[clue-talk] Net neutrality

[Matt Gushee]

Greg Knaddison - GVS wrote:

> Rob Malda (cmdrtaco on /.) proposed a related scheme for email a while
> ago and when he presented it, the idea made a lot of sense to me.

As far as e-mail goes, it might be a good idea. But I'm not clear on the 
connection, if any, between this and what I'm talking about--see below.

> http://www.computerpoweruser.com/editorial/article.asp?article=articles/archive/c0207/51c07/51c07.asp&guid= 

Hmph. Gotta subscribe to read past the first few paragraphs.

Anyway, what worries those who are worried is that content providers 
could be required to pay fees for 'fast-track' delivery of their 
content--mainly referring, I think, to Web content--to end users. And it 
should be fairly obvious that if some providers are fast-tracked, then 
others will be slow-tracked, at least in relative terms, and probably 
also in an absolute sense.

Whether or not this would result in deliberate political censorship, it 
is self-evident that such fees would favor those with the most ability 
to pay.

Now I suppose a good libertarian would make some argument to the effect 
that this doesn't really hurt anyone, because we all still have the 
freedom to seek out alternative information (hope I'm not setting up a 
straw man here--I don't mean to). To which I would say something to the 
effect that society is greater than the sum of its parts, and the fact 
that all your lazy neighbors are filling their heads with 
corporate-produced infotainment affects the quality of life for all of us.

I'll have a bit more to say about that in my reply to Jed, if I don't 
run out of time.

-- 
Matt Gushee
The Reluctant Geek: http://matt.gushee.net/rg/