FCC Votes to Preserve the Internet … in Amber

Larry Downes has depth of knowledge and a way with words, both of which he puts to good use in this C|Net opinion piece on the FCC’s vote today moving forward with public‐​utility‐​style regulation of Internet service.


If you’re interested in learning detail about the issues, it’s a good read. My favorite part is the conclusion:

The misplaced nostalgia for an Internet that has long since evolved to something much different and much more useful has led to the adoption today of rules that may have a similar effect. The FCC’s embrace of open‐​Internet rules may indeed preserve the Internet—but preserve it in the same way amber preserves the bodies of prehistoric insects. That gloomy outcome isn’t certain, of course. Internet technology has a wonderful habit of routing around inefficiency and unnecessary obstacles. As between Moore’s Law and FCC law, I’m betting on the technology to prove the ultimate regulator—and the sensible one, at that.