The Future of the Internet Backbone

Interesting—and potentially upsetting—commentary on the future of net and access rights. Quite plausible, although frightening, considering my use and addiction to the net. Excerpt below, with a good summary available for free, full length requires a newsstand purchase or online subscription.

Why we should think twice about 'net neutrality' - Council on Foreign Relations: "Societies have been down this path before. The profound desire to pretend that highways are free has produced massive urban congestion—and a revolution in the form of toll roads and even congestion pricing. When London decided to charge for its valuable automobile capacity at peak times, the city did not disappear. Instead, it raised the social value of the overall traffic network by creating explicit priorities and the open opportunity for all to choose—or not—to pursue them.

Indeed, network engineers recognise that establishing priorities is an integral part of network functioning. A traffic grid does not have red-light neutrality—some lights change more quickly than others to ensure overall traffic flows efficiently. (Indeed, the internet now contains such engineering protocols; legislating true bit-by-bit neutrality could devastate the web.)"