Moby thinks we should regulate the Internet. If the telecom policy experts at the Christian coalition didn’t persuade you that neutrality regulation is a good idea, then technology whizzes like R.E.M., Q-Tip, the Indigo Girls, Jill Sobule, Wilco, Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, the Roots, and the Dixie Chicks certainly will!
Meanwhile, the pro-regulation side continues to demonstrate its incredible talent for doublespeak:
Net Neutrality is the long-held principle that ensures small music blogs and independent news sites open just as easily on people’s computers as large corporate sites. Companies like AT&T are spending millions lobbying Congress to pass legislation that critics charge would set up a discriminatory tollbooth system on the information superhighway. The proposed legislation would allow Internet providers to decide which Web sites work best on people’s computers based on who pays them the most, favoring large corporations with deep coffers while marginalizing everyday people, community groups and small businesses.
AT&T, of course, is not “lobbying Congress to pass legislation” about neutrality regulation. Rather, they are opposing new regulations on the subject. It takes a fair amount of rhetorical contortionism to take the posture of the beleaguered defender of the status quo, when you are, in fact, the one pushing new regulations. For example, Moby (no doubt reading talking points prepared by others) says there will be “a huge public backlash” if Congress “sells out the Internet.” If so, it will be one of the strangest backlashes in history. Most backlashes are spontaneous outpourings of anger against an action the public dislikes. But this “backlash” would be a carefully stage-managed reaction to Congress’s decision to leave things as they are. Of course, given the way the “Save the Internet” crowd is describing the issue, most of the people participating in the “backlash” wouldn’t know they were the ones lobbying for new legislation.
Frankly, I can’t blame Moby and company for being alarmed. I’d be alarmed too if all I heard was MoveOn’s version of the story.
The Technology Liberation Front is the tech policy blog dedicated to keeping politicians' hands off the 'net and everything else related to technology.
Comments on this entry are closed.