Net Neutrality and RE: FCC's McDowell

[Todd Boyle]

At 06:33 AM 1/2/2007, Tyler wrote:

>The Free markets have ALWAYS worked in the past, why not here (wireless)?

Ahh but free markets do NOT always work.

Marxists, or state planners, etc. shouldn't say markets *never* work.

But you shouldn't be so simplistic either.

In fact, information architectures are one of the classic examples, 
cited by economists, journalists and many others, where market 
capitalism FAILS to work.   On some level you must be aware of 
this.  For example it's even in the constitution, that a right to 
privacy is established.  Otherwise there'd be "Free Markets" in your 
personal information. There are countless examples.  False 
advertising for example.

Wireless networks, and the Internet, are an information 
architecture.  They are not a system for distributing water, 
electricity, natural gas, etc.   They have *some* of the 
characteristics, but the value of the *information* completely dwarfs 
the commodity aspect:  the advertising, the media content, the phone 
and communications capability,

Now as a result of your mistaken assumption, you think regulators 
should allow 'the market' to install whatever lying, creeping 
propaganda streams are most profitable into our homes, and the 
freedom to block whatever they want and drown the rest in SPAM and 
viruses, freedom to merge into a near-global monopoly, with power to 
control elections, overturn governments etc.   No.  I don't think so.

I'm not sure whether the government will ever protect the information 
commons; if it doesn't, then people will gradually appreciate the 
value of locally owned and operated Internet-- like yours.  But don't 
ever imagine that you own it.  You are a tiny minority stakeholder in 
the value of the information that is flowing over the internet.  The 
parties to the traffic are the owners of that.

Todd.  
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