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Friday, January 21, 2011

Verizon Challenging Net Neutrality

Cable companies don't seem to like net neutrality and neither do the telcos. It is now Verizon's turn to try and overturn net neutrality regulation. "Verizon argues in its appeal that the FCC's Dec. 21 order exceeds its authority, is arbitrary and capricious and an abuse of its discretion, and is unconstitutional as well." My concern with net neutrality is that it paves the way for usage billing. I would hate to constantly monitor how many bits and bytes I consumed to know what my bill would be. I prefer the buffet where I can have unlimited helpings for one price.

With more and more devices consuming broadband, I am also fearful that the internet bill would become too high. In my home, the computers are either hard wired or wifi connected to broadband. Same with the ipods. I frankly wouldn't know what our average consumption is per day. But I can tell that our usage is growing.

I also know that the highway is only so big and that traffic jams will only get worse. Consumption hogs will hurt others. Ultimately, the consumer is best served through competition, not regulation. Allowing other companies to enter the industry, lower the barriers to entry, and creates more choice for consumers. And encourage innovation as ways to make the broadband highway speed along at a faster clip, getting more content from point A to point B without any disruptions.