Joho the Blog
An Entry from the Archives

Susan Crawford has a terrific analysis of Sen. Ted Stevens' Consumer Internet Bill of Rights, which, as she points out, is wrong from its very first word. Yo, Ted, you know what I'm exactly not doing with the Internet right now? Consuming it. I'm creating a little tiny bit more of it.

Susan's analysis, however, is more balanced and thorough, and does not use the word "Yo" even once.

She concludes:

The IBR doesn't shift the current situation. Network access providers have all the power and discretion they want — and, indeed, this bill if enacted would codify their right to packet-discriminate.

...

...the only ex ante rule that will make unfettered internet access a reality is mandated structural separation. We'd need to turn transmission into a utility in order to change the environment.