It’s controversial to say here but I don’t think it gets discussed enough: Net neutrality only really helps established players. That is not to say it hurts others, but it certainly helps established players.
That’s why they all love it. Facebook, Hulu, Netflix, GitHub, Tumblr, Microsoft. Unestablished unpopular players are not the ones getting throttled. It’s the ones already using tons of bandwidth getting throttled and odds are good most new players bandwidth usage is hardly even noticeable to the ISP. They wouldn’t be touting the joys of something that had the potential to displace them.
The one who would be getting throttled is primarily Netflix, who literally uses over half of the bandwidth of the Internet. Literally slows everything else on the Internet down. Netflix doesn’t want to be throttled, so of course they love net neutrality.
I’m not saying net neutrality is inherently bad, I just don’t think it’s as innately good as a lot of the cheerleaders attest.
I predict the ISP's selling a default throttled connection to everything, and then for $10 more you can unthrottle Netflix or YouTube. Competitors would need to convince ISPs to allow unthrottled access to even have a chance.
Of course it is, you have to constrain the powerful so they cannot take freedom away from the dispossessed.
You have to restrict the freedom of Southern plantation owners to own slaves to ensure the freedom of slaves. You have to restrict the freedom of corporations to merge into a giant conglomerate so you can protect the freedom of choice of consumers. You have to restrict the freedom of corporations to charge for the origin of internet traffic so you can protect the freedom of internet users to visit any site they wish.
Freedom in society is always an exchange and a compromise. Your freedom to swing your fist ends five centimetres away from my nose.
Net neutrality also helps users. Do I really need to explain how?
That's arguing that opposition to putting a dam in a river to alter its natural course is a constraint, because it constrains the placement of dams.
> Net neutrality only really helps established players.
Good for them. For once they're on the right side of an argument.
> Unestablished unpopular players are not the ones getting throttled.
How is that an argument in favour of anyone getting throttled at the whim of the ISPs?
> The one who would be getting throttled is primarily Netflix, who literally uses over half of the bandwidth of the Internet.
Once again: good for them. On the provider side: if bandwidth is a scarcity, data plan prices should reflect that. No need to give them the power to ghettoise the Internet.
