Dems unite on Network Neutrality

Posted on July 24, 2008 by Lessig

Matt Stoller at OpenLeft has been collecting positions from Democratic candidates about network neutrality. As he reports today, every single Democratic challenger supports open access. Check out the table, including contributions (or for most, the lack of contributions) to the candidates from telecom companies. And bravo for the work to make this dimension of this election clear.

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5 Responses to Dems unite on Network Neutrality

  1. adam says:
    July 24, 2008 at 10:54 pm

    Great. what used to be a simple idea that even my most suburban friends could see affecting their freedoms has become partisan, and they will now oppose it because jesus told them to.

  2. pikkumatti says:
    July 25, 2008 at 2:55 pm

    @adam: Nothing is so closed as the mind of an open-minded liberal.

  3. John Robert BEHRMAN says:
    July 25, 2008 at 5:31 pm

    Why is the term “net neutrality” used in connection with the internet today rather than the old, admirality law term common carriage in reference to digital storage, transport, switching, and security services or infrastructure on or over public right-of-way?

    I still think of “cyberspace” as fit more for admirality convention than for strictly national statutory law or jursiprudence.

    To be sure, such robust principles have to be kept up to date, even as new arguments from old quarters have to be refuted. Nicholas NEGROPONTE started doing that a long time ago.

    But, I am somewhat scared that, now, unprincipled regulation consisting of nothing but buzz-words, unctious sentiments, adversarial process, and narrow interests will degenerate into … (a) a private forum for monopoly rent-sharing and indirect-taxation lurking behind (b) political extortion rackets that erode public trust.

    This is what both the old, elected Texas Railroad Commission and new, appointed Texas Public Utilities Commission have degenerated into. But, I think that is a matter of political neglect and bi-partisan concession-tending. Those do not seem ineviitable or irreversable to me.

    What seems urgent is …

    Democracy crisis > economic crisis > energy crisis

    That is the message I got from your talk at NN. Where is that video/slide show?

  4. riffic says:
    July 25, 2008 at 11:11 pm

    Why is this even a partisan issue?

  5. danica says:
    August 2, 2008 at 5:32 am

    It has been collecting positions from democratic candidates about network neutrality. It is profoundly disappointing that the senate is going let a handful of companies. it hold internet access hostage by legalizing the cable service providers and new entrants. Thank you
    ================
    danica

    Illinois Treatment Centers

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