Why I care about Lessig’s twisted view of the Internet is best illustrated by this little article from The Register on a recent hearing of the FCC in which Lessig and some of his buddies testified on Internet regulations. If the people who make the regulations don’t understand the Net, their regulations are likely to be flawed; if those advising them don’t understand it either (, or, in Cerf’s case aren’t willing to own up to the defects in its design for fear of tarnishing their reputations,) it becomes even more likely that the regulations will be flawed.
The architecture that suited the Internet’s design goals as an e-mail network for government contractors on a budget in 1970 is no longer relevant today, and standing in the way of progress isn’t noble.
Can’t Lessig, Wu, and Cerf find a way to get on TV that isn’t destructive to commerce, entertainment, the economy, and our on-going political dialog? Surely they could, if they were as bright as their fans think they are.