| Comment Number: | 527031-00054 |
| Received: | 2/28/2007 9:47:12 PM |
| Organization: | Frankston |
| Commenter: | Bob Frankston |
| State: | MA |
| Agency: | Federal Trade Commission |
| Rule: | Broadband Connectivity Competition Policy |
| Attachments: | 527031-00054.pdf Download Adobe Reader |
Comments:
The title of the FTC workshop on "Broadband Connectivity Competition" assumes that the status quo makes sense and we only need to fine tune it. What struck me most about the workshop is the lack of a crisp insight. There was a lot of talk about how complex the issues are and lots of fascination with the details of the current Internet. But there was a stunning failure to see though the complexity. We can argue all we want about neutrality or we can recognize that bits are inherently neutral and reframe policy in terms of basic connectivity. Basic connectivity means we can create our own solutions rather than being required to buy services from a provider. We would not need to petition the FCC nor the FTC for neutrality. Attempting to bring a service-based model in line with the principles of neutrality is futile and counter-productive.