http://politics.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=190587&cid=15679470

For some reason the link won’t show up so i will paste it in here verbatim

When it comes right down to it, the only people who matter in the debate over net neutrality are the congressmen. If we leave “the market” to decide, it will decide against neutrality– because “the market” consists of a small pool of telecom monopolies, and they will always “decide” in their own interests.

And the congressmen, the only people whose votes matter here, don’t understand [sciam.com] this issue– they’re just voting along flat “Government intervention good!” versus “Government intervention bad!” party lines. So basically, what happens on the “Net Neutrality” issue isn’t about what’s best technically, or what’s best economically, or about what’s best for the public– it comes entirely down to, which party line will win? Which party is better at pushing their line? More specifically, it comes down to, which party will win the 2006 elections?

And we already know the Republicans are going to win the 2006 elections. There just isn’t any alternative– there’s no opposition. The Democrats aren’t even trying. They’re just sitting back, letting the Republicans set the agenda of Congress and the terms of every debate, and failing to either distinguish themselves from the Republicans or establish themselves as a credible alternative. The only time the Democrats even manage to get enough media attention for the public to remember they exist, it’s over embarrassing internal bickering. And with no impressions of themselves in the public mind except internal bickering, the Democrats are going to lose.

So the “Net Neutrality” debate has already been decided, based on entirely external factors.

http://politics.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=190587&cid=15679470

For some reason the link won’t show up so i will paste it in here verbatim

When it comes right down to it, the only people who matter in the debate over net neutrality are the congressmen. If we leave “the market” to decide, it will decide against neutrality– because “the market” consists of a small pool of telecom monopolies, and they will always “decide” in their own interests.

And the congressmen, the only people whose votes matter here, don’t understand [sciam.com] this issue– they’re just voting along flat “Government intervention good!” versus “Government intervention bad!” party lines. So basically, what happens on the “Net Neutrality” issue isn’t about what’s best technically, or what’s best economically, or about what’s best for the public– it comes entirely down to, which party line will win? Which party is better at pushing their line? More specifically, it comes down to, which party will win the 2006 elections?

And we already know the Republicans are going to win the 2006 elections. There just isn’t any alternative– there’s no opposition. The Democrats aren’t even trying. They’re just sitting back, letting the Republicans set the agenda of Congress and the terms of every debate, and failing to either distinguish themselves from the Republicans or establish themselves as a credible alternative. The only time the Democrats even manage to get enough media attention for the public to remember they exist, it’s over embarrassing internal bickering. And with no impressions of themselves in the public mind except internal bickering, the Democrats are going to lose.

So the “Net Neutrality” debate has already been decided, based on entirely external factors.