A host of tech outfits, from Google to Intel, suffered a setback in a battle over access to the Internet on Apr. 26. At issue is whether telcos like AT&T and cable operators such as Comcast, which maintain the country’s vast broadband networks, can favor one provider’s Web traffic over another’s. A measure that would bar the practice was shot down by a Congressional committee
From businessweek
Didn’t think it would happen, but the Network Neutrality bill has been shot down. This is a great win for the forces of Neo-Feudalism; putting control over Internet Content into the hands of the dozen or so companies that own the pipes; rather than the people who create the Content. Imagine a world where Sony or Panasonic got to choose what you watched and when you could watch it; simply because you purchased a TV from them. While not a perfect analogy, this is what could happen if your Internet Provider were allowed to discriminate among the packets sent over the wire you pay for. Access to Google could be limited in favor of MSN simply because your Cable company prefers it that way.
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