Is this the end of the Internet as we know it?

[PhilT]

Re: Is this the end of the Internet as we know it?

Perhaps the lust for money really IS the source of all evil. Which (if this proposed deal happens) makes a bit of a mockery of Google's motto "Do No Evil". What a saddness.

[askrieger]

Re: Is this the end of the Internet as we know it?

Just when I thought the issue was resolved, I saw this article.

[Prescience]

Re: Is this the end of the Internet as we know it?

I think net neutrality is very bad. The telecoms monopolies (or oligopolies) are very bad. They exist because of government regulation and laws that prevent and/or discourage competition. End the government interference and net neutrality will not be necessary in the long run to deliver affordable Internet to everyone at increasing speeds. Adopt net neutrality and the rate of advancement in the Internet will slow because there will be less incentive to improve it because it will be less profitable. If the government keeps interfering, advancement will still be relatively slow because the firms have little incentive to innovate, be competitive, improve service, and lower prices. Having both monstrosities on top of each other would be awful.

[dibl]

Re: Is this the end of the Internet as we know it?

Even though I'm inclined to think net neutrality is a good thing, I see your point in the post you wish wasn't there.

The open source community is fairly full of categorical capitalism-haters (typing on their Toshiba-built $300 netbooks), but I do believe the opportunity to make a buck lies behind a whole lot of the good things in life today.

Two cents' worth.

[Ole Juul]

Re: Is this the end of the Internet as we know it?

Andrew Orlowski has a relevant analysis which caught my attention.

By the mid 1990s it had become pointless to compete with Microsoft in operating systems and office software - and investment in potential competitors dried up. The best you could hope for as a software company was to carve out a niche as part of the Windows Office system; this was a very small niche indeed.

The same thing is happening today with web services. But what Google and other web giants are doing goes largely unnoticed, even by analysts, pundits and Presidential advisors. What they are able to do is use their scale, and clever and cynical politics to obscure how they're solidifying their competitive advantage. In particular, they're swearing allegiance to (and lobbying for) an idea which doesn't apply to their operations, but which will keep smaller competitors out of the market. . . .

The rest is here: How neutrality locks in the web's 'Hyper Giants'

[dibl]

Re: Is this the end of the Internet as we know it?

Wow! Very illuminating -- thanks Ole!

[Prescience]

Re: Is this the end of the Internet as we know it?

I want to add that the government can and should interfere in the free market to stop anti-competitive business practices. I believe all "rent seeking" is bad. I don't care if it's big businesses, interest groups, or unions.

[GreyGeek]

Re: Is this the end of the Internet as we know it?

And add to "rent-seeking" the creation of ARTIFICIAL SCARCITY by using patents on "Intellectual Property". Paul Graham wrote an excellent article explaining Submarine Patents. Microsoft tried to sell some of their "235 examples of Linux patent violations" to a patent troll, along with instructions on how to sue Linux distro makers. In fact, Microsoft is turning into quite a patent troll themselves:

These patents are so generic that Microsoft's suit against Salesforce is purely selective enforcement against a competitor. What would we do if we were sued in a similar fashion? Probably the same thing a shop keeper on a street run by mobsters would do: Pay up or lose a limb. Extortion at its best.

Of course, Congress won't do anything about this because they've been paid off by the mobsters to turn a blind eye, or worse, help with the scam.

Apple is blatantly patenting travel, hotel and shopping apps that independent, 3rd party coders created for sale ....

In its App Store, Apple provides a platform for third-party developers to design and sell mobile applications. But the company also appears to have its eye on patenting a few key types of apps.

That's outright theft. But, if you are a small fry who can't afford high powered attorneys, what do you do? Don't expect the DOJ or other government agencies to help, they are in corporate pockets.

[Prescience]

Re: Is this the end of the Internet as we know it?

Patents are definitely a form of rent seeking as are any anti-competitive practice. Patents are generally regarded by economists as a necessary evil of government intervention, however, there are a lot of economists who believe that America's patent laws go too far. I tend to believe that. I don't know how much it should be done, but I suspect at the very least method patents should never be granted in areas (like software) that are in a constant state of revolutionary changes. Maybe we would be better off with no method patents. Patents that have a significant negative impact similar to government red tape, regulation, and intervention (like software patents) shouldn't be granted either. I don't know what kind of framework would be optimal.

Anyway, I fear that with the fight over net neutrality people lose sight over the real causes of the very problems they seek to solve and make matters worse in the long run.

[woodsmoke]

Re: Is this the end of the Internet as we know it?

Here is an interview, short, of the guy who coined the "net neutrality" term.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...120402817.html

woodsmoke

[GreyGeek]

Re: Is this the end of the Internet as we know it?

Just when I thought the issue was resolved, I saw this article.

To help with the translation of that article: "Innovation" == consumer lock-in.

[GreyGeek]

Re: Is this the end of the Internet as we know it?

Bottom line: IF the FCC rulings do not force ISPs, cable and telcos to treat ALL packets the same then the net is NOT neutral, no matter how much sugar you coat it with.

[Ole Juul]

Re: Is this the end of the Internet as we know it?

Bottom line: IF the FCC rulings do not force ISPs, cable and telcos to treat ALL packets the same then the net is NOT neutral, no matter how much sugar you coat it with.

I doubt that will ever happen. Not as long as it is legal to lobby, and government snooping is considered acceptable, and I'm sure there are other things which will get in the way too.