[CAnet - news] Mike Powell's comments on Internet and net neutrality

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[From Dave Farber's IPer list. Although former FCC chairman Mike Powell's
comments were directed specifically at a US audience I think they have wide
applicability elsewhere as governments around the world wrestle with the
issue of the future of the Internet as a critical infrastructure.   The
network neutrality debate is really about the lack of facilities based
competition in the last mile. Let us solve that problem first, before
looking to additional regulation.  A good model that solves this problem
without the need for regulation is the Barcelona @22 project
http://lists.canarie.ca/pipermail/news/2006/000238.html -- BSA]

All I can say is clearly I agree with what Mike is reported as  
saying. I gather Mike talked from notes so the ful text is not  
available. If anyone has the audio, point me.

Dave


Powell Warns Net Neutrologists Not to Be Naive


  Capitol Rotunda


Former FCC chairman Michael Powell is up on the stage at the Freedom to
Connect conference right now, and he warns the tech elite crowd here  
not to be naive about the dangers of asking Congress for legislation on Net
Neutrality.  As he explains:


The legislative process does not work well when it has a weak  
Understanding of innovation and tech policy.  You are talking about 535
members who need to to get this. They have a very shallow understanding [of
Net Neutrality].

If you go give them a quiz about the seven layers of the Internet, good
luck.


You live by the sword, you die by the sword.  It is much harder get a  
Law off the books than to get it on. Someone will think it is a good idea to
apply the same rules to the other side's products and services.  Be  
careful because you are playing their game [the telcos']. We are talking
about resources, ability, and 100 years of skill.


He also points out the problem of the treating the Internet as a public
asset:


It is too facile to say the Internet belongs to the public.  People are
married to the metaphor of the public space, but they run into  
trouble whencit comes to who should pay for this stuff. They think it should
be the government.  That's not going to happen. The government is broke,
It's going to stay broke. There won't be a Tennessee Valley Broadband  
Authority.


So what should those concerned about the Net's future do?  If this group
can't figure it out, how is Congress supposed to?  Powell's answer:


You have to make it financially difficult for providers to act in  
certain ways because the grassroots consumer base will get angry.


Here, here.




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