Does it seem counter-intuitive to anyone else that more laws and regulations will "help preserve the free and open nature of the Internet" per President Obama?
The internet is one of the last -- if not THE last -- preserve of a truly free market. Anyone can buy some real estate in the form of a web address and set up shop, either to sell a good or service or to exercise their right to freedom of speech.
Infringement upon the internet in the form of rules and regulations will only stifle the market. The government claims it is acting in order to help us -- it's worried that large companies have too much control over access, but as the authors of the article note: "Most consumers haven't had a problem viewing whatever they want online; few instances have arisen of an Internet provider blocking or slowing services." And when an instance such as this arises, do you know what is most effective in remedying it? Ding ding -- the free market! Consumers have choices -- I count at least six in the Atlanta area off the top of my head.
But the government doesn't care about effectively protecting consumers -- the government only cares about control. Anything that they don't control is a threat and an untapped resource from which to fill their coffers.
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