[asterisk-biz] Re: Netroots Net Neutrality "Lobbying"

[Matthew Rubenstein]

On Fri, 2006-12-15 at 15:34 -0600, Henry J. Cobb wrote:
> "Matthew Rubenstein" <email at mattruby.com> wrote:
> > 	The House and Senate telecom committee chairs are now all Democrats
> > (tiny possibility that some political fluke will threaten a Democratic
> > Senate majority), after the Democratic takeover in last month's
> > elections. So the current telecom bill is dead in committee. The cableco
> > and telco bribes/lobbying sunk into that bill are all now on Plan B. So
> > there is now a chance to reboot the telecom bill to protect Net
> > Neutrality (equal accessibility by competitors to quality carriage
> > regardless of content). Write a short, polite *paper* letter to your
> > House/Senate reps, especially if they're on/chairing a telecom committee
> > mentioning "Net Neutrality" and whatever other familiar (to them)
> > buzzwords with which you agree.
> 
> I have a little more faith in the American Consumer.

	Which has been demonstrated in telecom markets when?


> After just a few days dealing with a locked down Disney-only Net, the
> customer will decide that it's a Mickey Mouse operation and go elsewhere.
> 
> After enough dumb rich people have become dumb poor people while trying to
> foist such silliness, the invisible hand of the market will slap them
> silly.

	Elsewhere? The other Internet? We're talking about a cartel that
manipulates the market. That "hand" you wish would slap them isn't just
invisible, it's shackled.


> Unless of course it all gets writen into law so that new entrants into the
> market are scared off by the regulation costs.

	We pay for our government to protect us, protect the market. From
cartels like the telcos. Those "regulation costs" are the cost of doing
business. And the cost of freedom.

	Sounds like you just shouldn't waste your time writing to a government
in which you don't believe. Shouldn't stop the rest of us from writing,
or believing in a government that's accountable to us.
-- 

(C) Matthew Rubenstein