Comments on: Search Neutrality Before Net Neutrality? http://www.concurringopinions.com/archives/2007/08/search_neutrali.html The Law, the Universe, and Everything Sun, 22 Nov 2009 15:33:39 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.3 hourly 1 By: Frank http://www.concurringopinions.com/archives/2007/08/search_neutrali.html/comment-page-1#comment-52839 Frank Sun, 12 Aug 2007 05:15:19 +0000 http://www.solove.org/archives/2007/08/search-neutrality-before-net-neutrality.html#comment-52839 Bruce, a follow-up story in the WaPo has ATT making exactly that point: "AT&T and other providers would like the ability to charge more for transmitting certain kinds of data, like live video, faster or more reliably than other data but have insisted such premium services would help, not hurt, consumers. [An ATT person] said, regardless, the issue of net neutrality is entirely separate from the mistake during the Pearl Jam show. 'This was our own Web site,' he noted." Nevertheless, to me this makes this situation all the fishier. Not only does the owner of the "pipes" want to decide which content gets priority, it also wants to be providing content and essentially competing with the very stuff which it's supposed to be delivering to consumers. Bruce, a follow-up story in the WaPo has ATT making exactly that point:

“AT&T and other providers would like the ability to charge more for transmitting certain kinds of data, like live video, faster or more reliably than other data but have insisted such premium services would help, not hurt, consumers. [An ATT person] said, regardless, the issue of net neutrality is entirely separate from the mistake during the Pearl Jam show. ‘This was our own Web site,’ he noted.”

Nevertheless, to me this makes this situation all the fishier. Not only does the owner of the “pipes” want to decide which content gets priority, it also wants to be providing content and essentially competing with the very stuff which it’s supposed to be delivering to consumers.

]]> By: Bruce Boyden http://www.concurringopinions.com/archives/2007/08/search_neutrali.html/comment-page-1#comment-52838 Bruce Boyden Sat, 11 Aug 2007 19:01:30 +0000 http://www.solove.org/archives/2007/08/search-neutrality-before-net-neutrality.html#comment-52838 I don't get the connection between the AT&T thing and net neutrality. AT&T was hosting the concert on its website (right?), not just transmitting it across its network. This is like NBC bleeping something at an awards show. Is the news here just that AT&T has a bleep button? Is there some sort of danger that a network provider would edit individual feeds on the fly that were being transmitted from some other content provider? I can't see that being a big problem, since presumably the copyright owner of the feed would have something to say about it. I don’t get the connection between the AT&T thing and net neutrality. AT&T was hosting the concert on its website (right?), not just transmitting it across its network. This is like NBC bleeping something at an awards show. Is the news here just that AT&T has a bleep button? Is there some sort of danger that a network provider would edit individual feeds on the fly that were being transmitted from some other content provider? I can’t see that being a big problem, since presumably the copyright owner of the feed would have something to say about it.

]]> By: Jack S. http://www.concurringopinions.com/archives/2007/08/search_neutrali.html/comment-page-1#comment-52837 Jack S. Fri, 10 Aug 2007 22:27:32 +0000 http://www.solove.org/archives/2007/08/search-neutrality-before-net-neutrality.html#comment-52837 There's a significant difference between the two 'markets'. In one there's choice and the other there is not. Net Neutrality is really quite a silly debate because it only exists in the absence of real competition. A content creator is can be silenced easily in todays market because if one carrier chooses to not carry the content there's few others if any who can come in to pick it up. The absurdness of this debate is shown by the European market where such an issue is never even mentioned, much less talked about. Well, it is, but the EU's definition is hardly related to that in the US. There’s a significant difference between the two ‘markets’. In one there’s choice and the other there is not. Net Neutrality is really quite a silly debate because it only exists in the absence of real competition.

A content creator is can be silenced easily in todays market because if one carrier chooses to not carry the content there’s few others if any who can come in to pick it up.

The absurdness of this debate is shown by the European market where such an issue is never even mentioned, much less talked about. Well, it is, but the EU’s definition is hardly related to that in the US.

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