This has been a hot topic in many private discussion lists I am on (like the CABAL I Can’t Name) as well as among many of my business colleagues (Jimmy Daniels checks in and the very savvy Brad Waller has covered it extensively). I am still out on it, digesting the various sides, but I am leaning towards pro Net Neutrality because I prefer to see innovation. However innovation via legislation has me worried.

Then again, having worked quite a bit with many government branches, I am always leary of any government involvement.

No I don’t think “government” is intrinsically evil. I really don’t. I think people are often misguided and people are the ones who run government. From experience I have found a lot of people in government to genuinely care about issues, however, the massive size of the U.S. Government is one of the factors that makes it ineffective. That and the incredible power struggles and internal politics that dictate action. I would add that for the most part- I am apolitical. I am not apathetic, just apolitical.

A couple of years ago I spoke at an FTC Workshop in Washington D.C. on privacy and the spyware epidemic on a panel with AT&T, MIT, Microsoft and others. It was eye opening for me in so many ways. I won’t go into all the nuances of that experience. However I had an epiphany as my wife and I toured downtown D.C. I realized that in the beginning the U.S. government was accessible and its highest branches could be reached by the common citizen. This is just not the case today. It is a sluggish juggernaut and I am not sure who has the reigns. Illuminati anyone? Brian Clark would suggest Discordianism I am sure.

Back to Net Neutrality…

This is from the “Mystery Dave Department”: PBS.org Shows

Congress is considering legislation that critics charge would set up a discriminatory tollbooth system on the information superhighway.At the center of the debate is whether telecommunications and cable companies can favor some content providers over others by giving them more bandwidth (the “pipe” through which content is sent) in exchange for payment. So, in theory, Verizon could prefer Yahoo or Google, or another content provider, by giving them more bandwidth for a price.Opponents of these plans are backing ‘net neutrality’ legislation, which would require all Web sites to be treated equally.High-bandwidth “broadband” content, such as high-resolution video, is becoming increasingly popular as more people use the Internet to watch television shows and movies, and play sophisticated games.

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