A Victory We Can Hang Our Hats On
December 29th, 2006 by Tim KarrBy Ben Scott, Free Press Policy Director
In the wake of the AT&T-BellSouth merger, much of the discussion in the Internet community has focused on trying to poke holes and find weaknesses in the Net Neutrality condition that AT&T was forced to accept. This line-by-line critique has attained such a volume in certain circles that you might think it was the most significant element in this story.
It is not. Not by several country miles. It is true that what we have won here is a compromise. But the positives outweigh the negatives by such a wide margin that it is unbelievable to me that we have spent so much time niggling and so little time celebrating.
It was never possible to win a perfect Net Neutrality victory at FCC through a merger condition. We cannot hold this merger condition achieved under a Martin Commission to the standard we would demand if we were legislating with a public-interest friendly majority at the FCC and in Congress.
I don’t mean to say that we should banish dissent and refuse to discuss shortcomings and possible loopholes — or that giving so much power to AT&T is desirable. I just hope we can all keep in mind that these conversations are occurring in the wake of a very sizeable political win.
The bottom line is whether this merger condition advances our cause in the marketplace and in Congress. In the market, this condition will have the effect of disciplining bad behavior — certainly for AT&T, and likely for the industry as a whole. In Congress, the center of power where this issue will ultimately be decided, the debate will now shift from whether we should have Net Neutrality to how and when we should have it.
What specifically does this condition give us in the context of a Congressional debate? A hellavu lot.
It destroys the phone companies’ two most popular arguments against us from 2006. They can no longer argue that Net Neutrality cannot be defined. They can no longer argue that Net Neutrality, infrastructure build-out, low-cost broadband and a profitable company are mutually exclusive.
That alone would be a monster win for our side.
Beyond that, this agreement will help educate Members of Congress about what Net Neutrality is all about and why it matters.
Further, the Bells no longer look quite so invincible on the matter.
Finally, this is a big victory for the millions of people who have followed and fought this debate to hang their hats on. It builds momentum, confidence, and above all, hope.
Here’s hoping 2007 will be the year of the Internet of, by, and for the people.
