The Wall Street Journal article that bubbled up on Twitturly this morning has also made it to the top of Techmeme, warranted a response from Lawrence Lessig and earned a link from John Gruber.
Ok, now I’m just fishing for the Techmeme add.
The good thing about all the stir that the WSJ has created is that Network Neutrality is going to gain a little more public traction, especially if the “unsubstantiated” rumors about shifting interests at Microsoft, Yahoo, and Google turn out to be true.
I believe that a lot of innovation on the web comes from the fact that it is built on “dumb pipes,” and it’s also this fact that creates an economy of abundance instead of an economy of scarcity.
Throughout history, though, the big money has been made with an economy of scarcity. I’m surprised there are any corporate interests that support the idea of network neutrality. It upsets all the classic business rules and *gasp* makes life better for the consumer, the innovator, and the small business.
In my mind, it is not enough to offer high-level “access” to business at the same price, because not all businesses have access to the same funds. I see little to no difference between Lessig’s position and one that allows large businesses to easily maintain monopolies in their market by quashing competitors.
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