All Things Net Neutrality

[Daseal]

Originally Posted by Dirtbag59

THE PAINNNNNNNNNNNN! PLEASE STOP!!! MY head IT HuRTZZZZZZ!!!

Congresswoman defends “states’ rights� to protect ISPs from muni competition | Ars Technica

Yeah, this was brutal. Doesn't that go against the free market? We need one of two things to happen in the cable and internet markets. Either regulate the current solutions to protect consumers to guarantee certain levels of service at certain prices, or find a way to inject true competition. The problem with internet/cable providers is that most people have 1-2 legitimate options, more often than not a single option. I know in the Northern VA area the apartment/condo complexes will sign exclusivity agreements with the cable providers.

The really interesting part is look at the cable providers in areas that Google Fiber moved in. Google is able to come in and push the big boys because of deep pockets, most new internet providers don't have that ability. Every city they've moved into the current providers IMMEDIATELY offered faster/better service at a lower price. Showed they clearly have the capability, they just don't have any incentive. The United States is slowly desolving into the luddites of the 1st world. We need infrastructure, we need information, and we need to lower the barrier to entry. We're not a free market anymore, we're protecting these massive companies and their profits rather than forcing them to innovate to stay on top.

You know what, I think I might start treating myself as an ISP. I'm a government contractor. I'm going to start demanding direct payment from the government as well as my company. I think it'll go great!