Net Neutrality is "Very Pro Business," yet GOP Against it?

Columbia University Prof. Tim Wu dispels the common myth pushed by Republicans about net neutrality; destroys innovation/job killer. That's sooooooooo wrong:



With clueless Republican voters standing up for higher cable rates and slower service, not to mention hurting those smaller job creators, it's frustrating to know these guys are in charge now:

But the Wisconsin State Journal's Tom Still does an amazing job making our current neutral internet sound good, yet improvable with...get this, "light touch regulation." Light touch regulations for guns too?

First,Tom Still praises our current net neutral series of tubes:

By any standard, the Internet ranks as one of the leading innovations of our time. It has revolutionized everything from commerce to medicine to entertainment, all within the confines of a generation. Better yet, it has done so largely without government regulation.

Let's get to the focus group approved spin pushed by Scott Walker and Still. Amazing how they now think it turns back the clock:

So, why would President Obama think now is the time to turn back the clock to Depression-era rules written when all telephones were black, hard-wired and hung on a wall?

The following talking point, using Netflix, is easily argued away with this: The guys in pizza shop who came up with idea of YouTube would not have had a chance, since they are what Still calls "lane hogs," like Netflix. 

While the FCC appeared on course for a hybrid rule to charge broadband “hogs” while protecting small users, Obama has proposed to take it to a new – or, more accurately, old – regulatory level. He wants to reclassify ISPs as common carriers under Title II of the 1934 Telecommunications Act, treating the service as a public utility.

Still has this moment of sanity:

“Net neutrality” is one of those buzzwords that inspires populist support, but it’s not as simple as the big guys conspiring to shove mom-and-pop websites into the Internet’s slow lane.

Behind the scenes, it’s also about a small handful of heavy users – the Internet’s so-called “lane hogs” – hoping to avoid paying for the right to dominate available capacity. Video consumes huge amounts of Internet capacity Today, Netflix and similar services are accommodating customers through the Internet – and gobbling up capacity in the process. Netflix pays Comcast, Verizon and AT&T undisclosed fees for a more direct connection to their networks, an arrangement that could become unnecessary if Obama’s recommendation is adopted by the FCC.

Supposedly, this whole net neutrality gimmick is all about saving Netflix a few dollars?

No wonder Netflix is leading the charge for — you guessed it — “net neutrality.”

It has functioned pretty well so far with light-touch regulation and self-policing functions.