MSNBC columnist Michael Rogers has this piece on “How Washington Will Shape the Internet.” For those in the know, it doesn’t provide any new information on the battles to reform the nation’s telecom laws, but for newbies, it’s a great synopsis of the range of issues Congress is dealing with as it moves forward with legislation.
Rogers gives a thumbnail of network neutrality, national video franchising, universal service funding, content flags and “white spaces.” More than that, however, Rogers hits on a point that few people in the trenches have considered: Government is now involved in the Internet in a big way, ending the freewheeling days of unregulated Internet growth.
Over the next few years, government regulation will increasingly be a factor in how the Internet grows. Government has been remarkably hands-off in its approach to the commercial Internet over the past decade (with a few exceptions, such as indecency and children). But as the Internet becomes integral to the economic infrastructure of the country, it’s hard to see how government won’t be involved in issues ranging from anti-competitive practices to safety and security. We’re going to look at the first decade of the commercial Internet as something like the Wild West — and we’ll mark 2006 as the year that the sheriff rode into town.
(Hat tip to the 463 blog.)
Cynthia Brumfield at 9:53 AM|Comments(0)
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