FreedomWorks Stands Firm Against Net Neutrality
May 19th, 2006 by Brendan SteinhauserHere is the whole story from CNSNews.comÂÂ
FreedomWorks, a group that advocates lower taxes and less government, is urging Americans to just “say no to net neutrality.”The group chaired by former Rep. Dick Armey argues that ‘network neutrality’ legislation would give the federal government “massive and unprecedented power over the Internet.”
FreedomWorks argues that technological innovation is placing pressure on bandwidth capabilities, and as more people demand more services providing high definition video and greater speed, substantial investments will have to be made in basic internet infrastructure.
“Net neutrality mandates will depress investment and innovation by not allowing private providers to charge a premium for advanced services,” FreedomWorks said. “Underinvestment will erode American Internet competitiveness.”
Freedom worked warned against the “hysterical cries” of groups such as MoveOn.org, which insist that the government must step in to preserve “the free and open Internet as we know it.”
But “the Internet as we know it” is actually one without network neutrality regulations, FreedomWorks said. “It’s MoveOn and its ilk that wants to end the Internet as it is by granting the federal government new expansive powers.”
FreedomWorks President Matt Kibbe noted that some large content providers are spending millions of dollars to support “net neutrality campaigns” like that being waged by MoveOn.org.
“What is clear is that ‘Net Neutrality’ is a government expansion masked with populist rhetoric,” Kibbe said.
“FreedomWorks believes the Internet has thrived precisely because it is largely free of regulation, and now isn’t the time to hand the future of the Internet to regulators at the FCC.”
May 20th, 2006 at 9:19 am
I find the motives of MoveOn.org VERY questionable indeed. Are they really that concerned with Internet freedom or are they more concerned with taking money from big monsters like Microsoft to fund campaigns to replace Republicans with Democrats?? Hmmm.
May 20th, 2006 at 10:10 am
I firmly believe that the internet has thrived because of the “hands-off” approach the government has taken to date. Ultimately, the growth of the internet is a result of the demand by the consumer for new technology and services and I don’t think that dynamic expansion can continue with erroneous government-mandated “regulations” To the best of my knowledge, there’s nothing on record of paying consumers being prevented access to the internet, so what would “net neutrality” be policing and who would they be “protecting”?
May 20th, 2006 at 6:15 pm
The internet will never be the same if the government begins regulations on it. Net neutrality would only hurt innovation of the net.
May 21st, 2006 at 1:52 am
I’m glad someone is putting their foot down on this issue. As I understand it, Google fronted Moveon $1 million to promote their net neutrality campaign. I find it disturbing that a political organization with so much power would align itself with a company that has willingly trampled the freedom of speech in China. No wonder they are wrong on this issue.
May 21st, 2006 at 1:18 pm
I rented “The Saw” this weekend but nothing prepared me for the horror of this statement: ‘network neutrality’ legislation would give the federal government “massive and unprecedented power over the Internet.†*shiver*
May 22nd, 2006 at 9:58 pm
This isn’t a battle to save the consumer; it’s a fight between two groups of corporations, both of which want to maximize their profits. What boggles my mind is the hypocracy with which the corporations supporting net neutrality approach this issue. Google offers priority listings for a fee; Microsoft offers multiple versions of its programs, each more-featured-filled product digging neutrally into consumers’ pockets.
I wonder if these corporations realize that once the government has control of the Internet, it won’t be that long before they want to take control of the content on the Internet.
May 22nd, 2006 at 10:26 pm
Thank you FreedomWorks! It is nice to see an intelligent political group come out on this issue. You are on target when you say the Internet has thrived due to a regulation-free environment. Competition is key in this industry. Why is Google trying to stifle it?
May 24th, 2006 at 6:24 pm
The great thing about the internet is that it has been a constantly evolving entity. Just fifteen years ago, most of us were using dial-up connections and things like fast video and internet phone service were impossible. Now, we have these services and many more on the way. I don’t want to see Congress pass this legislation and put an end to all of that.
July 10th, 2006 at 11:36 am
i would really like to see you talk a little bit more about the limitations that would be found if network neutrality were not enforced. I happen to work for a non-profit media democracy newsletter and I know that if it were not enforced, the government wouldn’t have that type of power, but corporations like AT&T would. And, they would limit our access to non-profit websites who refuse to further deepen the pockets of these large organizations by making access slower.
i know you’re all for limiting the government’s power, but do you really believe that a corporate takeover of the internet is better? I mean, at least the government are based on the premise of considering “the people,” but the corporations are based on profit and would ultimately view Internet users simply as “customers.”
i think you need to look beyond the governmental power debate and consider that without network neutrality, blogging sites such as this would be terribly threatened by competatively slower speeds.