Net neutrality refers either to the inherent necessity to ensure that all data that traverses the Internet gets treated equally (if you are “pro” neutrality), or to the inherent necessity that business that drive more data through those “tubes” pay more for passage (the “con” neutrality stance).  So if you use more water, you should pay more for water; these charges might even be progressive so that the more you use the more you pay per gallon, so that tripling your usage might quadruple your billing.

 

This analogy is flawed, however.  Water, electricity and other “utilities” are either highly regulated businesses with tightly controlled pricing, or are delivered by governmental organizations, thus at least in theory, assuring the performance and controlling their pricing.  The bottom line is that in exchange for a near monopoly, companies agree to strict performance commitments and tight pricing control, or these services are actually delivered by governments.

 

So our FCC is considering whether to classify Internet access as a utility like telephone service, and thus enforce neutrality, or to allow for tiered pricing and put a stake in the heart of net neutrality.  At first, it seems pretty clear that in a free market society with that operates under the rule of law, this should be an easy call.  If you use more you pay more.  If that wasn’t the case, why would providers install those tubes in the first place if they couldn’t charge for use?

 

And in a truly open marketplace with robust competition and equal access to resources, this would be the obvious call.  I want to be all for the “pay as you use” option.  But now I will ask you to remember your last dealing with Comcast or CenturyLink.  And now consider how they might behave if unfettered by net neutrality, how it might be to deal with them.  We live a real business world, not a libertarian classroom setting, with real companies.

 

When considering net neutrality we are not discussing handing the keys to the Internet and its future to companies that behave responsibly, we are handing the keys to a new Corvette to a 16-year-old boy, along with a bottle of Jack Daniels.  So who to you trust; regulators or monopolists?  Remember that means Congress or Comcast effectively.  One or the other will make these important decisions.  Who do you want to see holding those keys?

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpbOEoRrHyU&sns=fb

 

-Joshua Liberman, President Net Sciences, Inc.