NET NEUTRALITY BOUNCEBACK

It appeared, for a few months at least, that Net neutrality was an issue to be debated almost everywhere but the halls of Congress. At staged events, those who fear a cable/telco duopoly were able to work up considerable frenzy, but among lawmakers, the well-funded lobbying arm of the service provider industry succeeded in convincing key personnel that this is not the time to regulate the Internet.

But the commercial and consumer interest forces that are backing www.savetheInternet.com and similar efforts remain determined to build support for government regulations to prevent tiered, or premium, Internet services. They continue to sound the alarm against the potential for major service providers to control the Internet pipeline.

Repeatedly, those at the highest level of management within cable and telecom alike have insisted they have neither the intention nor incentive to block access to any Internet content. But those protests are falling on deaf ears. There are now indications, via Net neutrality measures now before both the House and the Senate, that the issue is gaining new life.

Net neutrality remains a solution in search of a problem, a potentially dangerous prescription for a disease not yet contracted. The telecom industry must devise a response to the fears being raised by the various groups, stated in language that an average consumer can understand, to address issues of control and access. It needs to identify a spokesperson to carry that message, and it needs to do so now.