Willamette Week has a good editorial on Net Neutrality:

Net-neutrality legislation would ensure that every Web-based business and every site, be it personal, political or commercial, would be treated the same by the systems that power the networks. If those networks cease to be open, consistent and predictable, if they begin to interfere with the content that passes through their pipes, we'll still have broadband networks, but the Internet as we know it will be history.

Even though Toronto VCs don't seem to be investing in anything let alone the Net, recent moves on the part of US regulators should make anyone with investments in the Web space a bit cautious. Why? Right now it is the consumer who determines what is popular on the Net. There is little if any filtering to prevent someone from surfing to whatever content they choose. The result has been an explosion of innovative new uses for the technology. If cable and telephone companies are allowed to provide tiered services then they will, in effect, dictated who and what gets seen.

The situation is reminiscent of radio's early days. It was once easy to set up a station and broadcast. Lots of companies did it. Then came regulation and the rise of the big networks who, in effect, became the controllers of content. While it is easy to see why telcos and cable companies want this - their market shares are falling - the specter of government control is the most disturbing aspect of recent regulatory discussions. The Internet has been a frontier town for fifteen years or so and all that free information makes controlling political messages difficult to do. Governments feel threatened. Is this the real incentive for US actions? It is hard to tell but, in any case, if a few powerful (...read more...)