession, give me the right to time-shift to my heart’s content.
- Rationed broadband access, benefiting the provider in terms of traffic optimization, would be less expensive than a net neutral provider
- A la carte cable would reflect people’s desire to pay for quality (demand represented by actual usage) vs. quantity (providers’ supply of 1000+ channels)
- Increased competition among providers based upon quality, not quantity, results in product differentiation and pricing segmentation that has been largely lost since the days when small ISPs competed with the big boys
It’s time to bust up the regulated monopolies and duopolies in the local broadband and cable access industry, discourage homogenized bundling, embrace choice and encourage competition.
