Comments on: If it’s Wednesday, this must be London

By: Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 04:40:18 +0000

Well, Brett, I think we agree the Internet is in trouble, whoever wins the election, and probably in a bit more trouble if Obama wins, as he most probably will.

But as patriotic Americans we sometimes have to put our personal interests aside and do what’s good for the country as a whole, and that’s why I support Obama. Internet regulation, as important as it may be, is one small issue in a whole slew of things that are going to be decided over the next eight years.

So you don’t need to prove that McCain has a better position on NN than Obama – I conceded that weeks ago. Just do your duty for your country.

By: Brett Glass

Brett Glass — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 04:33:41 +0000

From what I have seen, the Christian Coalition wants to make sure that its own messages are not censored or blocked, but that any material of which they do not approve *can* be blocked. Fortunately, members of Congress have not seemed too impressed with their pitch.

In any event, we are entering dangerous times for the Internet. If regulations are passed that attempt to turn it into the Bell System of old, it will die. Forget about consumer choice or personalized service. And forget about the original paradigm on which the Internet was based. It won’t be a network of heterogeneous networks (with different ownership, policies, technologies, strengths and weaknesses) anymore. It’ll just be one network monopoly or duopoly.

By: Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 02:22:43 +0000

McCain has said some nice things, but he’s so erratic you have no guarantee that his actions as president, if he hadn’t blown up his campaign by selecting the retard to grace the ticket, would have been consistent with his rhetoric. Obama has pretty much made the same noises as most other Dems on this issue, not what I’d like to hear at all. But as I’ve said, the fact that Obama has taken the wrong position on this one issue, as important as it is, has to be weighed against his general qualifications. He’s superior to McCain on temperament and judgment, and in these uncertain times they’re more important than specific policy claims.

Now consider what happens if Diebold elects McCain and he dies in office. Palin will listen to the Christian Coalition on this issue, and what do they want? To confiscate your business.

So you’re screwed either way.

By: Brett Glass

Brett Glass — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 02:12:35 +0000

Alas, Richard, no one knows.

I certainly don’t agree with McCain on everything, but he has his head on straight about the Internet — and Obama should adopt the same stance. Here’s what McCain told C|Net:

C|Net: Congress has considered Net neutrality legislation, but it never became law. Do you still support the legislation that was re-introduced in 2007 (S 215), which gives the FCC the power to punish “discriminatory” conduct by broadband providers?

McCain: In general, I believe that we need to move to a different model for enforcing competition on the Internet. Its focus should be on policing clearly anticompetitive behavior and consumer predation. In such a dynamic and innovative setting, it is not desirable for regulators to be required to anticipate market developments, intervene in the market, and try to micromanage American business and innovation.

In short, McCain is exactly right on this issue.

By: Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 02:07:09 +0000

I don’t see Obama doing anything rash. He’ll make a sensible FCC appointment, replacing Martin, and study the specifics of any legislation his FCC chief tells him he needs. Or maybe he’ll appoint Lessig to head the FCC and the Internet will die. How would I know?