Previous Politech message: http://www.politechbot.com/2006/04/05/former-house-majority/ -------- Original Message -------- Subject: Re: [Politech] Dick Armey, former House Majority Leader, takes aim at "Net neutrality" [econ] Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2006 13:37:00 -0400 From: Howie Goodell <howie.goodell@private> To: Declan McCullagh <declan@private> References: <4433F7E7.1050802@private> Hi -- (never tried to reply to this before; sure enjoy it) Mr. Armey ignores the fact that the last mile is still a natural oligopoly if not monopoly in most places, both since cable and phone providers demand and get an exclusive licence from the town, and because "network effects" (no pun) make it uneconomic to support many duplicate sets of wiring to every business and house. Requiring semi-monopoly local companies to connect to their competitor's networks on an equal basis is a legitimate public good. Like the 1980's telecom reform that required Ma Bell to connect to competitors' long-distance networks, "net neutrality" is likely to lead to much more competition, as there will be many ISPs able to provide service on an equal footing rather than the tyranny of one cable guy. Howie Goodell Doctoral Candidate, Computer Science -------- Original Message -------- Subject: RE: [Politech] Dick Armey, former House Majority Leader, takes aim at "Net neutrality" [econ] Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2006 13:32:58 -0400 From: Jonathan Wilner <jonathan@private> To: Declan McCullagh <declan@private> Declan, You probably already know this, but Armey's organization is an "AstroTurf" grass roots organization. They've accepted corporate contributions from SBC and Verizon & campaign not only for Net Neutrality but also eliminating the requirements for local franchising for video networks. "FreedomWorks is the result of a 2004 merger between Citizens for a Sound Economy (a conservative think tank with strong ties to major corporations like General Electric and General Motors) and Empower America (an organization that lobbied for tax reform, Social Security reform, etc.).[11] FreedomWorks is headed by former House majority leader Dick Armey and claims to have 700,000 grassroots activists nationwide fighting for "less government, lower taxes and more freedom."[12] Before the merger, Citizens for a Sound Economy boasted a long history of Astroturf lobbying. Slate Magazine reported in 2003 that the majority of the organization's funding came from corporations or corporate-backed conservative foundations, and that the group was mostly an "extension of Armey's lobbying work [at Piper Rudnick, a D.C. law firm]."[13]" http://www.commoncause.org/site/pp.asp?c=dkLNK1MQIwG&b=1497377 [Two thoughts: 1. CSE is not properly called an astroturf organization; it's been around for decades, has hundreds of thousands of members and supporters, and offices in over a dozen states. 2. Also I'm not sure if corporate money by itself is dispositive. We ran a special report last week that showed how the American Library Association gets money from Verizon and Walgreens; CDT gets cash from AT&T, eBay, Microsoft, Google, etc., and so on: http://news.com.com/Nonprofits+are+true+powerbrokers/2009-1028_3-6050711.html A better question to ask is: Are the group's positions up for sale to the highest bidder? --Declan] -------- Original Message -------- Subject: Re: [Politech] Dick Armey, former House Majority Leader, takes aim at "Net neutrality" [econ] Date: Wed, 05 Apr 2006 07:39:46 -1000 From: George Mason <masong002@private> To: Declan McCullagh <declan@private> References: <4433F7E7.1050802@private> What this most reminds me of is the old "Fairness Doctrine" which actually killed political debate over the airways. But it has much in common with the "unintended" consequences of regulation in general. At 07:01 AM 4/5/2006, you wrote: >What net neutrality really does is allow the government to run all over >basic property rights in classic, Kelo fashion. It expands regulation in >the telecommunications arena and allows the government to dictate to >businesses how they offer service. [...] A hui hou, GM http://www.highsurfwarning.com http://www.highsurfwarning.blogspot.com http://www.spotterbuddy.com http://hawaiiweatherman.blogspot.com DSS/DH key id: 0xD60CE0F9 Surfline: 637-RUSH -------- Original Message -------- Subject: RE: [Politech] Dick Armey, former House Majority Leader, takes aim at "Net neutrality" [econ] Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2006 13:39:07 -0400 From: Adam Goldberg <adam_g@private> To: 'Declan McCullagh' <declan@private> Declan, I sure am, glad that he, can punctuate, properly. "What net neutrality really does is allow the government to run all over basic property rights in classic, Kelo fashion." Adam Adam Goldberg 3003 Barkley Gate Ln Fairfax, VA _______________________________________________ Politech mailing list Archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ Moderated by Declan McCullagh (http://www.mccullagh.org/)
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