Comment on Verizon Net Neutrality Argument | Jeff Kagan Tech Analyst

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Jeff KAGAN

Tech Analyst

     

We have one decision to make that will clear up all the arguments about Net Neutrality.

How do we classify high speed Internet lines from telephone and cable television companies? Are they a separate service that treats all data equally. Something customers can use to order services and competitors can use to deliver services?

Or are they part of the mixture of bundled services offered by and controlled by the phone or cable TV companies? These companies can set up these lines to give them the speed advantage.

The difference means either the customer or the company is in charge. So which way are we going to do this?

I see both sides of the argument and they are both valid. Companies want to control their services. They don’t want to let competitors use these services to compete.

On the other hand, customers and innovation calls for an open environment for competition to grow.

A perfect solution would be to have many sources of high speed Internet. Unfortunately we don’t have many sources. Each customer has a choice of basically two, the telephone company and the cable television company.

So if we want to encourage innovation and competition and get the benefits like savings and new services then one way makes sense.

But if we think the companies that provide the services should have any advantage they want, then the other way makes sense.

There are no rights or wrongs here. Number one, the companies should be profitable on these lines. Beyond that we have a basic decision to make.

This decision will apply to everyone including all the telephone and cable television companies. That means companies like AT&T, Verizon, CenturyLink, Windstream, Comcast, Time Warner, Cox and others.

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Jeff KAGAN| Tech Industry Analyst www.jeffKAGAN.com

Analyst sharing perspective on the changing industry for 25 years

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