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Regulators shouldn’t waste time on non-existent problems that might come to pass (unless it’s a catastrophic outcome, like nuclear weapon proliferation). Inste

Regulators shouldn’t waste time on non-existent problems that might come to pass (unless it’s a catastrophic outcome, like nuclear weapon proliferation). Instead we should keep the threat of neutrality on hand, but only use it if the market fails. It hasn’t failed yet. ISPs seem much less willing to filter content than tech giants like Google and Facebook are. Always keep in mind that regulations get corrupted by industry over time. Regulatory capture is worse for the consumer than is a well-functioning market.

wtallis 3y ago
> but only use it if the market fails. It hasn’t failed yet. First of all, regulators should at a minimum have enough investigatory power to monitor for and uncover abusive market failure situations. But your assertion that the market hasn't failed yet only seems to hold up if you set a pretty high bar for what kind of malfeasance qualifies as a market failure. Do you honestly believe that none of the instances on record in the US and elsewhere are individually or collectively sufficient justification for preventive measures? Just how much abuse has to pile up before regulation stops being a waste of time?
- nostromo 3y ago
  What abuses have occurred since 2020? The only violation I currently experience is that T-mobile gives me a free Netflix subscription and free wifi on flights. Both benefit me without hurting others. And both would be allowed under the previous regulation, since it largely exempted cellular service. At home I regularly use unsavory services like Bittorrent without throttling. (And so much of traffic is now encrypted and served from a small number of CDNs, the ability of ISPs to shape traffic has been dramatically reduced.)
  - wtallis 3y ago
    > And so much of traffic is now encrypted and served from a small number of CDNs, the ability of ISPs to shape traffic has been dramatically reduced. Pointing to lasting effects from previous net neutrality violations as evidence that neutrality regulations are unnecessary doesn't seem like a very strong argument to me. Or do you have an explanation for the dearth of p2p traffic (especially for voice and video conferencing) that isn't rooted in ISPs providing only a very locked-down "internet" service that barely permits anything other than www?
  - Kerbonut 3y ago
    I have a 1200 GB cap on my cable internet since 2020. Prior to that there was no cap. Now I have to either use my ISP's modem, double my monthly payment, or pay $10 per GIG beyond the cap.

wtallis 3y ago

> but only use it if the market fails. It hasn’t failed yet. First of all, regulators should at a minimum have enough investigatory power to monitor for and uncover abusive market failure situations. But your assertion that the market hasn't failed yet only seems to hold up if you set a pretty high bar for what kind of malfeasance qualifies as a market failure. Do you honestly believe that none of the instances on record in the US and elsewhere are individually or collectively sufficient justification for preventive measures? Just how much abuse has to pile up before regulation stops being a waste of time?

nostromo 3y ago
What abuses have occurred since 2020? The only violation I currently experience is that T-mobile gives me a free Netflix subscription and free wifi on flights. Both benefit me without hurting others. And both would be allowed under the previous regulation, since it largely exempted cellular service. At home I regularly use unsavory services like Bittorrent without throttling. (And so much of traffic is now encrypted and served from a small number of CDNs, the ability of ISPs to shape traffic has been dramatically reduced.)
- wtallis 3y ago
  > And so much of traffic is now encrypted and served from a small number of CDNs, the ability of ISPs to shape traffic has been dramatically reduced. Pointing to lasting effects from previous net neutrality violations as evidence that neutrality regulations are unnecessary doesn't seem like a very strong argument to me. Or do you have an explanation for the dearth of p2p traffic (especially for voice and video conferencing) that isn't rooted in ISPs providing only a very locked-down "internet" service that barely permits anything other than www?
- Kerbonut 3y ago
  I have a 1200 GB cap on my cable internet since 2020. Prior to that there was no cap. Now I have to either use my ISP's modem, double my monthly payment, or pay $10 per GIG beyond the cap.