Free Press has published a PDF debunking the top ten net neutrality myths. For instance, the myth that net neutrality rules will discourage investment:
“The rhetoric about Net Neutrality discouraging investment is just a general outgrowth of the reflexive but misguided belief that any and all regulation discourages investment. The evidence does not support this theory. During the years following the Telecommunications Act of 1996, ISP investment rose dramatically as new regulations were being implemented. Investment declined, however, in the period following the FCC’s dismantling of this regulatory regime. Regulations have only a minor influence over investment decisions. More important are considerations about future growth potential and fear of competition eroding profits. The innovative and expanding market of content on the open Internet actually works to encourage investment. In fact, without Net Neutrality, ISPs will have an incentive to delay investment and profit from artificial scarcity.”
Or the myth that the rules would prevent ISPs from managing network congestion brought upon by video streaming and other bandwidth-intensive applications:
“No one — neither the content and applications companies nor Net Neutrality advocates — is asking the FCC to foreclose ISPs’ ability to manage their networks. Both the Network Neutrality legislation in Congress and the rules outlined by Chairman Genachowski leave ISPs completely free to address congestion via reasonable network management practices. And these management practices can vary to accommodate different technologies and networks.
But these network management techniques must be both transparent and narrowly tailored to preserve the Internet as an open platform for innovation. ISPs cannot be permitted simply to block applications in the name of network management, especially not when there are less onerous methods for dealing with congestion. Moreover, under the Recovery Act, the FCC is required to submit a national broadband plan to Congress that encourages “maximal utilization of broadband infrastructure.” This means that the FCC must create a policy framework that encourages buildout and makes congestion a rare and avoidable event.”
Download the Free Press Digital Deja Vu: Old Myths in the Net Neutrality Debate.
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