For all the plausible reasons a broadband supplier might block a Web site, including the desire to give preference to its own competing voice or television service, there haven't been many such crimes against "net neutrality" to justify the enormous amount of wind spent on this particular threat to human freedom. Such worries so far have been assuaged by competition—consumers can be counted on to abandon a carrier that blocks access to services they crave. Guess what? The latest panic about wireless net neutrality is already succumbing to this principle too. And FCC chief Julius Genachowski, who fibrillates regularly about the subject, may soon discover he has a much bigger problem.
Still, the resistance of Google, Microsoft, Amazon and others to usage pricing may be futile unless they're willing themselves to subsidize delivery of their services to mobile consumers—which would turn net neut precisely on its head. |
My prediction: O Duce and his minions will somehow find a formula that favors big contributors like Google while stopping growth, profits (starting to capiche?) and innovation at the same time.
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